Since the end of the 18^th century, the Diputaciones forales (Provincial Governments) of Alava, Guipuzcoa and Vizcaya had created armed police corps which were the jurisdiction of the provincial governments, and which had similar duties: the maintenance of public order and provincial administration.

   In the years between its first establishment (1796) and the first Carlist war (1833-39), the foral corps were alternatively eliminated and reorganised, and its staff numbers were reduced or increased according to the public order, military or even political needs.

   With the outbreak of the Second Carlist War, the foral armed police corps became military units of the liberal army.

   After some problems regarding their updating, the set of regulations governing Guipuzcoa's Mikeletes were finally approved in 1882.

   From the end of the 19^th century up until 1936, Guipuzcoa's Mikeletes continued to be an armed police force which was more dedicated to administration than anything else, and thus it experienced gradual increases in numbers as the administrative duties became more complex and for as long as the Diputacion (Provincial Government) had the relevant resources.

   At the end of the Civil War in the Basque Provinces, and two months after the abolition of the Economic Agreement (23 June, 1937) of Vizcaya and Gipuzcoa, the Chief of Staff of the Northern Armies ordered the dissolution of Guipuzcoa's Mikeletes and Vizcaya's Foral Guard, although not of Alava's Miñones. The reason for this dissolution was that the members of the corps had joined the losing side during the war.

   At the end of the Dictatorship period and with the coming of a democratic regime, it became possible to restore and update the historical rights and privileges, by means of the First Additional Provision of 1978's Constitution.

   The Basque Country's Autonomous Police Force was established under article 17, paragraph five, of the Statute of Autonomy, which agreed with Royal Decree of 22 December, 1980, in regards to restoring the Foral (Territorial Statutory) Corps.

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