Three thousand years of survival. One people who refused to disappear. When empires rose and fell across Europe, the Basques endured. They spoke a language older than Latin, bloodied Charlemagne's army at Roncesvalles, and survived Franco's brutal attempts to erase their identity. The History of the Basque Country chronicles Europe's most mysterious people—from prehistoric cave painters to today's autonomous government. Discover the Basque whalers who may have reached Newfoundland before Columbus, the unique fueros (ancient laws) that protected their rights for centuries, and the bombing of Guernica that shocked the world in 1937. What you'll find: Euskara: Europe's oldest living language, unconnected to any other on earth - Basque sailors with Magellan and three centuries dominating the whaling industry - The truth about ETA's 50-year campaign and the path to peace - How a culture survived when speaking their language became a crime - The Carlist Wars, industrial revolution, and the birth of Basque nationalism Written in the tradition of David McCullough and Barbara Tuchman, this meticulously researched narrative brings to life warriors, shipbuilders, and ordinary families who preserved their identity against impossible odds. From the Kingdom of Navarre (824) to democratic restoration after Franco (1975), every chapter draws on primary sources to reconstruct forgotten or suppressed history. 584 pages of compelling narrative history. The Basques are still here. Still speaking their impossible language. Still Basque. This is the story of how—and why it matters. For anyone fascinated by cultural survival, European history, and peoples who refused to disappear