Editing Huesca (section)

==History==

Huesca dates from pre-Roman times, and was once known as ''[[Bolskan]]'' ([[Northeastern Iberian script|Iberian]]: [[file:Bolskan.svg|50px]]) in the ancient [[Iberian language]]. It was once the capital of the [[Vescetani]], in the north of [[Hispania Tarraconensis]], on the road from Tarraco (modern [[Tarragona]]) and Ilerda (modern [[Lleida]]) to Caesaraugusta (modern [[Zaragoza]]).<ref>''[[Antonine Itinerary]]'' pp. 391, 451.</ref> During Roman times, the city was known as '''Osca''', and was a Roman colony under the rule of [[Quintus Sertorius]], who made Osca his base. The city minted its own coinage and was the site of a prestigious school founded by Sertorius to educate young Iberians in Latin and Roman customs. After Sertorius, it is thought that it was renamed '''Ileoscan''' ({{lang|grc|Ἰλεόσκαν}}) by [[Strabo]].<ref>iii. p. 161; v. [[Friedrich August Ukert]], vol. ii. pt. 1. p. 451.</ref> It appears to have been situated on silver mines.<ref>[[Livy]] xxxiv. 10, 46, xl. 43.</ref>

Eighteenth-century Spanish historian [[Enrique Flórez]]<ref>''Med.'' ii. 520.</ref> has pointed out the impossibility of one city supplying such vast quantities of minted silver as has been recorded by ancient writers under the terms ''argentum Oscense'', ''signatum Oscense''; and is of the opinion that "Oscense" meant "Spanish", being a corruption of "[[Basque language|Eus-cara]]".<ref>''Cf.'' [[Julius Caesar]] ''[[Commentarii de Bello Civili]]'' i. 60; [[Velleius Paterculus]] ii. 30; "Euskara", Basque for the [[Basque language]].</ref>  The Romanised city was made a ''[[municipium]]'' by decree of [[Augustus]] in 30 BC.

[[File:Campanahuesca.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Bell of Huesca]], by [[José Casado del Alisal]]]]
The Arabs conquered the city in the late 8th century, and the city came to be called ''Washqah'' (وشقة in [[Arabic language|Arabic]]), falling within the [[Upper March]] of the [[Caliphate of Córdoba|Emirate of Córdoba]]. It was ruled by a local governor appointed from Córdoba, but was repeatedly subject to political turmoil, rebellion and assassination as the [[Banu Qasi]], [[Amrus ibn Yusuf|Banu Amrus]] and [[Muhammad al-Tawil of Huesca|Banu al-Tawil]] clans, as well as the [[Íñigo Arista of Pamplona|Arista dynasty of Pamplona]], struggled for control, autonomy and independence from the Emirate. In the mid-10th century, Wasqah was transferred to the [[Banu Tujib]], who governed the Upper March from [[Zaragoza]], and it became part of the [[Taifa of Zaragoza]] in 1018 when they successfully freed themselves from the disintegrating [[Caliphate]]. In 1094 [[Sancho Ramirez]] built the nearby [[Castle of Montearagón]] with the intention of laying siege to Wasqah but was killed by a stray arrow as he reached the city's walls. It was conquered in 1096 by [[Peter I of Aragon]] and moved his royal capital to Huesca from the ancient capital of [[Jaca]]. In 1118 the Aragonese capital was moved to [[Zaragoza]].<ref>Joseph F. O’Callaghan ''A History of Medieval Spain''. Cornell University Press 1975, pp. 219.</ref>

In 1354, King [[Peter IV of Aragon]] founded the {{Interlanguage link multi|University of Huesca|es|3=Universidad Sertoriana de Huesca}}, which initially had a faculty of theology. The school expanded, but by the end of the 16th century was eclipsed by the [[University of Zaragoza]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=S3kWAAAAIAAJ&dq=university+of+huesca&pg=PR3 Hastings Rashdall, The universities of Europe in the middle ages, Volume 2, Part 1, Oxford, 1895, pp. 92-94.]</ref> The university was abolished in 1845.<ref>Hans Hoefe & Andrew Eames, Spain, 2d ed 1993, p. 305.</ref>

Historically, Huesca was home to one of the most important [[Jewish]] communities in Aragon, third after [[Zaragoza]] and [[Calatayud]]. The Jewish community flourished until the 1492 [[expulsion of the Jews from Spain|expulsion of the Jews]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Huesca |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/huesca |website=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref>

During the [[First Carlist War]], Huesca was the site of a [[Battle of Huesca|battle]] between Spanish Constitutionalists and [[Carlists]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawrence |first1=Mark |title=The First Carlist War (1833-40), insurgency, Ramón Cabrera, and expeditionary warfare |url=https://kar.kent.ac.uk/76357/1/Mark%20Lawrence%2C%20The%20First%20Carlist%20War.pdf |website=[[University of Kent]] |access-date=13 January 2024}}</ref>

During the [[Spanish Civil War]] (1936–39) the "[[Huesca Offensive|Huesca Front]]" was the scene of some of the worst fighting between the Republicans and [[Francisco Franco|Franco's]] army. Held by the [[Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)|Nationalists]], the city was besieged by the [[Republican faction (Spanish Civil War)|Republicans]], with [[George Orwell]] among them,<ref>{{cite web |title=Huesca and Return |url=https://orwellsociety.com/huesca-and-return/ |website=The Orwell Society |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="orwell">{{cite news |last1=Keeley |first1=Graham |title=George Orwell to finally make it to Huesca as Spanish city honours writer |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/05/02/george-orwell-to-finally-make-it-to-huesca-as-spanish-city-honours-writer |access-date=31 December 2023 |agency=euronews |date=2 May 2023}}</ref> but did not fall.<ref>{{cite web |title=This Week in Spanish Civil War History – Week 48: 12 – 19 June 1937 |url=https://carolineangus.com/2017/06/14/this-week-in-spanish-civil-war-history-week-48-12-19-june-1937/ |website=Caroline Angus |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="Civilwar">{{cite web |title=THE SEGOVIA AND HUESCA OFFENSIVES |url=https://www.vscw.ca/en/node/266 |website=Spanish Civil War |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref>