MIDDLE AGES

Its origin is characterized by the invasion of Barbarian peoples (Suevians and Vandals) from the year 411 b.C. There are evidences of Vandal assaults to settlements in the Rias Baixas,one of them being the Toronio settlement, which is supposed to be pretty near Erizana. In the IX and X century the Galician estuaries had the attacks of Normand pirates who destroyed the port of Erizana.

In the XI century there is a demographic increase in all Galicia; Erizana is highly populated within its walls, they share their houses and new ones are built outside the walls ,so that there are streets which maintained the name of their former owners: 'street that belonged to don Pedro de Vilaca', 'street that it said to belong to Pedro Franco'.

The inhabitants of these villages (bourgeoises) had the control of the municipal administration to protect their newly born freedom from the feudal lords; th kings easied this wish by giving the villages the 'cartas pobras' (settlement documents). In Galicia, the first carta pobra is given to Santiago de Compostela(1156). The king Alphons IX of León gave Erizana its carta pobra on May 7th 1201 bearing the name of Baiona. This carta pobra contains very significant aspects outstanding the following:

‘Let the inhabitants not to pay any toll all over the kingdom’

‘Let them have a market on the first day of each month’.

‘If a man is obviously somebody else’s sevant, he will not be admitted unless his master sets him free according to the  customs of the village.’

‘No one can salt fish, except those from the beforemention village of Baiona’.

This document, apart from the privileges, also contains very rigid rules; so that the infractors were punished with draconian measurements:' if someone fights with a knife against another, he has to pay 10 maravedises (an old Spanis coin), if he hurts him with a knife, cut him his hand; if he kills him, bury him alive under the dead one'.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that from 1201all the settlers in Erizana were free men, a right that only few men had in this feudal time. The prosperity which started in the 12th century and continued to the the 13th century, contracts with the general crisis lived in Galicia at the beginning of the 14th century, due to a high increase of the population, the prices of the cereals rose, the lands devoted to forage are reduced with the consequent decrease of cattle and wages because of the excess of workmen.Chronic epidemics appeared due to this crisis and shortageof food, the most terrible one was in 1348, which came through the port of Tui , ruined Baiona. In Galicia, the situation got worse with the fights held by the supporters of Pedro I and Enrique II of Tratámara, which ended in 1369, but continued with the arrival of the Duke of Lancaster, who conquered Baiona in 1388. Xoan I ordered to clear people out of the village and its inhabitants had to go to Monte Boi (nowadays Monte Real- royal hill) He took seigniory from Vasco Pérez de Caomes because he was not able to defend Baiona from the English. Later on, Vasco Pérez conquered Baiona,despite the strong opposition of the village.

As a result of these fights, Baiona looses  its freedom and its economical development and had to wait up to the 15th century to recover again; so king Xoan II in 1425, orders that imports would only be unloaded in Corunna and Baiona ports.

In 1434 Tui raised in arms as a consequence of the recent tax preassure from the bishops and feudal lords; this riot was supported by Baiona and A Guarda.