The Pheasant Island: Spanish for half the year, French for the rest
The Bidasoa River draws an invisible line that separates the Spanish and French borders. In turn, this line marks the division between the cities of Irun, belonging to the Basque Country, and Hendaye, whose administration is French. It is there, between these two banks that embrace the river, where a small island emerges that few people notice. Barely 200 meters long where no one lives and no one can pass. However, this curious islet baptized as Pheasant Island was witness to history. Now, and since the mid-nineteenth century, its administration is divided between Spain and France. From February to July, Pheasant Island belongs to the former, while from August to January, to the latter.
Pheasant Island | Shutterstock
Pheasant Island is actually, more than an island, a river islet. It is, as noted, an expanse of land exactly 224 meters long by 41 meters wide. This makes it the smallest condominium in the world, understanding this as a place governed by two or more states.
In its borders there are only some poplars that rise among the weeds and grass, high walls of an islet in which the presence of man is only palpable in the existence of a monolith. This stone of artificial origin is the only vestige that remains there of history, that which made it a place of shared sovereignty.
Monolith on the Pheasant Island | Wikimedia
An inscription commemorates the events of that time. Thus, the side of the monolith facing Spain is in Spanish, while the side facing France is inscribed in French. Which ones were the events that the island witnessed? Why was the administration divided up in this way?
In the middle of the 17th century, the so-called Thirty Years’ War came to an end, a European conflict that pitted the House of Habsburg against France, although Denmark, Sweden, Bohemia… Spain was on the side of the Habsburgs, so it confronted, among others, France. What should be known is that, once the conflict ended with the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the monarchies of Spain and France did not manage to stop their hostilities between them.
It was for this reason, and this is where the Pheasant Island comes into the picture, that on November 7, 1659 a new pact was signed there: the Treaty of Peace of the Pyrenees. The signing of this document put an end to the war between the two states. The 124 articles that made up this treaty were signed by the representatives of King Philip IV of Spain and King Louis XIV of France. At least 24 meetings were necessary to reach a consensus between the two countries, one of which was prepared by Velázquez himself shortly before his death. As a result of this large number of meetings, the island is also known as the conference island.
Picture The Interview of Philip IV and Louis XIV on the Pheasants Island by Jacques Laumosnier | Wikimedia
The Peace of the Pyrenees was also ratified by the marriage between Louis XIV and the Infanta Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Philip IV, which again took place on the island. Earlier, in 1615, the marriage between the French monarch Louis XIII and the Spanish princess Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip II, was also arranged here. Likewise, Isabella of Bourbon and Philip IV had their corresponding marriages here. All these weddings gave the island another name to call it: island of the princesses.
Already in the 19th century, the Treaty of Bayonne was signed with the intention of putting an end to the continuous discussions between the Spanish and French fishermen, who found in the island a pretext for dispute. This treaty involved the sharing of sovereignty on the island, a legislation that has remained in force to the present day. Thus, for half of the year, the members of the Naval Command of San Sebastian are responsible for its jurisdiction. On August 1, this passes into the hands of the Bayonne Naval Commands.
However, in practice, the municipalities of Irun and Hendaye are in charge of managing the territory, which does not require much attention. It is only necessary to make sure that no one enters or camps there, as well as to take care of the undergrowth. In 1843 the writer Victor Hugo visited Pheasant Island and lamented the obvious expectation generated by the name: there was no pheasant there. “At most a cow and three ducks”, wrote the author.
