Description :
This episode of Radio País is part of the European Tramontana Network (Réseau Tramontana / Tramontana Network), a project co-funded by the European Union that promotes the preservation and dissemination of the cultural heritage, history, and oral memory of Europe’s mountain regions. In this programme, historians Denis Crouzet (researcher) and Philippe Chareyre (Professor Emeritus of Modern History) from the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour discuss the history of the Kingdom of Navarre and present the ongoing AcroNavarre research project.
The interview explores the political, administrative, and territorial history of the Kingdom of Navarre between the late fifteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The researchers explain how the sovereigns of the Albret-Bourbon dynasty governed a trans-Pyrenean state stretching across territories now divided between France and Spain. They describe how royal administrative records provide valuable evidence of the organisation of government, diplomacy, justice, finance, religion, and warfare, illustrating the gradual emergence of the modern state during the Renaissance.
The discussion also examines the incorporation of Navarre into the French Crown under Henry IV and Louis XIII, highlighting the political negotiations, military interventions, and religious conflicts that shaped this process. The guests reflect on the enduring historical memory of Henry IV, whose image became deeply rooted in popular culture, while presenting recent publications and digital resources that make the documentary heritage of Navarre accessible to researchers and the wider public.