Basque señoríos

The Basque jaurerriak or señoríos (literally, the Basque lordships) were a series of feudal territories that came into existence in the Basque Country in the Middle Ages. The lordships were hereditary land titles over territories of variable size under the name of a lord or count. The title and lands were often recognized by kings to Basque chieftains. It is loosely related to the concept of manorialism as the king had to swear allegiance to the Foral law in exchange for military assistance from the Basque chiefs, who were considered sovereign over their own lands and people. The Basque señoríos generally conformed vassal states of larger kingdoms; most of them started as part of the Kingdom of Pamplona (later Navarre) but were integrated into the Kingdom of Castile by the 13th century. The Basque term jaurreria (pronounced [jauˈɾeria]) means "the lord's country" and it is usually used to refer to these feudal territories.

The feudal title confirmed considerable powers to the holder, which in other areas were directly controlled by the king. The Lord or Count was a sovereign judicial and military high authority, who ruled directly without referring to a king. The powers of the lord included the appointment of government and civil servants and collection of taxes, as well as the powers to sign external treaties, raise armies and wage wars.

The largest and most important of the señoríos was the Lordship of Biscay, which comprised the entire territory of the present-day province of Biscay.

The Lordship of Biscay was a feudal territory comprising the present-day province of Biscay. It was ruled by the Lord of Biscay. It was the largest and most powerful of the Basque señoríos, and acted as a semi-autonomous territory with its own naval ensign and international consulates from the 11th century until its dissolution in 1876. The Lordship was first a vassal state of the Kingdom of Pamplona, but starting in the 13th century it was conquered and later annexed by the Kingdom of Castile. The House of Haro were the bearers of the title after the Castilian conquest and until 1379, when John I of Castile inherited the title and lands.

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