Galicia (Spain)

:This article deals with the province Galicia in Spain. For the province of same name in central Europe, see Galicia (Central Europe).

History

The name Galicia comes from Latin name Gallaecia, associated to the name of the ancient Celtic tribe that resided above the Douro river, the Gallaeci or Callaeci in Latin and Kallaikoi in Greek (these tribes were mentioned by Herodotus).

Related Topics:
Gallaecia - Douro - Kallaikoi - Herodotus

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Before the Roman invasion, a series of tribes lived on the region, having — according to Strabo, Pliny, Herodotus and others — a similar culture and customs.

Related Topics:
Strabo - Pliny - Herodotus

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These tribes appear to have Celtic culture — there is evidence that the last Galician Celtic speaker died in the 15th century.

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The region was first entered by the Roman legions under Decimus Junius Brutus in 137 BC/136 BC. (Livy lv., lvi., Epitome); but the province was only superficially Romanized in the time of Augustus.

Related Topics:
Decimus Junius Brutus - 137 BC - 136 BC - Augustus

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In the 5th century AD invasions, Galicia fell to the Suevi in 411, who formed a kingdom. In 584, the Visigothic King Leovigild invaded the Suebic kingdom of Galicia and defeated it, bringing it under Visigoth control. During the Moorish invasion of Spain, the Moors briefly occupied Galicia until they were driven out in 739 by Alfonso I of Asturias.

Related Topics:
5th century AD - Suevi - 411 - 584 - 739 - Alfonso I of Asturias

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During the 9th and 10th centuries, the counts of Galicia owed fluctuating obedience to their nominal sovereign, and Normans/Vikings occasionally raided the coasts. The Towers of Catoira (Pontevedra) were built as a system of fortifications to stop Viking raids of Santiago de Compostela.

Related Topics:
9th - 10th centuries - Santiago de Compostela

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In 1063, Ferdinand I of Castile and León divided his kingdom among his sons. Galicia was allotted to Garcia II of Galicia. In 1072, it was forcibly reannexed by Garcia's brother Alphonso VI of Castile, and from that time Galicia remained part of the kingdom of Castile and Leon, although under differing degrees of self-government.

Related Topics:
1063 - Ferdinand I of Castile and León - Garcia II of Galicia - 1072 - Alphonso VI of Castile

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Galician nationalist and federalist movements arose in the nineteenth century, and after the second Spanish Republic was declared in 1931, Galicia became an autonomous region following a referendum. During the 1936-75 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco - himself a Galician from Ferrol - Galicia's autonomy statute was annulled (in common with those of Catalonia and the Basque provinces). The Franco regime also suppressed any offical promotion of the Galician language (although its everyday use was never proscribed). During the last decade of Franco's rule, there was a renewal of nationalist sentiment in Galicia.

Related Topics:
1931 - Francisco Franco - Ferrol

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Following the transition to democracy following Franco's death in 1975, Galicia regained its status as an autonomous region within Spain. Varying degrees of nationalist or separatist sentiment are evident at the political level. The only nationalist party of any electoral significance, the Bloque Nacionalista Galego or BNG, advocates greater autonomy from the Spanish state, and the preservation of Galician heritage and culture. Other factions advocate total independence from Spain, while some smaller groupings aspire to integration with Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking world. However, the nationalist parties have hitherto obtained only minority electoral support at election time.

Related Topics:
1975 - ''Bloque Nacionalista Galego'' - Portuguese-speaking world

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From 1990 to 2005, the region's government and parliament, the Xunta de Galicia was presided over by the Partido Popular ('People's Party', Spain's main national conservative party) under Manuel Fraga, a former minister and ambassador under the Franco regime. However, in the 2005 Galician elections, the People's Party lost its overall majority, while just remaining the largest party in the parliament.

Related Topics:
Xunta de Galicia - Manuel Fraga

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In the event, power passed to a coalition between the Partido Socialista de Galicia (PSdeG) ('Galician Socialist Party'), a regional sister-party of Spain's main socialist party, the Partido Socialista Obrero Español ('Spanish Socialist Workers Party') and the BNG. As the senior partner in the new coalition, the PSdG nominated its leader, Emilio Perez Touriño, to serve as Galicia's new president.

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