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Galicia (Spain): the story on HearLore | HearLore
Galicia (Spain)
The name Galicia derives from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Gallaeci, who lived north of the Douro River during the last millennium BC. These people were called the stone people by some modern linguists because they built massive megalithic structures across the landscape. Thousands of Megalithic tumuli are distributed throughout the country, mostly along the coastal areas. Within each tumulus is a stone burial chamber known locally as anta, frequently preceded by a corridor. The oldest attestation of human presence in Galicia has been found in the Eirós Cave, in the municipality of Triacastela, which has preserved animal remains and Neanderthal stone objects from the Middle Paleolithic. Later, the Castro culture developed during the Iron Age and flourished during the second half of the first millennium BC. Gallaeci lived in castros, which were usually annular forts with one or more concentric earthen or stony walls. Some well known castros can be found on the seashore at Fazouro, Santa Tegra, Baroña, and O Neixón. They were capable fighters, and Strabo described them as the most difficult foes the Romans encountered in conquering Lusitania.
Roman Mines And Suebic Kingdoms
The Roman legions first entered the area under Decimus Junius Brutus in 137, 136 BC, but the country was only incorporated into the Roman Empire by the time of Augustus between 29 BC and 19 BC. The Romans were interested in Galicia mainly for its mineral resources, most notably gold. Under Roman rule, most Galician hillforts began to be abandoned, sometimes forcibly. In the 3rd century, it was made a province, under the name Gallaecia, which included also northern Portugal, Asturias, and a large section of what today is known as Castile and León. Early Middle Ages saw a deep crisis in the Roman Empire that allowed different tribes of Central Europe to cross the Rhine on the 31st of December 406. From 409 Galicia was taken by the Suebi, forming the first medieval kingdom to be created in Europe in 411. This kingdom was the first Germanic kingdom to mint coinage in Roman lands. During this period a Briton colony and bishopric was established in Northern Galicia. In 585, the Visigothic King Leovigild invaded the Suebic kingdom of Galicia and defeated it, bringing it under Visigoth control.
The name Galicia derives from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Gallaeci, who lived north of the Douro River during the last millennium BC.
When did Roman legions first enter the area that became Galicia?
The Roman legions first entered the area under Decimus Junius Brutus in 137 and 136 BC before the country was incorporated into the Roman Empire by Augustus between 29 BC and 19 BC.
Who founded the first medieval kingdom in Europe within modern Galicia?
The Suebi took over Galicia from 409 and formed the first medieval kingdom to be created in Europe in 411.
Which historical figure ruled Galicia until his death in 1975?
General Francisco Franco ruled as dictator with Nationalist hands throughout the war until he died in 1975.
How many days does Santiago de Compostela experience rain per year on average?
Santiago de Compostela has an average of 139 days with rain per year and receives 2,101 sunlight hours annually.
In the 9th century, the rise of the cult of the Apostle James in Santiago de Compostela gave Galicia particular symbolic importance among Christians. As the Middle Ages went on, Santiago became a major pilgrim destination and the Way of Saint James became a major pilgrim road. This route served as a path for the propagation of Romanesque art and the words and music of the troubadors. During the 10th and 11th centuries, Vikings occasionally raided the coasts, locally known as Leodemanes or Lordomanes. The Towers of Catoira were built as a system of fortifications to prevent and stop the Viking raids on Santiago de Compostela. In 1063, Ferdinand I of Castile divided his realm among his sons, and the Kingdom of Galicia was granted to Garcia II of Galicia. In 1072, it was forcibly annexed by Garcia's brother Alfonso VI of León. From that time Galicia was united with the Kingdom of León under the same monarchs. Despite political union, the region maintained its own legal and customary practices and culture throughout much of this era.
Centralization And The Dark Centuries
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the progressive distancing of the kings from Galician affairs left the kingdom in the hands of local knights, counts, and bishops who frequently fought each other. The lack of an effective royal justice system led to the social conflict known as the Guerras Irmandiñas, when leagues of peasants and burghers toppled many castles. On the other hand, the Junta of the Kingdom of Galicia stopped being called for a century of fiscal insubordination. After Isabella I of Castile won her dynastic conflict, she initiated administrative reforms defined by the chronicler Jeronimo Zurita as the taming of Galicia. These reforms brought most Galician monasteries and institutions under Castilian control. From 1480 to 1520 the Kingdom of Galicia contributed more than 10% of the total earnings of the Crown of Castille, including the Americas, well over its economic relevance. In the late years of the 15th century the written form of the Galician language began a slow decline as it was increasingly replaced by Spanish. This culminated in the Séculos Escuros, roughly from the 16th century through to the mid-18th century, when written Galician almost completely disappeared except for private or occasional uses.
Francoist Repression And Modern Struggles
Galicia remained in Nationalist hands throughout the war, and General Francisco Franco ruled as dictator until he died in 1975. Franco's centralizing regime suppressed any official use of the Galician language, including the use of Galician names for newborns. At least 4,200 people were killed either extrajudicially or after summary trials, among them republicans, communists, Galician nationalists, socialists, and anarchists. Victims included the civil governors of all four Galician provinces and mayors such as Ánxel Casal of Santiago de Compostela. During the 1960s, ministers introduced reforms allowing technocrats affiliated with Opus Dei to modernize administration. However, for decades Galicia was largely confined to the role of a supplier of raw materials and energy to the rest of Spain. In 2002, the oil tanker Prestige sank and covered the Galician coast in oil. Fraga was accused by the grassroots movement Nunca Mais of having been unwilling to react. The 2005 elections saw power pass to a coalition of the Partido dos Socialistas de Galicia and the nationalist Bloque Nacionalista Galego.
Rias Coastline And Atlantic Geography
A remarkable feature of Galicia is the presence of many firth-like inlets along the coast called rías that were drowned with rising sea levels after the ice age. These are divided into the smaller Rías Altas and the larger Rías Baixas. The Rías Baixas include Corcubión, Muros e Noia, Arousa, Pontevedra and Vigo. Along the entire Galician coast are various archipelagos near the mouths of the rías. Among the most important of these are the archipelagos of Cíes, Ons, and Sálvora. Together with Cortegada Island, these make up the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park. The coast of this green corner of the Iberian Peninsula attracts great numbers of tourists. The climate of Galicia is usually temperate and rainy, with markedly drier summers. It is classified as warm-summer mediterranean or oceanic depending on the region. Santiago de Compostela has an average of 139 days with rain per year and 2,101 sunlight hours per year.
Global Industry And Economic Shifts
Textiles, fishing, livestock, forestry, and car manufacturing are the most dynamic sectors of the Galician economy. Arteixo, an industrial municipality in the A Coruña metropolitan area, is the headquarters of Inditex, the world's largest fashion retailer. In 2022, Inditex reported €32.6 billion in sales and net income of €4.1 billion. The company president, Amancio Ortega, is the richest person in Spain and indeed Europe with a net worth of 45 billion euros. A major economic sector of Galicia is its fishing industry; the main ports are A Coruña, Marín-Pontevedra, Vigo and Ferrol. The European Fisheries Control Agency is based in Vigo. Traditionally, Galicia depended mainly on agriculture and fishing. Nonetheless, today the tertiary sector of the economy is the largest, with 582,000 workers out of a regional total of 1,072,000 as of 2002. The French Centro de Vigo de PSA Peugeot Citroën makes about 450,000 vehicles annually. The Gross domestic product of the autonomous community was 62.6 billion euros in 2018.