Editing Vitoria-Gasteiz (section)

== History ==
[[File:GasteizXVII.jpg|thumb|left|Vitoria-Gasteiz in the 17th century]]
In 581 AD, the [[Visigoths|Visigoth]] king [[Liuvigild]] founded the city of Victoriacum, trying to emulate the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] foundations, as a celebration of the victory against the [[Vascones]] near what is assumed to be the hill occupied by the primitive village of Gasteiz. This however is not sufficiently proven, and some historians and experts believe that Victoriacum was located not on the site of present-day Vitoria-Gasteiz but nearby. Several possible locations have been proposed, the foremost of which is the late Roman military camp of [[Iruña-Veleia]] (cf. J. M. Lacarra). Veleia is located some 11&nbsp;km north of modern Vitoria, on the banks of the same river. However, modern archeological studies of the site suggest that Veleia was last inhabited {{Circa|5th century AD}}, and archeologists are still to find a 6th-century Visigothic resettlement in the site.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u-X4dkALGsAC&q=Victoriacum|title=Leovigildo: unidad y diversidad de un reinado|first1=Luis A. García|last1=Moreno|first2=Luis Suárez|last2=Fernández|date=10 March 2018|publisher=Real Academia de la Historia|isbn=9788496849402|via=Google Books}}</ref> Another theory has suggested that Victoriacum was located at the foot of Mount [[Gorbea]] where there is a village called [[Vitoriano]]. The town of [[Armentia]], nowadays in the outskirts of Vitoria, has also been proposed as a possible location of Victoriacum.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.euskomedia.org/aunamendi/98647|title = Nova Victoria - Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia}}</ref> In either case, Victoriacum vanishes from history shortly after its foundation.<ref name="books.google.co.uk">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u-X4dkALGsAC&q=Victoriaco&pg=PA148|title=Leovigildo: unidad y diversidad de un reinado|first1=Luis A. García|last1=Moreno|first2=Luis Suárez|last2=Fernández|date=10 March 2018|publisher=Real Academia de la Historia|isbn=9788496849402|via=Google Books}}</ref>

In 1181, Sancho the Wise, [[King of Navarre]] founded the town of ''Nova Victoria'' as a defensive outpost on top of a hill at the site of the previous settlement of Gasteiz. The existence of ''Gastehiz'', apparently inhabited by Vasconic people,<ref>S. Villimer: ''Vitoria, historia de una ciudad'', p. 160 (Vitoria 1977).</ref> can be traced back to the Middle Ages; it is certain that by the 11th century, prior to the foundation of ''Nova Victoria'', the settlement was already walled. It is assumed that Sancho the Wise gave the new city its name in memory of the old settlement of Victoriacum, which must had long since been abandoned.<ref name="books.google.co.uk"/> In 1199, the town was besieged for nine months and eventually captured by the troops of [[Alfonso VIII of Castile]], who annexed the town to the [[Kingdom of Castile]]. The town was progressively enlarged and in 1431 it was granted a city [[Municipal charter|charter]] by [[John II of Castile|King Juan II]] of Castile. In 1463, it was one of the five founding ''villas'' of the Brotherhood of Álava alongside [[List of municipalities in La Rioja|Sajazarra]], [[Miranda de Ebro]], [[Pancorbo]] and [[Salvatierra/Agurain]].

[[File:Vitoria-Gasteiz_-_Vieille_Cathédrale.jpg|thumb|left|[[Cathedral of Santa María de Vitoria]], completed in the 17th century]]
[[File:George Jones (1786-1869) - The Battle of Vittoria - RCIN 407186 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|''[[The Battle of Vittoria (painting)|The Battle of Vittoria]]'' by [[George Jones (painter)|George Jones]] depicting the 1813 battle.]]
The [[Battle of Vitoria]] of the [[Peninsular War]] occurred near Vitoria-Gasteiz along the river [[Zadorra]] on 21 June 1813. An allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|General the Marquess of Wellington]] broke the French army under [[Joseph Bonaparte]] and Marshal [[Jean-Baptiste Jourdan]]. The victory assured the eventual end of French control in Spain. There is a monument commemorating this battle in the main square of the city known as the Monument to Independence.

When news came to Vienna in late July of that year, [[Johann Nepomuk Mälzel]] commissioned [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] to compose a symphony, the op. 91 [[Wellington's Victory|Wellingtons Sieg oder die Schlacht bei Vittoria]] (Wellington's Victory, or the Battle of Vitoria) or ''Siegessymphonie''.

