Definition of Pheasant Island

Located between the states of France and Spain, this island has seen a greater amount of history pass through its scarce land, of what its extension should have given of itself, but its location exaggerates the importance it would have had in another place.

The Island of the Pheasants is a fluvial islet barely 200 meters long by about 40 meters long at its midpoint, which is located on the Bidasoa River (Basque Country) between the cities of Hendaye and Irún, and whose sovereignty is shared between France and Spain, being in charge of it a different country every six months in a rotating shift and under the regime of condominium.

This means that when the country who takes over the island, also changes its sovereignty.

The island is uninhabited, and lacks biological interests (contrary to what could be interpreted by its name, there is no Suburb pheasants, not even a single one), and its only importance lies in its status as territory border, which has allowed it to host various historical events of some significance.

Its position in the middle of the border Hispano-French marked by the Bidasoa (and that cuts the Basque Country in two, one part administered by Spain and the other by France) has allowed it to be considered a neutral territory and, therefore, suitable to host all kinds of conversations diplomatic.

This consideration of territory under condominium comes from the Thirty Years' War in the seventeenth century (* of 1618 to 1648), which in the case of the Spanish-French conflict lasted until 1659, closing with the treaty of the Pyrenees.

It is precisely on this island that the peace between both states with the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees (* in 1659), which confirmed the Mountain range mountainous as a natural boundary between the two states, cutting the disputed territory of Catalonia in half, leaving the Principality in the south in the hands of Spain, and the northern part (with capital in Perpignan) under sovereignty French.

One of the agreements that was part of the peace was the marriage between the French monarch Louis XIV (nicknamed “the Sun King”), And the daughter of the Spanish monarch Felipe IV, María Teresa of Austria, a wedding that took place on the same Island of the Pheasants.

A monolith located at the midpoint of the island recalls the importance of an agreement that helped cement state borders as they exist in Europe today.

It is from said treaty that the sovereignty of the island is shared, half the year for France, and the other half for Spain.

From February 1 to July 31, the island is part of Spain, and from August 1 to January 31 it passes into French hands. But the island's history dates back much earlier.

There is already evidence of its existence and some importance during Roman times, having also formed part of the Carolingian Empire.

In 1463 it hosted the meeting between Henry IV of Castile and Louis XI of France after the succession crisis Catalan (Enrique had resigned the year before the title of Count of Barcelona), and in 1526 it was the scene of exchange of prisoners between Spain and France: the Gallic King Francisco I (taken prisoner by the troops of the Spanish monarch Carlos I in the Battle of Pavía) was exchanged for his two sons, who were left in Spanish hands as hostages for Francisco to fulfill the terms of the agreement signed.

In 1615, another Enrique IV (this French) agreed to marry him with the daughter of Felipe IV (this yes, the Spanish protagonist of the Treaty of the Pyrenees).

Few territories of this size have had so much prominence in history. And, in this case, location is everything.

Fotolia photos: Morphart / Goccedicolore

Themes in Pheasant Island