Briones

Briones
Municipality
Skyline of Briones
Location of Briones in La Rioja
Country	Spain
Founded	c. 1st century
Government
• Alcalde	María Carmen Ruiz Ruiz (People's Party)
Area
• Total	37.72 km2 (14.56 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• Total	853
• Density	22.61/km2 (58.6/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	brionero,ra
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	26330
Official language	Spanish

Briones is a village in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain. The municipality covers an area of 37.72 square kilometres (14.56 sq mi) and as of 2011 had a population of 873 people.

The name Briones comes from the Berones, ancient inhabitants of La Rioja, but, according to a lithic site from the Bronze Age found in the path of the Santos Mártires chapel, Briones had inhabitants before the Beroners. The Albedense Chronicle (c. 883) says that Alfonso I of Asturias cut down the village of Briones and six other municipalities. Besides, the chronicle also mentions the famous expedition led by Alphonso I, king of Asturias all the way down the Ebro river in 740. In that chronicle, these destroyed villages are mentioned: Mirandam (now Miranda de Ebro), Revedencam, Carbonariam, Abeicam (Ábalos, where the expedition crossed the Ebro river), Brunes (this might be Briones but it is uncertain), Cinissariam (now Cenicero) and Alesanco.

Briones was under Saracen control until the late 9th century, and it belonged to King Ordoño II of León since the beginnings of the 10th century. Briones also belonged to the Castilla County, which had been repopulated with Basques and was a frontier between Castilla and Navarra. After Sancho el de Peñalén was murdered the 4th of June 1076, Alfonso VI took over La Rioja and Briones became part of the Haro's Signiory. Fernando III named Don Diego López III de Haro, the monarch's nephew, first Lord of Briones. In 1240 Don Diego López rebelled against Fernando III and found shelter in Briones. The king enclosed the town and made him prisoner. Since then, Briones belonged to the crown. On the 18 January 1256, Alfonso X of Castile gave Briones the regional laws from Vitoria, as a guarantee of the Castillian repopulation. In 1293 Sancho IV gave Briones royal privilege. During the Basquisation in 1536 there were thirty Basque surnames in Briones.