Lingua Navarrorum

The Lingua Navarrorum or “Language of the Navarrese”, was an expression used by King Sancho VI of Navarre (1132–1194), called the Wise, to designate the language of his people. It first appears in a document from 1167 regarding the mayors of Zamarce, a monastic town in northwest Navarre whose roots lie in Roman Spain. The expression has sometimes been incorrectly used to indicate that Basque was the only language of Navarre during the Middle Ages but was actually one of several languages used including Spanish and Occitan. When King Carlos III of Navarre (1361–1425) swore his royal oaths during his coronation on the 13th of February 1390, he did so in the “language of Navarre”. Words such as azeari, umea, unamaizter, and buruzagi appear in this famous document, the original of which remains in the majestic Library of Pamplona Cathedral.