principality · France and the Low Countries

Principality of Bidache

1570 CE – 1790 CE (approx.) · capital Bidache

A tiny sovereign lordship on the edge of the Basque Country whose Gramont lords claimed independence from France until the Revolution.

Origins

Bidache, on the Bidouze river between Béarn, Navarre and the Labourd, belonged to the Gramont family. Exploiting its uncertain position on the frontier of Navarre and France, the Gramonts asserted full sovereignty over it, and the register dates the principality from 1570.

Rule and society

The Gramonts ruled the small territory from their castle at Bidache, administering justice and taxation without royal interference, while serving the French kings at court and in war. Antoine III de Gramont was a marshal of France and diplomat under Louis XIV. The lands were rural, with Gascon and Basque speakers.

Decline and legacy

The Revolution abolished the Gramonts' privileges, and in 1790 Bidache was incorporated into France and the new department of Basses-Pyrénées. The ruined castle remains.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Principality of BidacheKingdom of France 987 CE – 1792 CE

More states of France and the Low Countries →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Bidache. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-bidache
MLA
“Principality of Bidache.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-bidache. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Bidache.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-bidache.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Bidache’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-bidache (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