Re: loya family origin
-
In reply to:
Re: loya family origin
MOTI LOYA 8/15/08
Hello Moti,
The connection between the expulsio of the Jews and some of them being called by the surname Loya is found in King Ferdinad the Catholic of Spain, Queen Isabella the Catholic's husband.He, more than her, was responsible for expelling the Jews out of Spain, and he is the one that invaded Navarre, which was then a French kingdom, and divided it in half.It is not a coincidence that it is Navarre that the "Spanish" Loya's come from, and the Jews, because Navarre is adjacent to Labourd where the Baie de Loya is, and before Ferdinand expelled the Jews or conquered Navarre, Labourd and Navarre were adjacent French provinces.It is very significant that the Loya's were in Navarre and not in Giapuzkoa, which is the other Basque province adjacent to Labourd two miles from Loya in France, because while Giapuzkoa is two miles from Loya just on the other side of the Bidassoa River, the border river between France and Spain, and Navarre is further down the border, Navarre was all French.The reason the Loya's moved there, like Blas de Loya y Gastelu, is because they moved there while Navarre was French, that is why they were there and not in Giapuzkoa, they did not have to "cross" a border, they moved within French territory.I believe there were Jews in French territory, the territory of Loya, and like the Gentile Loya's, the moved freely between Labourd and Navarre while both were French.Before Ferdinand the Catholic invaded Navarre, the Inquisition was persecuting not only Jews but pre-Reformation Protestant Christians, both Labourd and Navarre were an area of refuge for pre-Reformation Christians, consequently, the Spaniards made incursions into Navarre to fight against who they called "heretics" and the Spaniards took over half of Navarre, and that is how some of the originally French Loya's came under Spanish jurisdiction and is the source of this confusion.The Jews that were there, in French Navarre, came under Spanish rule and had been under Spanish persecution, and were thus expelled.Yes, some of the Jews that lived there certainly adopted a Gentile name.
It is fascinating to me, however, how you point out the Hebrew association of Loya because in studying the French Acadians, to whom the Loya's of America belong, I found very ancient roots among the French who would be the Acadians, Etruscan pagan roots, yet there are some names that show Hebrew influence. Most names show pagan background, but some show Hebrew influence, like the name French Acadian name Kirouarc, if broken into Etruscan roots, means "The prophet of the God whose name is the Rock or Fortress" which is, as you know, how the God of the Hebrews is called, there are also the French Acadian names Cyr/Sier, and in the Hebrew context there is Mount Sier, and other names that reflect Hebrew influence among the Etruscans who, having come from Italy, were established in France specifically in the Loya areas.
Anyway, thanks for your information, I find it fascinating!