In the Spanish public discourse the territory traditionally inhabited by the Basques was assigned a variety of names across the centuries. Terms used might have been almost identical, with hardly noticeable difference in content and connotation, or they could have varied enormously, also when consciously used one against another. The names used demonstrate changing perceptions of the area and until today the nomenclature employed could be battleground between partisans of different options."In all of Spain, the Basque country, or Euskadi, is without doubt the place, the social space, the political territory and the cultural community that most commands attention in conversations of place and space. It is a space and a place under intense contestation, construction, erasure, deconstruction and sometimes, indeed, destruction. The struggle over Basque geography is both internal and external. It begins with its very nomenclature. Is the historical homeland of the Basque people Euskadi, Euskal Herria, Vasconia, the Vascongadas, Pais Vasco-Navarro, or plain Pais Vasco?", Nathan E. Richardson, Constructing Spain: The Re-imagination of Space and Place in Fiction and Film, 1953–2003, Plymouth 2012, , pp. 261-2
List of names used
The below list contains names applied in Spanish cultural realm to the territory traditionally inhabited by the Basques. Terms originating from other languages (first of all Basque, though also Latin) are acknowledged if in circulation also in Spanish. The list contains indisputably proper names (e.g. "Provincias Vascongadas"), names with unclear or varying usage (e.g. "Provincias Exentas" or "provincias exentas") and names which have never acquired the status of a proper name, though they might have been intended to (e.g. "provincias hermanas"). Names differing only in terms of orthography are grouped under one heading. Non-Spanish names which barely made it to the Spanish cultural discourse (e.g. "Hirurak bat", "Zazpiak Bat", "Gascuña") are not listed.
Cantabria
A term sometimes used in official and semi-official prints until the mid-19th century, usually referring to the Basque lands without Navarre and specifically Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoae.g. in the 1713 document named Real Congregación de Naturales y Originarios de las Tres Provincias Vascongadas, named also the Jurisdiction of Cantabria for fiscal purposes. or to Álava, Biscay, Gipuzkoa and Navarre.e.g. in the Real Decreto of 1847, see Juan Carlos Molero, Public Spending and Fiscal Federalism in Spain. Period 1984–1998, [in:] Munich Personal RePEc Archive 2008, pp. 42-3, available here It started to get out of circulation when applied to Basque territories in the early 19th century, with increasing usage focused on Santander and the adjacent area; the Santander province created in 1833 was originally to be named Cantabria. In public usage the term was already firmly related to Santander when the Basque nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century. Today "Cantabria" is official name of the autonomous community centered upon Santander; also in unofficial circulation the term is used likewise, with application to Álava, Biscay, Gipuzkoa and/or Navarre only in historical discourse.the name "Cantabria" sounded as a distant echo of the original term into the late 20th century. Writing in the 1970s, Francisco Letamendía distinguished between two parts of Euskadi: the Cantabrian one (i.e. in the Atlantic drainage basin) and the Mediterranean one, compare Ortzi [Francisco Letamendía ], Los Vascos. Ayer, hoy y mañana, Hendaye 1976, p. 9
Euskalerría
Also Euskal-Erria, Euskal Erria, Euskal-Herria, Euskal Herria, Euskeria, always capitalized. In Basque literally Basque realm. The term traditionally in use in different Basque spoken dialects, it was first used in writing (in alavese Basque dialect) in the 16th century and enjoyed renaissance with growing number of Basque prints since the 1880s, filtering into Spanish and used usually as macaronic intercalation. Originally it could have referred to a territory, a population, a cultural commonality or all these components together. Most commonly it simply denoted a Basque realm, understood as a conglomerate of historical, regional, ethnic, cultural and religious ingredients.Javier Corcuera Atienza, La patria de los vascos: orígenes, ideología y organización del nacionalismo vasco, 1876–1903, Michigan 2001, , p. 382 Originally it was entirely deprived of political flavor; in the late 19th century it was briefly adopted by emerging Basque nationalists (to denote a Basque land),though never without controversy. Key advocate of “Euskalerria” was Campión, Javier Fernández Sebastián, Juan Francisco Fuentes Aragonés (eds.), Diccionario político y social del siglo XX español, Madrid 2008, , p. 868 who later abandoned it for the sake of “Euzkadi”. In the early 20th century “Euskalerria” adopted a conservative political taste (with some tension between “Euskalerria” and “Euzkadi”),the tension still persists, see the 2008 football incident here entirely lost during Francoism. In the later 20th century the term was re-adopted by the nationalists;Fernández Sebastián, Fuentes Aragonés 2008, p. 868 since 1979 “Euskal Herria” is one of two official Basque names of the autonomous community consisting of Biscay, Gipuzkoa and Álava."Araba, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, as well as Navarre, are members of the Autonomous Community of 'Euskal Herria'. They have a right to be". For the official text of the Basque version see here Geographical application was and is (except official use) ambiguous depending on perceived territorial coverage of the Basque realm; it could include Labourd, Lower Navarre and Soule or even territories in Argentina and Uruguay.Joseba Agirreazkuenaga, Euskal Herria en el tiempo, [in:] Euskal Herria 50 (2011), p. 73
