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On April 5, 1 faking ,
under this tree , the Old

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Laws of Biscay were read
and reaffirmed by those

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who had authority to do
so .

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It was written 70 years
earlier and included a

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complete self-government
system.

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It was the Biscayan's
right and they did bring

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it with them in a way.


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I am Imanol Merino, a
professor of legal

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history at EHU.


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If a man had a lawsuit in
Seville, he had to use

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the law of Bizkaia
(Biscay) if he was a

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Basque from Vizcaya.


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And also in America.


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In addition, Biscayans of
those days were not

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required to serve in the
army and they could not

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be tortured and received
various guarantees for

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anyone who was brought
before justice.

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Were all these rights and
freedoms equally shared

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by both men and women?


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Yes, that is how it was
in New Brunswick. My name

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is Elizabeth Pinon and I
am a lawyer and

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vice-president of the
Basque Academy of Law.

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I have had complete
freedom to choose my heir

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in Biscay and the other
Basque territories, for

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instance. The equality of
men and women within the

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family is a key element
here.

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Here, it was possible to
have the dowry put in a

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man's name instead of a
woman's.

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Are new foral powers born
in 500 years still alive

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among us?


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Unless I'm in a rush, I
practice daily.

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We apply the New Foral
when we do testaments in

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my office and such
things, for example; that

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is why we are so
powerful. Andrés

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Urúdióniz, Notary Public
and Professor of Basque

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Law.


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We have Foral civil
nation since birth.

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We also pay taxes
according to the law of

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our land.


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The Carlist wars ended
with the central powers

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abolishing the Basque
privileges, eliminating

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their own institutions
and just system of law

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and justice as well as
their right not to follow

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laws they considered
harmful.