Ramiro I of Aragon
Encyclopedia
Ramiro I was de facto
the first King of Aragon from 1035 until his death. Apparently born before 1007, he was the illegitimate son of Sancho III of Navarre
by his mistress Sancha de Aybar. Ramiro was reputed to have been adopted by his father's wife Mayor
after he was the only of his father's children to come to her aid when needed, although there is no surviving record of these events and the story is probably apocryphal.
During his father's reign, he appeared as witness of royal charters starting in 1011, and was given numerous properties in the county of Aragon, and by the division of Sancho's realm on the latter's death in 1035, the county of Aragon fell to Ramiro with the title of baiulus or steward. This was part of what would prove to be a larger division: Navarre
and the Basque country went to eldest half-brother García, the county of Castile, already held by Ferdinand, reverted to its feudal fealty to the Kingdom of León
, while the counties of Sobrarbe
and Ribagorza fell to Gonzalo
and Ramiro received lands in Aragon
to hold under García.
Ramiro's exact status is vague. He was called king by his vassals, neighbors, the church and even his sons, yet he always referred to himself simply as Ranimiro Sancioni regis filio (Ramiro, son of King Sancho). Likewise, in his two wills, he refers to his lands as having been given him in stewardship: in the first by García, and in the second by God. He is called regulus (rather than rex used for García) and quasi pro rege (acting as if king) in charters from Navarre
. Due to his growing independence and the small size of his Pyrenean
holdings, he is sometimes called a "petty king", Aragon a "pocket kingdom".
Ramiro sought to enlarge his lands at the expense of both the Moors
and his brother, García, the King of Navarre
. Shortly after the death of his father (the date variously placed from 1036 to 1043), he supported the emir of Tudela
in an invasion of the Navarre. While he was defeated in the Battle of Tafalla
, he still was able to gain territory, including Sanguesa
, and established a state of semi-autonomy. In 1043, apparently with the approval of García, he annexed Sobrarbe
and Ribagorza, previously held by his youngest legitimate half-brother, Gonzalo
. This union created a pseudo-independent Aragonese state, with its capital at Jaca
, that would give rise to the Kingdom of Aragon
.
Before he was married, Ramiro had a mistress named Amuña with whom he had a natural son, Sancho Ramírez, in whom he confided the government of the county of Ribagorza.
Ramiro wed his first wife, Gisberga
, daughter of Bernard Roger of Bigorre
, on 22 August 1036. She changed her name to Ermesinda on marrying him. Together the couple had five children: Sancho Ramírez, his successor; García, Bishop of Jaca; Sancha, married Armengol III of Urgel; Urraca, nun in Santa Cruz de la Serós
; and Theresa, married William Bertrand of Provence
.
Ramiro's second wife was Agnes
(Inés), was perhaps a daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine
. After annexation of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe, Ramiro began the advance from Aragon toward Huesca and Zaragossa. The first charter for the royal town of Jaca is attributed to him. It included well defined laws of protection even to non residents, and would set an example for urban rights until late in the Middle Ages.
Ramiro died at the Battle of Graus
in 1063 while trying to take the city.
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
the first King of Aragon from 1035 until his death. Apparently born before 1007, he was the illegitimate son of Sancho III of Navarre
Sancho III of Navarre
Sancho III Garcés , called the Great , succeeded as a minor to the Kingdom of Navarre in 1004, and through conquest and political maneuvering increased his power, until at the time of his death in 1035 he controlled the majority of Christian Iberia, bearing the title of rex Hispaniarum...
by his mistress Sancha de Aybar. Ramiro was reputed to have been adopted by his father's wife Mayor
Mayor of Castile
Mayor of Castile was queen of Navarre. She was originally called Muniadona and is variously called Munia Mayor . In Spanish, she is called Muniadona de Castilla...
after he was the only of his father's children to come to her aid when needed, although there is no surviving record of these events and the story is probably apocryphal.
During his father's reign, he appeared as witness of royal charters starting in 1011, and was given numerous properties in the county of Aragon, and by the division of Sancho's realm on the latter's death in 1035, the county of Aragon fell to Ramiro with the title of baiulus or steward. This was part of what would prove to be a larger division: Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
and the Basque country went to eldest half-brother García, the county of Castile, already held by Ferdinand, reverted to its feudal fealty to 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...
, while the counties of Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is one of the Comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain...
and Ribagorza fell to Gonzalo
Gonzalo of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza
Gonzalo Sánchez was made Count of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, two small Pyrenean counties, before 1035 by his father, Sancho III of Navarre. He succeeded to these domains after his father's death in that year and ruled them as vassal of his brother García Sánchez III until his death...
and Ramiro received lands in Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
to hold under García.
