Editing Cantabria (section)

===Middle Ages===
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2015}} 
[[File:Ducado de Cantabria.png|left|thumb|200px|Borders of the [[Duchy of Cantabria]]]]
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Cantabria regained its independence from the rule of the [[Visigoths]]. In 574, King [[Liuvigild]] attacked Cantabria and managed to capture the south of the country, including the city of [[Amaya (Burgos)|Amaya]], where he established a Visigothic province called the [[Duchy of Cantabria]] (see picture), which would serve as a [[Limes (Roman Empire)|limes]] or frontier zone to contain the Cantabri as well as their neighbors the [[Vascones]]. To the north of this cordon, however, the Cantabri continued to live independently until the Arab invasion. In 714, a mixed [[Arab]]/[[Berber people|Berber]] army of [[Muslim]] Moors invaded the upper valleys of the Ebro and succeeded in capturing Amaya, the Cantabrian capital, forcing the Cantabrians back to their traditional frontiers, where they joined forces with the [[Kingdom of Asturias]]. In the first chronicles of the [[Reconquista]], Cantabria still appears to be acknowledged as a region. In the ''Albendense Chronicle'', when speaking of [[Alfonso I of Asturias|Alfonso I]], it says, "This was the son of [[Peter of Cantabria|Peter]], the duke of Cantabria".{{refn|group=n|{{langx|la|...iste Petri Cantabriae ducis filius fuit...}}}}

During the 9th century, on mentioning the monastery of Saint Zacharias, in a letter sent to [[Wiliesind]], bishop of Pamplona, [[Eulogius of Córdoba]] pinpoints it in ''Seburim'' (maybe [[Zubiri, Navarre|Zubiri]]) on the [[Arga (river)|river Arga]], "waters all of Cantabria", suggesting a region stretching out far into the east. From this period on, source documents barely reference Cantabria by name, with ''Asturias'' featuring in names of the ''comarcas'' called ''[[Asturias de Santillana]]'', ''Asturias de Trasmiera'' and ''Asturias de Laredo''.
[[File:Bataille de la Rochelle.jpg|200px|thumb|[[Battle of La Rochelle]]. Castilian army, formed by Cantabrians from the [[Brotherhood of the Four Cities]], defeated the English army, getting the control of the [[English Channel]] for the [[Crown of Castile]].]]

From a central core formed by the ''Hermandad de las Cuatro Villas'' (''Brotherhood of the Four Cities'') (Santander, Laredo, Castro Urdiales and [[San Vicente de la Barquera]]), the ''Hermandad de las Marismas'' (''Brotherhood of the Marshes'') was created, thereby uniting all the important seaports to the East of Asturias. During the period of the Reconquista, the Four Cities actively participated in the re-settling of Andalusia, dispatching men and ships. The coastal port cities of [[Cádiz]] and [[El Puerto de Santa María]] were settled by families from the Cantabrian Sea ports. Ships from the Four Cities took part in the taking of [[Seville]], destroying the ship bridge linking [[Triana (Seville)|Triana]] and Sevilla, a victory that is represented by the [[Carrack]] and the [[Torre del Oro]] of Sevilla in the coat of arms of [[Coat of arms of Santander|Santander]], [[Coat of arms of Cantabria]] and [[Avilés]] (Asturias).