As Kirmen Uribe says, “I feel happy because I am Basque.". Obstacles are obstacles, and attacks are attacks, we are lucky. The Basque language is the heritage of the planet, not just the Basques. It is our responsibility to protect it, if we are lucky enough, we have something to offer the world, so that the earth itself becomes more diverse."
Those of us who are involved in coin collections also have a duty to preserve the heritage. These coins have a history and a piece of art stamped on them. There is a certain excitement about this world that makes it fascinating. Just when you think you know a little, unexpected discoveries are made again, new studies that have to be learned from the beginning.
This is what happened to me too, because I suddenly had to learn: the last heartbeats of the Duchy of Vasconia left us their coinage. Are these Basque coins? Well, not in a way, like what we saw with the Bearn coins, they were not minted in the current Basque territories, but since they were minted by the last leaders of one of the most significant structures in our history, they are an important part of our history; and in addition, they are one of the few traces of the High Middle Ages in Gipuzkoa. So what are these coins and what is their story?
The Duchy of Vasconia, sometimes referred to as the Duchy of Gascony, was founded by the Franks around the 7th century with the aim of controlling the attacks of the Vascones on the Duchy of Aquitaine north of the Garonne River. At the time of the arrival of the Romans, Aquitaine south of the Garonne River While the name of the territories was, in these times, the territories south of the Garonne were called (at least largely) Baskonia, and Aquitaine was the name given to the territories between the Garonne and Loire rivers. This change of name was the result of the expanded province of Gallia Aquitania created by Augustus in 27 BC.
Administrative organization of Aquitaine Gaul between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD – Nicolas Eynaud – Wikipedia
After a few dukes who were vassals of the Merovingian Franks, these dukes gradually became fully independent, starting from the second half of the 7th century. From this time on, different dukes held together the territories of Aquitaine and Basque Country while shaking off the dominion of the Frankish kings. Otto I the Great (700-735), Duke of Aquitaine and Basque Country, reached the highest point of this duchy, victorious against the Arabs in the battles of Toulouse and Poitiers.
Duchy of Aquitaine and Vasconia (710-740) – Wikipedia Commons – Zorion
However, from the end of the first third of the 8th century, the Carolingian Frank Charles Martel and his successors once again put Otto and his successors under the yoke. From then on, and starting in 769, Charlemagne and his successors are the main actors in the part of our history that we all know; that is, in the attacks brought to the Basque territories, in the two battles of Roncesvalles, in the creation of the Kingdom of Pamplona in 824, and in the creation of the lesser-known Kingdom of Aquitaine.
Leaders of Aquitaine and Vasconia in relations between the Basques and the Carolingian Franks – Iñaki Lopez de Luzuriaga – Wikipedia Commons
This kingdom of Aquitaine was founded by Charlemagne himself in 781 and placed under the command of his son Louis the Merciful. The dukes of Vasconia were theoretically under the rule of the king of Aquitaine, but revolts, rebellions and conflicts were a daily occurrence.
This time, we have a few coins that reflect the control that the Frankish Carolingians had over the Duchy of Vasconia. Although the most prosperous mints in Aquitaine during this period were those of Bordeaux, Toulouse and Merle, there was a mint in the territories of the Duke of Vasconia, which today bears the French name of Dax and which the Basques call Akish In fact, in some ways, Akize could still have been Basque at that time and we have some scant documentary evidence that records the name Aquis Vasconiae instead of the name Aquae Tarbellicae given by the Romans, including coins such as:
Silver obelisk attributed to King and Emperor Charlemagne (768-814) – 0.72gr
Found: Carolingian monogram of Karolus
Reverse: AQVIS (Aquis Vasconiae, present-day Akize) (Christian cross)
JEAN ELSEN & SES FILS SA, AUCTION 144, LOT 904 14.03.2020
Aquitaine silver coin minted in the name of Louis the Merciful, King of Aquitaine (781-814) and Emperor (814-840) – 1.39gr – 21mm
Obverse: H LVDOVVICVS IMP (Christian cross)
Reverse: AQVIS VASON (Aquis Vasconiae, present-day Aquis)
MONNAIES D'ANTAN, AUCTION 19, LOT 447 21.05.2016
The different coin varieties of the Aquis of Louis the Merciful presented by Ernest Gariel in his book “Les monnaies royales de France sous la race carolingienne” in 1885. I have not found the third variety at auctions.
Silver obol minted in the name of Pepin II, King of Aquitaine (839-852) – 0.45gr 16mm – Probably minted in Bordeaux and not Aquitaine.
