Duchy of Cantabria
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The Duchy of Cantabria was a march created by the Visigoths in Northern Spain to watch their border with the Basques. Its precise extension is unclear but seems likely that it included parts of Northern Castile and La Rioja.
Two were the main towns of Cantabria before its conquest by the Goths: Amaya (in northern Burgos) and the City of Cantabria, believed to have been near modern Logroño. Both tows were destroyed in 574 by Liuvigild, who massacred many of their inhabitants.
The legend of this destruction remained for long in the memory of the affected peoples. Bishop Braulio of Zaragoza (631-651) wrote in his Life of St. Emilianus how the saint prophesized the destruction of Cantabria because of their alleged sins. It is also held in popular belief that the converted refugees from the City of Cantabria founded the monastery of Our Lady of Codés in Navarre.