Currently, the Foral Community of
Navarre is still divided into five
merindades standing for different judicial districts. Administratively, they have been substituted by the
partido judicial. In
Biscay, the
mancomunidades comarcales keep the place of the old
merindades, such as
Duranguesado.
Merindad of Estella The
merindad of Estella or Tierra Estella (in Basque:
Lizarrako Merindadea or
Lizarrerria) is one of the five
merindades into which the Foral Community of Navarre (Spain) has historically been divided and whose head of
merindad is the town of Estella. Its territorial delimitation coincides with that of the judicial district of the same name. The
merindad encompasses 72 municipalities and 39
facerías among which are the Sierra de
Urbasa, the
Sierra de Andía and the Sierra de Lóquiz as the largest. The total area of the
merindad of Estella is 2,068.6 km². The
merindad of Estella is located in western Navarre, covering parts of Navarra in the north and the Ribera de Navarra in the south. It borders the
merindad of Pamplona to the north, the
Merindades of Pamplona and
Olite to the east, La Rioja to the south, and Álava, in the Basque Country, to the west.
Merindad of Olite Established by
Charles III of Navarre on April 18, 1407, the
merindad of Olite was formed by separating towns from the
Merindades of Sangüesa and Estella, later becoming the judicial district of Tafalla.
Merindad of Ribera The 1366 census already classified towns like Valdorba,
San Martín de Unx,
Ujué,
Murillo el Fruto,
Santacara,
Murillo el Cuende,
Pitillas, and
Beire as part of the
merindad of Ribera (
Aragón and
Cidacos River regions). The
merindad of La Ribera originally included
Artajona, Tafalla, Caparroso, and Rada, alongside towns later assigned to the
merindad of
Tudela. This structure remained until 1342, when records began distinguishing Tudela separately, though reassignment was not immediate. has fewer Basque influences than any other in Navarre, with distinct Romance and pre-Roman place names. Many of its towns were once under Islamic rule, with Muslim and
Mudéjar populations persisting long after the Reconquista, particularly in the capital, where Arabic influences remain in toponymy and vocabulary. These cultural traces are visible south of the merindad of Estella, near the
Ebro River, becoming more pronounced southeast of
Azagra toward Aragon. Navarre's merindad boundaries have shifted over time. By 1366, Tudela's simpler administration featured fewer but more densely populated towns. The 1366 census lists Tudela first, followed by
Tafalla,
Artajona,
Caparroso,
Rada,
Mélida,
Carcastillo,
Marcilla,
Villafranca,
Cadreita,
Valtierra,
Arguedas, Murillo,
Cabanillas,
Fustiñana,
Cortes,
Buñuel,
Ribaforada,
Fontellas,
Ablitas,
Monteagudo,
Cascante,
Pedriz,
Tulebras,
Murchante, Centreniego, Corella, and Castellón. It also records governors (
alcaides) in Monteagudo, Ablitas, Tafalla, Corella, Cortes, Sanchabarca, Peñaflor, Peña Redondo, and
Valtierra. Additionally, the census classified social groups, listing farmers, free citizens (
francos), Moors, Jews, and
fijosdalgo (
hidalgos, nobles), who resided in Tudela, Cascante, Monteagudo, Arguedas, Fontellas, Cadreita, Valtierra, Marcilla, Caparroso, and other towns. ==See also==