Obverse: PIPINVS REX (Christian cross)
Reverse: AQUITANIA
INUMIS, MAIL BID SALE 12, LOT 359 22.10.2010
Silver coin from Aquitaine minted in the name of Pepin II, King of Aquitaine (839-852) – 1.60gr
Obverse: PIPINIVS REX EQ (Christian cross, with four lancets)
Reverse: AQVIS VRBI (Temple with a cross) Aquis City, present-day Akize
FRITZ RUDOLF KÜNKER GMBH & CO. KG, AUCTION 227, LOT 2161 14.03.2011
Aquitaine silver coin minted in the name of Charles the Bald, King of Aquitaine and France (839-877) – 1.57gr
Obverse: CARLVS REX FR (Carolingian monogram of Karolus)
Reverse: AQVIS VRBS (Christian cross) (Aquis Vasconiae, present-day Akize (Dax))
JEAN ELSEN & SES FILS SA, AUCTION 125, LOT 1072 13.06.2015
It is fascinating how, while Occitan, Gascon and later French have transformed “Civitas de Aqvis” into DAX (d'achs), the Basque AKIZE has brought us a reflection of its developed Latin name. Although it is possible to discuss the denarii and as coins bearing the words Barskunes and Baskunes, These Akize coins are the only coins that feature the name of the Vascones throughout history.
After losing the battle against his uncle Charles the Bald, Pepin II took refuge in the territories of the Duchy of Vasconia, but Sancho II, Duke of Vasconia, handed them over to the King of the Franks. Sancho was the last duke to pay homage to the Frankish king, precisely in the year 853. Here too, the coinage of Aquis ends, as the last traces we have date from the reign of Charles the Bald.
From the middle of the 9th century onwards, the Duchy of Vasconia maintained close ties with the Kingdom of Pamplona, but gradually developed relations with the counties and duchies of Aquitaine and the Kingdom of France to the north. At the same time, the different dukes began to divide the Duchy into different counties and viscounties among their sons. During this period, the Vikings were present in the territories of Vasconia and the dukes had to constantly fight against them.
The importance of the Vascon element seems to be diminishing and the Latinized northern elements are gaining importance, which will later be confirmed by the creation and development of the Occitan and Gascon languages. In a way, the Vascon energies seem to have been shared with the southern kingdom of Pamplona and are losing strength in the northern duchy's territories.
As a result of these deepening relations with the North, William II. Sanxitz, Duke of Vasconia, became Count of Bordeaux in the 970s-980s. William II. Sanxitz took Urraca, daughter of King Garcia I of Pamplona, as his wife. William married in Pamplona.
Until then, the dukes of Vasconia had not minted coins in their territories, but Bordeaux had a long tradition of minting coins. Guillen, continuing this tradition, created the first coins minted by a duke of Vasconia.
These coins follow the standard size and weight of the silver coins established by Charlemagne. The images also present the Christian cross and the distorted Carolingian monogram shown on Charlemagne's coins. The image text shows the surname Sancho of Guillen and the text "BUDEGAL" referring to Bordeaux. There is no other mention, neither of the Basque country nor of the duke or count status; it is clear that they are coins from the city of Bordeaux, but they show the name of a Vascon duke for the first time.
Silver coin minted in the name of William II Sanxitz (961-996) Duke of Vasconia and Count of Bordeaux – 1.10 gr, 19mm
Obverse: SANCHVS (Christian cross)
Reverse: BUDEGAL (Distorted Carolingian monogram)
CLASSICAL NUMISMATIC GROUP, INC., ELECTRONIC AUCTION 531, LOT 1318 25.01.2023
As a comparison, let's look at a photo of a coin minted in the city of Agen, in the Garonne River valley, under the rule of Charlemagne. The similarities are striking.
Silver coin from Agen minted in the name of Emperor Charlemagne (768-814) – 21.4 mm, 1.65 gr
Obverse: CARLVS REX FR (Christian cross)
Reverse: AGINNO (Carolingian monogram KRLS)
INUMIS, MAIL BID SALE 34, LOT 210 11.10.2016
We must not forget that today most experts date the first coinage of the kingdoms of Pamplona and Aragon from 1076. In this case, we will be dealing with coins minted a century and a half earlier.
The coins of our Duke Guillen have another special importance. During the excavations carried out in the Ama Xantalen hermitage in Irun, two coins of Guillen were found. These excavations have revealed some of the most important remains from the Middle Ages found in Gipuzkoa and have revealed the value of the temples and churches that are the heirs of the ancient Basque and Roman city of Oiasso. In addition, they are witnesses to the maritime trade relations that the Uartze port had in the Middle Ages, and these relations clearly show the links that Gipuzkoa (and consequently the Kingdom of Navarre) had with the Duchy of Vasconia.
Traces of the Hermitage of Ama Xantalen and its Archaeological Site – Guide-du-PaysBasque.com
The coins minted by the dukes of Vasconia do not end here. The two sons of Guillen II. Sanxitz and his wife Urraca were the next and last dukes of the original Vasconian house. And both minted coins in Bordeaux. The first to follow in the footsteps of his father was Duke Bernart I Guillen (996-1009). Here is a coin minted in the name of Bernart, in the National Library of Paris.
Silver coin minted in the name of Bernard I William (996-1009), Duke of Vasconia and Count of Bordeaux
Obverse: BERNARDV (Hand pointing down)
Reverse: BURDIGAL (Christian cross)
Copy from the French National Library
Half obolo coins with the same appearance and pictorial text as this coin are also said to have been produced, as indicated by the catalogues and books I have read, but I have not found any physical examples of these obolo coins. The symbol of the hand that appears on Bernart's coins and obolo coins is notable, an ironic reflection of the importance of hands in Basque imagery in recent times.
