García I of Castile
Encyclopedia
García Fernández, called of the White Hands (Burgos
, 938 — Córdoba
, 995), was the count of Castile and Alava
from 970 to 995.
The son of Count Fernán González, he continued to recognise the suzerainty
of the Kingdom of León
, even though he was practically autonomous. In order to expand his frontiers at the expense of the Moors
, in 974 he expanded the social base of the nobility by promulgating decrees stating that any villein of Castrojeriz who equipped a knight for battle would enter the ranks of the nobility. He was succeeded by
his son, Sancho I of Castile
.
. They had seven children:
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, 938 — Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
, 995), was the count of Castile and Alava
Álava
Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
from 970 to 995.
The son of Count Fernán González, he continued to recognise the suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
of the Kingdom of León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
, even though he was practically autonomous. In order to expand his frontiers at the expense of the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
, in 974 he expanded the social base of the nobility by promulgating decrees stating that any villein of Castrojeriz who equipped a knight for battle would enter the ranks of the nobility. He was succeeded by
his son, Sancho I of Castile
Sancho I of Castile
Sancho García , called of the Good Laws , was the count of Castile and Álava from 995 to his death.-Biography:...
.
Offspring
In 960, Garcia married Ava of Ribagorza, daughter of Raymond II, count of RibagorzaCounty of Ribagorza
The County of Ribagorza or Ribagorça was originally the independent creation of a local Basque dynasty, later absorbed into the Kingdom of Navarre, and then into the Crown of Aragon. Historically it had a strong connexion with the counties of Sobrarbe and Pallars. Its territory was the valleys of...
. They had seven children:
- Mayor García, married Raymond III, count of Pallars-Jussà, they claimed Ribagorza
- Sancho García, conde de Castilla
- Urraca GarcíaUrraca of Covarrubias of CastileUrraca of Castile, daughter of García Fernández of Castile and Ava of Ribagorza, became abbess of Covarrubias, Spain. She shared the regency for García Sánchez of Castile together with magnates of the realm, after her brother Sancho had been killed....
- Gonzalo García (died 979), speculated to have been ancestor of the House of LaraHouse of LaraThe House of Lara or Casa de Lara are a noble family, known from the medieval Kingdom of Castile.Two of its branches, those from the Duke of Nájera and from the Marquis of Aguilar de Campoo were considered Grandees of Spain...
- Elvira GarcíaElvira García of CastileElvira García of Castile was the daughter of García Fernández of Castile and Ava de Ribagorza.She married to Bermudo II of León and had three children from this marriage: Alfonso, Theresa, and Sancha....
(died 1017), married in 991 Bermudo II of LeónBermudo II of LeónBermudo II , called the Gouty , was the King of Galicia and León . His reign is summed up by Justo Pérez de Urbel's description of him as "el pobre rey atormentado en la vida por la espada de Almanzor y en muerte por la pluma vengadora de un obispo" Bermudo (or Vermudo) II (956–999), called the... - Toda García, married Sancho Gómez of Saldaña, of the powerful Beni Gómez family
- Oneca García, married in 995 AlmanzarAl-Mansur Ibn Abi AamirAbu Aamir Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abi Aamir, Al-Hajib Al-Mansur , better known as Almanzor, was the de facto ruler of Muslim Al-Andalus in the late 10th to early 11th centuries. His rule marked the peak of power for Moorish Iberia.-Origins:He was born Muhammad Ibn Abi Aamir, into a noble Arab...
, chamberlain of Cordoba