 in Cantabria and took Amaya in the year 574 destroying and burning it. Amaya, located in the south of the country was the historical capital of the Cantabrian Country. And the headquarters of Cantabrian Senate. This “senate” was the Council where all the tribes were represented and was the head of the nation. The Visigoth killed most of the members of it and then started to try to occupied the rest of the territory. But it wasn’t easy and they weren’t available to finish it. Many deep valleys, high mountains, lost villages didn’t see never Visigoth presence and the revolts and the resistance against them was high and bloody.
The real expansion of Catholicism started with them. For example the Catholic Church of that age give the Visigoth knights the right of attacked and killed all the Cantabrian people (including women) that they were been saw or were belief to keep the old worship and pagan cult.
But worship of naturalistic type and bits of pagan essences survive quite strongly till the early XX century. When the Moorish tribes attacked the Visigoth kingdoms they defeat them and many of them come to Cantabria to find refuge. After the Covadonga Battle, the Moorish army was defeated by Cantabrian and Asturian troops. They never reach Cantabria. But unfortunately for the Cantabrian People the Visigoth, Catholic fanatics and Landlords that escape from the south and came to find refuge started to build their power, expand their influence and religion (catholic). Here began the Dark ages for Cantabria. Even the name was forgotten by the cantabrian people. The territory was divided by foreign kingdoms: the Asturias de Santillana and Castilla mainly. But in villages and cities the basic form of govern was the council, usually under the biggest and oldest, near the churches or sacred places. But Cantabrian national identity was near forgotten by the people. Even some priests take out theories that the Cantabrian were the ascendants of the Basques. Or that ist was situated in La Rioja.
During the middle ages the power of the monasteries in the countryside was huge, but small cities started to grow. In the subsequent centuries, the so call "Cuatro Villas" of the coast (Castru, Laredu, Sanander and San Vicenti de la Barquera) they grow economic- mind to good rhythm. They export to the north of Europe and then to the Mediterranean Castillian wool, the fishing activity grows (even whales were fish), they trade with Castilla and they become the more important shipyards. This four villas or cities (Sanander for example reach at one stage 25.000 citizens) were very independent, and they have special statutes, even to carry out international treaties by their own. Apart of this at one stage the villages of the Cantabrian coast and the Basques, they formed in 1296 the “Hemandad of the Marismas”, a union to defend their common interests. The councils they formed it were: Sanander, Laredu, Castru, San Vicenti de la Barquera -cantabrian-, Bermeo, Getaria, San Sebastián and Fuenterrabía -Basques- that joined with the following year. They had their capital in Castru (Cantabria). This confederacy supposed a leading naval power to the service of the Castillan kings but maintaining its autonomy.
At this stage they appear in Cantabria many pirates that they attacked boats of other countries and ever they make raids in the English coasts.
At this Cantabria was the Country with more free-men of all Europe. The hidalgos and families were very important and powerful, and many people have the right and possibility of choosing the Lord to whom they were going to serve.
July 28, 1778
They keep their culture, worships, language but they didn’t call them-self cantabrians. Sometimes they call themselves Highlanders a name that some people still use today.
THE HISTORIC SUIT OF THE VALLEYS
In the XVIII century some valleys and their councils that resisted to remain under the stately control and the will of the landlords (many descendants of the Visigoth) and they began the famous one "Suit of the Valleys"
The historic personality of the “Juntas de Puenti S