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''Gernikako Arbola'' ('the Tree of Gernika' in
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
) is an
oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
tree that symbolizes traditional freedoms for the
Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
an people, and by extension for the
Basque people The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous to, and primarily i ...
as a whole. It is located in Gernika, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain. The Lords of Biscay (including kings of Castile and
Carlist Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Don Carlos, ...
pretenders to the throne) swore to respect the Biscayan liberties under it, and the modern
Lehendakari The President of the Basque Government (, ), usually known in the Basque language as the Lehendakari (, ), is the head of government of the Basque Autonomous Community. The lehendakari leads the executive branch of the regional government. T ...
of the Basque Country swears his charge there.


Dynasty

In the Middle Ages, representatives of the villages of Biscay would hold assemblies under local big trees. As time passed, the role of separate assemblies was superseded by the Guernica Assembly in 1512, and its oak would acquire a symbolic meaning, with actual assemblies being held in a purpose-built hermitage-house (the current building dates from 1833). It was the Spanish regent Maria Christina accompanied by her infant daughter Queen
Isabella II Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...
the last Spanish monarch to swear an oath to the ''charters'' under the iconic oak in 1839. The known specimens El Mundo, 26 February 2005
Otro árbol de Gernika
/ref> form a dynasty: * "the father", planted in the 14th century, lasted 450 years * the "old tree" (1742–1892), re-planted in 1811. The trunk now is held in a templet in the surrounding garden. * the third (1858–2004), re-planted in 1860, survived the
Bombing of Guernica On 26 April 1937, the Basque town of Guernica (''Gernika'' in Basque) was aerially bombed during the Spanish Civil War. It was carried out at the behest of Francisco Franco's rebel Nationalist faction by its allies, the Nazi German Luftwaffe ...
in 1937 but had to be replaced because of a
fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...
. The gardeners of the Biscayan government keep several spare trees grown from the tree's acorns. * the fourth (1986–2015) was replanted on the site of its father on 25 February 2005. It died of a humidity related disease on 15 January 2015. * the fifth was planted in March 2015, aged 14. The Tree of Gernika came to prominence during the First and
Third Carlist War The Third Carlist War (), which occurred from 1872 to 1876, was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is sometimes referred to as the "Second Carlist War", as the earlier Second Carlist War, "Second" War (1847–1849) was smaller in scale and relative ...
s as a symbol of Basque liberties, whose renown and appreciation spread among the Basque diaspora world over during the late 19th century and mid-20th century thanks to the popularity of Jose Maria Iparragirre's namesake anthem. Maria Cristina of Savoy, regent during her daughter Isabel's minority in the First Carlist War, swore the Basque charters under the Oak in 1839. The tree's significance is illustrated by an event which occurred shortly after the Guernica bombings. When the Francoist troops took the town, the
Tercio A ''tercio'' (), Spanish for " third") was a military unit of the Spanish Army during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and Habsburg Spain in the early modern period. They were the elite military units of the Spanish monarchy and ...
of
Begoña Begoña is a historical municipality of Biscay (Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain) and is a neighbourhood and urban district of Bilbao. ''Begoña'', or more puristically but also more rarely spelled ''Begoina'', means ' ...
, formed by Carlist volunteers from Biscay, put an armed guard around the tree to protect it against their
Falangist Falangism () was the political ideology of three political parties in Spain that were known as the Falange, namely first the Falange Española, the Falange Española de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista (FE de las JONS), and afterwa ...
allies, who had wanted to fell this symbol of Basque nationalism. Reproduced on the web of the Basque Country Carlist Party. On 26 June 1950, Xavier of Bourbon-Parma, Carlist claimant to the Spanish throne during Franco's dictatorial regime, swore the Basque charters in the Oak of Guernica. An oak tree is depicted on the heraldic arms of Biscay and subsequently on the arms of many of the towns of Biscay. An oak leaf logo is used by the local government of Biscay. The logo of the Basque nationalist party
Eusko Alkartasuna Eusko Alkartasuna (; ; ; ) is a Basque nationalist and social-democratic political party operating in Spain and France. The Basque language name means ''Basque Solidarity'' and abbreviated as EA. The party describes itself as a " Basque national ...
has one half red and the other green, the colors of the Basque flag. An old version of the logo of the Basque nationalist youth organisation Jarrai also display oak leaves. The Basque authorities present descendants of the tree as a symbol of friendship to Basque diaspora groups and related cities.


Other ''fuero'' trees in Biscay

* in Luiaondo, another tree of special significance for the Basques. *The Abellaneda oak for the
Encartaciones Enkarterri ( Spanish: ''Las Encartaciones'') is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven ''eskualdeak/comarcas'' or districts that make up the province of Biscay. Its administrative centre is Bal ...
Juntas. *The Gerediaga oak for the Durango area. *The Aretxabalagana oak, where Biscaynes had to receive their lord when he came to put his oath on the
fuero (), (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ...
under the Gernika oak.


See also

* Upstalsboom, the meeting place of the Frisians and symbol of the Frisian freedom. *
List of individual trees The following is a list of individual trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as we ...


References


External links


Arbol de Gernika
in the Spanish-language
Auñamendi Encyclopedia The Auñamendi Encyclopedia is the largest encyclopedia of Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque peopl ...
.
Tourism in the Basque CountryPage on the tree
at the site of the General Assemblies of Biscay (English, Basque, Spanish and French).
L'arbre de Guernica
, a 1975 Surrealist film by
Fernando Arrabal Fernando Arrabal Terán (; ; born August 11, 1932) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and poet. He was born in Melilla and settled in France in 1955. Regarding his nationality, Arrabal describes himself as "desterra ...
.
'The Tree of Gernika: Political Poetics of Rootedness and Belonging'
a 2013 book chapter by anthropologis
Safet HadžiMuhamedović
. {{coord, 43, 18, 53, N, 2, 40, 47, W, type:landmark_region:ES, display=title Individual oak trees Basque history Guernica Individual trees in Spain Trees in culture Basque symbols