After Bernard's heirless reign, the duchy passed into the hands of his brother, Sancho VI Guillen (1009-1032). Sancho Guillen spent long stays at the court of Pamplona and in 1010 he appeared before the King of France in the company of Sancho III the Great, King of Navarre. It was clear to which king he wanted to place the duchy under his rule.
Image of Sancho VI, Duke of Guillen
Genealogy of the Kings of Portugal, published in Lisbon 1530-1534. Wikipedia Commons
If we look at the coins of Duke Sancho VI of Guillaume (1009-1032), a couple of doubts come to mind. With the exception of one specimen that shows the letter S, the rest of the specimens show four small crosses, three small crosses and a ring, or two small crosses, a besante and a ring. The specimens are rare and, especially, those showing four small crosses, have no clear attribution, as some experts attribute them to the later Duke of Guillaume IX of Aquitaine.
Having clarified this fact, we can say that at least the specimens showing the S-shaped cross and the three crosses and the ring have a fairly unanimous attribution, that is, they are specimens of the last duke of the original Basque house of Sancho VI, Guillen. Again, I have not been able to find a physical example of a specimen with the S-shaped cross, but here is the specimen of the other model in the French National Library:
Silver coin minted in the name of Sancho VI, Duke of Vasconia and Count of Bordeaux (1009-1032).
Obverse: GVIVEVMS (A cross made up of three crosses and a ring)
Reverse: BURDEGMV (Christian cross)
Copy from the French National Library
The coin of Sancho VI of Guillen, 1.12gr, described by the writer Benjamin Fillon in the years 1860-1861 in the collection of Jean Rousseau
List of coins of the original Baskonia Dukes described by the writer Faustin Poey D'Avant in 1860
This is where our coins of the dukes of Vasconia end. Sancho VI had no heirs and the duchy passed to the related houses of Poitiers and Armagnac through his sister Prisca (or Sancha according to other sources), until in 1053 the Duchy of Vasconia was permanently united with the Duchy of Aquitaine.
During his lifetime, Sancho VI was unable to reverse the dangerous trend that had been going on for a long time; little by little the duchy was subdivided into smaller counties and viscounties, which would become more powerful in the following years. Among these new counties are well-known names, such as Biarno, Labrit, Bigorra, Tartas, Tursan… or even Lapurdi and Zuberoa itself.
Duchy of Vasconia around 1030, during the last years of Sancho VI's reign – WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Development of the territories that formed the Duchy of Vasconia around 1150 – WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
And here is how Queen Joan III presents herself, in a document written in 1569:
"Jehanne, par la grâce de Dieu, Royne de Navarre, dame souverainee de Béarn, duchesse de Vendosmois, de Beaumont, d'Albret, Nemours, Gandie, Montblanc et Pennefiel, contesse du [Foix], d'Armaignac, de Rodetz, Conversan , Marle, Bigorre et Pierregort, vicomtesse de Lymoges, de Lautrec, de Villemur, Marsan, Tursan, Gaverdan, Nebousa, Tartas, Alhas, et de Marennes"
The House of Foix-Labrit was the most successful royal house that was about to unite the Duchy of Vasconia and the Kingdom of Navarre, but this time a certain Pernando and his heirs crossed their path, and they were not from Amezketa...
The territories of the royal house of Navarre – Labrit-Foix-Bourbon – Béarn and Lower Navarre were sovereign states, and were not feudal territories of the French crown.
The territories they should have had in the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon are not listed, only the Viscounty of Castellbo.
Lower Navarre and Bearn were not incorporated into the Kingdom of France in 1607, but in 1620, during the reign of King Louis XIII.
Bibliography:
Navarre medieval currency – Manual of Numismatics – Miguel Ibañez Artica – 2021
News about the High Middle Ages in Guipúzcoa, archeological data - Ignacio Barandiarán - 1975 - link
LES MONNAIES FRANCAISES FEODALES – Tome 1 – Jean Duplessy (In Memoriam 1929- 2020) – 2004
LES MONNAIES D'AQUITAINE – Bruno Collin, Veronique Lecomte-Collin – 2023
The coinages of Pippin I and II of Aquitaine – SiMon COUPLAND – 1989 – link
Traces of the Roman pier of Oiasso in the Early Middle Ages – Iñigo Ruiz Arzalluz – KM Kulturunea – link
Monnaies féodales françaises – Jean Rousseau, Benjamin Fillon – 1860 – link
Monnaies féodales de France – VOL2 – Faustin Poey d'Avant – 1860 – link
Monnaies Féodales Françaises – Emile Caron – 1882 – link
Les monnaies royales de France sous la race carolingienne – ERNEST Gariel – 1885 – link
Coin of the Basque Country – Pablo María Beitia Arejolaleiba – 2018
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