Work began on the Institute for Middle Education in 1843, with classes beginning during the 1853–54 academic year. It is now current headquarters of the [[Basque Parliament]] and formerly the convent of Santa Clara. The Free University opened in the wake of the revolution of 1868. The university operated from 1869, to just prior to the 1873–1874 term, largely because of the [[Third Carlist War|second Carlist War]]. Some of its most notable academics were Ricardo Becerro de Bengoa, Julián Apraiz and [[Federico Baraibar]]. The latter was also among the first teachers of Basque in Vitoria-Gasteiz as an off-[[syllabus]] subject.

===Spanish Civil War===
At the start of the [[Spanish Civil War]] Álava and Vitoria were easily captured by the rebel [[Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)|Nationalists]] led by General Angel García Benítez, assisted by Colonel [[Camilo Alonso Vega]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Hugh |title=The Spanish Civil War |date=2012 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-141-01161-5 |page=226 |edition=50th Anniversary}}</ref> Vitoria was captured on 19 July 1936.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beevor |first1=Antony |title=The Battle for Spain |date=2006 |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |location=London |isbn=978-0-7538-2165-7 |page=72}}</ref> In November 1936 an attempt by [[Republican faction (Spanish Civil War)|Republicans]] to retake Vitoria was thwarted after being spotted by Nationalist reconnaissance aircraft.<ref>Beevor (2006) p.251</ref> The 1937 Nationalist campaign in [[Biscay|Vizcaya]] was supported by 80 German aircraft based at Vitoria,<ref>Thomas (2012) p.596</ref> where the [[Condor Legion]] fighter wing was concentrated.<ref>Beevor (2006) p.253</ref>

===Transition to democracy===
During the [[Spanish transition to democracy]], the Church of St. Francis of Assisi was the scene of a [[Massacre of 3rd of March in Vitoria|police shooting on March 3, 1976]] during a peaceful labour assembly. Under the orders of Interior Minister [[Manuel Fraga]], the police shot tear-gas into the church where 5,000 demonstrators and others had met, firing on them as they struggled their way out of the building. It resulted in five dead and over one hundred wounded by gunshot.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://catalogo.artium.org/dossieres/4/fotoperiodismo-la-realidad-captada-por-el-objetivo/fotografias-con-historia/masacre-del- |title=Masacre del 3 de marzo en Vitoria-Gasteiz (1976) |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2010 |website=Artium |access-date=2016-07-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Malaina|first=Guillermo|date=2008-02-13|title=Los fantasmas de Fraga|url=http://www.publico.es/espana/fantasmas-fraga.html|newspaper=Público|access-date=2016-07-15}}</ref>

On 20 May 1980, by decision of the Basque Parliament, Vitoria-Gasteiz became the place of the common institutions of the [[Basque Autonomous Community]].

===Judizmendi===
[[File:Convivencia by Yael Artsi .jpg|thumb|"Coexistence" by Yael Artsi.]]
Historically, there once was a [[Jewish]] community living in Vitoria, before the [[Expulsion of the Jews from Spain|expulsion of the Jews]]. In 1492, the year of the expulsion, the town council agreed to maintain and respect the Jewish cemetery, which became known as Judimendi, or "mountain of the Jews" in [[Basque language|Basque]]. Over time, linguistically, "Judimendi" became "Judizmendi." Unique to anywhere else in Spain, the town maintained this agreement from 1492-1952, when the town undertook plans to convert Judizmendi to a public garden. The Jewish community in [[Bayonne]] heard about these plans, and convinced the city government of Vitoria-Gasteiz to commemorate the memory of the cemetery.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vitoria |url=https://jguideeurope.org/en/region/spain/basque-country/vitoria/ |website=JGuide Europe |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref> In 2004, Israeli artist Yaël Artsi created the monument "Coexistence" to be displayed at Judizmendi.

In 2017, the monument was vandalized with anti-semitic graffiti twice: once in April, and once in May.<ref>{{citation |journal=Observatorio Antisemitismo |title=INFORME SOBRE EL ANTISEMITISMO EN ESPAÑA 2017-2018 |issue=2017–2018 |page=11 |url=https://archive.jpr.org.uk/download?id=8788 |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref>

In 2019, the Basque Jewish community held a ceremony to pay tribute to the city for honoring its promise to the Jews.<ref>{{cite web |title=La comunidad judía de Euskadi homenajeará a Vitoria-Gasteiz por cumplir su promesa hace 526 años de cuidar su antiguo cementerio |url=https://blogs.vitoria-gasteiz.org/medios/2019/01/30/la-comunidad-judia-de-euskadi-homenajeara-a-vitoria-gasteiz-por-cumplir-su-promesa-hace-526-anos-de-cuidar-su-antiguo-cementerio/ |website=Vitoria-Gasteiz.org |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref>