an Miguel” does not correspond only with there to be a representative Assembly of the common interests of the Nine Valleys (part at that time of the Asturias of Santillana), but by to have been the embryo of the own provincial constitution carried out through the Ordinance of July 28, 1778 in Puenti San Miguel.
Its origin comes given in which already immemorial from times this nation of Cantabria had an important tradition of Meetings and Assemblies and thus these Meetings were not but representation supralocal, such as, they were it in the Modern Age the Meeting of the Four Villages of the Coast of the Sea (Sanander, Laredu, Castru, San Vicente de la Barquera), Liébana, Trasmiera and Campoo. This is mostly the original national territory, but as we see not united and sometimes under other kingdoms.
To the old province of the nine valleys they would go uniting many territories of that ancestral Cantabria and in July 28, 1778 is built in the House of Meetings, for the first time, the “Province of Cantabria”. The name of our Country was used again in this Land
The number of Meetings that were celebrated in that province of Cantabria they were around 50 until 1824, because in 1833 under the regency of María Cristina and being minister Javier of Hamlets, that Cantabria would pass to be province with the name of Santander and to be included in the region of Old Castile along with Hamlets, Logroño, Soria, Segovia, Ávila. Then from this point, and mainly in the second half of XIX century, Cantabria was divided again and many territories where given to the neighbors more powerful now, like Euskadi, Asturias and obviously Castile.
The biggest part after this forced and unnatural division remains as the Province of Santander under Castile. Nowadays is the territory of the Autonomy of Cantabria no longer under Castile. But the division is still there, and provoked that in some of the territories the Cantabrian identity have loose power, but culturally remains in the majority of them. This is the reason that since quite many years ago the 28 of July is declared by the Cantabrian Popular Movement of Liberation the National Day.
It started like a demo against the politicians that they went that day to “celebrated” what they name the “Day of the Institutions”, with no national, political sense, even with the presence of high officials of the Spanish army.
But know it have a popular essence. Year by year we increase in the people coming to attend it, with traditional music, food, political speech, traditional sports…and there is no doubt of its popularity in the youth, in the real left minds and in the people.
Cantabria, under the form of Province of Santander , began the century in a good economic situation : fishing, agriculture, ganadery, minery, shipyards and some heavy industry. This is with some international commercial relationships. Santander’s port was very important with regular connections with America .
Even in this good situation, obviously poverty existed in many places of the country and social oppression carried out by Church and the Spanish State was very heavy. No tolerance with our culture or Identity was allowed from the administration. It was a total disrespectful and aggressive politic against our culture, the left thinkers and republicans, and with all matters related to Cantabrian independence, History or real autonomy, our way of living and thinking.
Thousand of Cantabrian choose the emigration as the solution for the problems, and also many thousand stay at home and fight. Many died, many became outsider of the law, many died, and many end imprisoned.
The Republican movement in Cantabria against Spanish monarchy was powerful. This was part of the republican movement in all the state included Euskadi, but more powerful and active that in many of other countries. Many people start to think about the autonomy of Cantabrian Country apart of a Spanish Republican State.
And many people weren’t thinking in a centralized Spanish State with the Republican form but a Confederate State of Republic, with a Republic for Can