Erriberri (''Olite'' in spanish) is a town and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
located in the
Tafalla comarca
A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...
, Erriberri
merindad
() is a mediaeval Spanish administrative term for a country subdivision smaller than a province but larger than a municipality. The officer in charge of a ''merindad'' was called a ''merino'', roughly equivalent to the English count or bailif ...
, in
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
,
Basque Country.
History
According to
Isidore of Seville's ''
Historia de regibus Gothorum, Vandalorum et Suevorum
The ''Historia de regibus Gothorum, Vandalorum et Suevorum'' ("History of the Kings of the Goths, Vandals and Suevi") is a Latin history of the Goths from 265 to 624, written by Isidore of Seville. It is a condensed account and, due to its diver ...
'', the town of ''Oligicus'' was founded by
Swinthila
Suintila, or ''Suinthila'', ''Swinthila'', ''Svinthila''; ( 588 – 633/635) was Visigoths, Visigothic Visigothic Kingdom, King of Hispania, Septimania and kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 621 to 631. He was a son of Reccared I and his wife Bado, ...
,
Visigothic
The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
of
Hispania
Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...
(621–631) in order to control and punish the native
Vascones
The Vascones were a pre- Roman tribe who, on the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century, inhabited a territory that spanned between the upper course of the Ebro river and the southern basin of the western Pyrenees, a region that coincides w ...
people.
However, this town was not heard of again until five centuries later, when the present-day town was founded and chartered.
The
Royal palace of Olite, a fine
Gothic castle-palace, was the royal seat of
Charles III of Navarre
Charles III (, ; 22 July 1361 – 8 September 1425), called the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1387 to his death and Count of Évreux in France from 1387 to 1404, when he exchanged Évreux for the Duchy of Nemours.
As a young man, Charles was ...
.
Twin towns - sister cities
Notable people
*
Blanche II of Navarre (1424–1464), titular queen of Navarre
*
Eleanor of Navarre (1426–1479), queen of Navarre
*
Justo Garrán Moso (1867–1942), Traditionalist politician
*
Jesús García Leoz (1904–1953), Spanish composer
*
Mariano Cañardo (1906–1987), Spanish cyclist
*
Félix Ruiz Gabari (1940–1993), Spanish footballer
*
Rafael Carlos Pérez González (born 1948), Spanish footballer
References
Bibliography
* Alejandro Díez. ''Olite, historia de un reino''. Gráficas Lizarra. 1984.
External links
Olite in Medieval History of NavarreWeb del Ayuntamiento
OLITE in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)
{{Authority control
Gothic cities and towns
Populated places in Navarre