Henry II (1517-1555)

Henry II and Linguae Vasconum Primitiae

Another very important contribution of Henry II was his support for the creation of written Basque literature. After the priest Bernard Etxepare wrote “Linguae vasconum primitiae”, the first book to be printed in Basque, it was published in Bordeaux in 1545, after receiving financial support from Henry. The only known copy of the book Linguae Vasconum Primitiae is kept in the Bibliothèque de France in Paris. The significance of this event

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Henry II – Historical Context – Part 2

The exiled kings of Navarre never renounced their rights to the crown. During the reigns of Francis I of France and Charles I of Spain (in practice, during the viceroyalty of Cardinal Cisneros), between May and August 1516, the Congresses of Noyon were held to discuss the conflicts between the two great kingdoms. After the second reconquest of the Kingdom of Navarre, Catherine of Foix, the new widow of King John III of Labritja,

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GRATIA DEI SVM ID QVOD SVM

We will now explain the origin of the new motto or image text used by the coinage of the royal house of Navarre during the reign of Henry II “the Squirrel”, namely GRATIA DEI SVM ID QVOD SVM. This Latin image text can be translated as “By the grace of God I am what I am”, but where do its roots come from and why did Henry establish it? Henry’s parents, Juan and Catherine, and in the same way

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Henry II – Historical Context – Part 1

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This week marks 495 years since the Navarrese king Henry of Labrite escaped from the fortress of Pavia. This king is of fundamental importance in the history of the Basque language, but the events and anecdotes of his life are worthy of several books and films. In the following entries we will discuss Henry's life and coinage; we will not have time to get bored. Henry of Labrite, Henry

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