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The arrano beltza ("black eagle" in Basque) is an ancient Basque and Navarre symbol which displays a black eagle upon a yellow background and is mostly, though not exclusively, used by Basque nationalists as a symbol of Euskal Herria, the Basque Country.

Contents 1 History 2 Use by Basque nationalists 3 Occasional use by Spanish nationalists 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

The black eagle was originally the seal of King Sancho III of Navarre who, when incorporating Aragon and Castile, had under his crown all the territories of Basque culture and language, including those traditionally Castillian, for his kingdom reached from Galicia to the Mediterranean Sea. From a Basque nationalist interpretation, the rule of Sancho III constitutes a historical precedent for the aspirations of the unification of the Basque-speaking territories under one independent State. From a Spanish perspective, it is one of the first attempts at forming a unified Spain.

Note that the flag is a modern interpretation of the seal. There are not known flags prior to the 18th century^[1] when Father Isla describes a crimson flag with the chains and crown of the modern coat-of-arms.

This symbol is used mostly by the so called Ezker Abertzalea (Nationalist Left), who consider it "the oldest symbol of the territory of Euskal Herria". Such use fits in with the search for symbols and terms which go beyond the iconography created by Sabino Arana. Thus, besides the ikurriña (the official flag in the Basque Autonomous Community), of Aranist origin, one can find the yellow flag with the black eagle and the flag of Navarre being used more often, as they are considered more genuine symbols of Euskal Herria. For the same reason, these leftist abertzaleak often use the traditional term Euskal Herria instead of the neologism Euskadi, created by Sabino Arana in the XIX century. (Euskadi, on the other hand, is starting to be more usually identified with the Basque Autonomous Community.)

Some Spanish nationalist organisations of neo-fascist character (specifically the AUN), have in few occasions used the arrano beltza as well, argumenting it, in an opposite point of view, a symbol of Spanish unity. For this idea, they allege that Sancho III appears in many documents named as Rex Hispanorum Regum, that is, "King of the Kings of the Hispanians" (Spaniards), which, from their point of view, demonstrates that the Kingdom of Navarre perceived Spain as a territorial and historical unit, despite its political division (ignoring that Hispania was then a merely geographical term, like modern day substitute Iberia). Sancho III also turned Castille into a kingdom when leaving it to his son Fernando, and the eagle, used by its kings and queens ever since until Isabel the Catholic would come from the arrano beltza.

Arrano beltza is also a song by Basque songwriter Mikel Laboa, (later covered by rock band Negu Gorriak) including the verses:

Arrano beltzarekin joan ziren joan joan Jaengo Navas de Tolosara Nafarrak eta kate kateekin itzuli etxera.

They went with the black eagle went, went to Navas de Tolosa in Jaén the Navarrese and returned with the chains, chains.

It alludes a legend on the origin of the current coat of arms and flag of Navarre-

• Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent Spanish-language wikipedia article.

1. ^ Bernardo Estornés Lasa's Spanish article on Navarra in the Auñamendi Entziklopedia (click on "NAVARRA - NAFARROA (NOMBRE Y EMBLEMAS)")

• Kingdom of Navarre: related seals, arms and flags