Information AboutArrano Beltza |
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The ''arrano beltza'' (" Black Eagle " in Basque ) is an ancient Basque and Navarre symbol which displays a black Eagle upon a yellow background and is mostly, though not exclusively, used by Basque Nationalists as a symbol of Euskal Herria, the Basque Country . The black eagle was originally the seal of King Sancho III Of Navarre who, when incorporating Aragon and Castille , had under his crown all the territories of Basque culture and language, including those traditionally castillian, for his kingdom reached from Galicia to the Mediterranean Sea . From a Basque nationalist interpretation, the rule of Sancho III constitutes a historical precedent for the aspirations of the unification of the Basque-speaking territories under one independent State. From a Spanish perspective, it is one of the first attempts at forming a unified Spain . This symbol is used mostly by the so called Ezker Abertzalea (Nationalist Left), who consider it "the oldest symbol of the territory of Euskal Herria". Such use fits in with the search for symbols and terms which go beyond the iconography created by Sabino Arana . Thus, besides the Ikurriña (the official flag in the Basque Autonomous Community ), of Aranist origin, one can find the yellow flag with the black eagle being used more often, as they are considered more genuine symbols of Euskal Herria. For the same reason, the Abertzaleak have started substituting in their vocabulary the term '' Euskadi '', also a neologism created by Sabino Arana, for the traditional ''Euskal Herria''. (''Euskadi'', on the other hand, is starting to be more usually identified with the Basque Autonomous Community.) Some basque pro-Spanish organisations in the Basque Country and their like in Navarre use the ''arrano beltza'' as well, considering it, in an opposite point of view, a symbol of Spanish unity. For this idea, they allege that Sancho III appears in many documents named as ''Rex Hispanorum Regum'', that is, "King of the Kings of Spain" (or Hispania ), which, from their point of view, demonstrates that the Kingdom Of Navarre perceived Spain as a territorial and historical unit, despite its political division. Sancho III also turned Castille into a kingdom when leaving it to his son Fernando, and the eagle, used by its kings and queens ever since until Isabel The Catholic would come from the ''arrano beltza''. SEE ALSO ''Arrano beltza'' is also a song by Negu Gorriak , including the verses: It alludes a legend on the origin of the current coat of arms and Flag Of Navarre - REFERENCES .]]
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