Euzkadi
Also Euskadi, always capitalized. In current Basque Basque land, originally meaning Basque-race land. The term was created as “Euzkadi” by Sabino Arana in the late 19th century,first used in writing in 1897 who felt that “Euskalerria”, “Vascongadas”, “Vasconia” or other terms did not properly reflect the idea of separate Basque race identityFernández Sebastián, Fuentes Aragonés 2008, p. 867 and the ensuing distinctive character of the territory the Basques inhabited.Corcuera 2001, pp. 382-3 In the early 20th century the term filtered into Spanish, though used sparsely, usually as macaronic intercalation, and never lexicalized; its precedent terms, briefly considered in Basque, "Euzkadia" and "Euskaria" have never entered wider circulation.compare e.g. one of the first lectures of Basque nationalism, Euskaria para los euskaros by Pedro Merladet Lazgoitia, written in 1894 From the outset the term was (intentionally) politically charged, as it served nationalist Basque purposes; it was opposed or ignored by those who preferred to confront Basque political ambitions. “Euzkadi” was the official Basque name of the autonomous territory created in 1936;see the official text, available here "Euskadi" (note different spelling) is currently one of two official Basque names of the autonomous community consisting of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa.for official text of the Basque-language document see here Originally the term was applied to all territories perceived as forming part of the Basque realm and is still used this way by some nationalist groupings. Naturalized in present-day Spanish as an official equivalent of "País Vasco", the Basque Autonomous Community.
país eúskaro
Also Pais Eúskaro. In Spanish literally Euskera-speaking country. The term was in circulation in the late 19th and the early 20th century, though used very sporadically and almost exclusively against a cultural and literary background.compare La Epoca 12.03.59, available here or Revista de archivos, bibliotecas y museos 01.02.97, available here, or s The term strongly focused not only on Basque language, but also on the entire cultural and ethnic realm built around it.Coro Rubio Pobes, La identidad vasca en el siglo XIX: discurso y agentes sociales, Madrid 2003, , pp. 41-3 It was used principally by partisans of the Basque identity, usually understood in cultural and linguistic terms (though also in national terms). Geographical application was ambiguous; prevailing usage ignored existing administrative divisions and pointed to area inhabited by people belonging to the Basque cultural realm. In many respects the term was identical to “Euskalerria”, though “país eúskaro” (except having been a neologism) emphasized language and cultural dimension, while “Euskalerria” maintained balance between linguistic-ethnic threads and historical-religious threads. Today entirely out of use.
país vasco
Also País Vasco, país basco. In Spanish literally Basque country. The term was in circulation in writing as early as in the 15th century, though until the 20th century used rather sporadically. Similar in meaning and geographical application to “provincias vascas”, i.e. could have been applied to 3, 4 or 7 units in Spain and France; the difference was that it underlined unity of the area and did not put its internal administrative heterogeneity on the forefront.Rubio Pobes 2003, pp. 41-3 The difference between “país vasco” and “país vascongado” was that the former put slightly more emphasis on the Basque character, while the latter tended to be more lexicalized. In the 1920s the term overtook “Provincias Vascongadas” in terms of popular press usage.in the popular Madrid daily ABC the usage ratio between “País Vasco” and “Provincias Vascongadas” was 1:1.4 in the 1910s (67 vs 94), 1.4:1 in the 1920s (295 vs 211) and 2.8:1 in the 1930s (until July 1, 1936, 635 vs 226), compare http://hemeroteca.abc.es/avanzada.stm In 1936 adopted (with both words capitalized as “País Vasco”) as official Spanish name of the autonomous Basque area within the Second Spanish Republic,for the original text, see here today it remains official name of the autonomous community consisting of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa provinces.for the official text, see here In present-day nationalist discourse it could be applied (capitalized or not) to any area deemed part of the proper Basque country.
país vasco-navarro
Also país vasconavarro, País Vasconavarro, país basko-navarro. In Spanish literally Basque-Navarrese country. Never appearing as “país navarro-vasco”. The term was in public circulation since the early 19th century but unlike other descriptions using the “vasco-navarro” adjective (“pueblo vasco-navarro”, “ejercito vasco-navarro” etc. ) it was used rather sporadically.for a sample see e.g. La Esperanza 01.09.1845, available here Applied to Biscay, Gipuzkoa, Álava and Navarre when intending to underline any sort of commonality (historical, economic, geographical etc., though rather not ethnic) linking the four. Upon growth of the Basque nationalism it got used against the background of differences between Navarre on the one hand and Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa on the other, though with various intentions (to stress or to downplay them). Its confusing political usage led to de-emphasizing of political contents. Today generally out of use, except for historical or specific cultural discourse.
país vascongado