Ramiro's exact status is vague. He was called king by his vassals, neighbors, the church and even his sons, yet he always referred to himself simply as Ranimiro Sancioni regis filio (Ramiro, son of King Sancho). Likewise, in his two wills, he refers to his lands as having been given him in stewardship: in the first by García, and in the second by God. He is called regulus (rather than rex used for García) and quasi pro rege (acting as if king) in charters from Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
. Due to his growing independence and the small size of his Pyrenean
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
holdings, he is sometimes called a "petty king", Aragon a "pocket kingdom".
Ramiro sought to enlarge his lands at the expense of both 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...
and his brother, García, the King of Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
. Shortly after the death of his father (the date variously placed from 1036 to 1043), he supported the emir of Tudela
Tudela, Navarre
Tudela is a municipality in Spain, the second city of the autonomous community of Navarre. Its population is around 35,000. Tudela is sited in the Ebro valley. Fast trains running on two-track electrified railways serve the city and two freeways join close to it...
in an invasion of the Navarre. While he was defeated in the Battle of Tafalla
Battle of Tafalla
At the Battle of Tafalla, García Sánchez III of Navarre defeated his brother, Ramiro I of Aragon, who was invading his kingdom, near Tafalla. Allied with García was his brother Ferdinand I of Castile, and Ramiro brought with him his Moorish allies, the kings of the taifas of Zaragoza, Tudela, and...
, he still was able to gain territory, including Sanguesa
Sangüesa
Sangüesa is a city in Navarre, Spain, 44.5 kilometers from Pamplona. It is close to the River Aragon and is located on the Way of Saint James. It has been an important stopping point for pilgrims since the Middle Ages...
, and established a state of semi-autonomy. In 1043, apparently with the approval of García, he annexed Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is one of the Comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain...
and Ribagorza, previously held by his youngest legitimate half-brother, Gonzalo
Gonzalo of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza
Gonzalo Sánchez was made Count of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, two small Pyrenean counties, before 1035 by his father, Sancho III of Navarre. He succeeded to these domains after his father's death in that year and ruled them as vassal of his brother García Sánchez III until his death...
. This union created a pseudo-independent Aragonese state, with its capital at Jaca
Jaca
Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca...
, that would give rise to the Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
.
Before he was married, Ramiro had a mistress named Amuña with whom he had a natural son, Sancho Ramírez, in whom he confided the government of the county of Ribagorza.
Ramiro wed his first wife, Gisberga
Ermesinda of Bigorre
Ermesinda of Bigorre, born Gerberga was a daughter of Bernard-Roger, Count of Bigorre and his wife Garsenda, Heiress of Bigorre...
, daughter of Bernard Roger of Bigorre
Bernard-Roger of Foix
Bernard Roger was the count of Couserans, in which capacity he was lord of parts of Comminges and Foix.He was the son of count Roger I of Carcassonne. His elder brother, Raymond I of Carcassonne inherited the county of Carcassonne and the remaining part of the lordship of Comminges...
, on 22 August 1036. She changed her name to Ermesinda on marrying him. Together the couple had five children: Sancho Ramírez, his successor; García, Bishop of Jaca; Sancha, married Armengol III of Urgel; Urraca, nun in Santa Cruz de la Serós
Santa Cruz de la Serós
Santa Cruz de la Serós is a village in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. Located 88 kilometers from the city of Huesca, it is located at a hill side on the way to the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña.-Monuments:...
; and Theresa, married William Bertrand of Provence
William Bertrand of Provence
William Bertrand , known as William V or Bertrand I or II, was the count and margrave of Provence from 1051 to his death...
.
Ramiro's second wife was Agnes
Agnes, wife of Ramiro I of Aragon
Agnes was the second wife of Ramiro I of Aragon. She is speculated to have been daughter of either William VI, Duke of Aquitaine or William VII, Duke of Aquitaine, and perhaps remarried to Peter I, Count of Savoy....
(Inés), was perhaps a daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....
. After annexation of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe, Ramiro began the advance from Aragon toward Huesca and Zaragossa. The first charter for the royal town of Jaca is attributed to him. It included well defined laws of protection even to non residents, and would set an example for urban rights until late in the Middle Ages.
Ramiro died at the Battle of Graus
Battle of Graus
The Battle of Graus was a battle of the Reconquista, traditionally said to have taken place on 8 May 1063. Antonio Ubieto Arteta, in his Historia de Aragón, re-dated the battle to 1069. The late twelfth-century Chronica naierensis dates the encounter to 1070...
in 1063 while trying to take the city.
Sources
- Ballesteros y Beretta, Antonio. Historia de España y su Influencia en la Historia Universal. Barcelona: Salvat, 1920.
- Chaytor, H. J. A History of Aragon and Catalonia. London: Methuen, 1933.
- Lourie, Elena. "The Will of Alfonso I, 'El Batallador,' King of Aragon and Navarre: A Reassessment." SpeculumSpeculumThe term speculum, Latin for "mirror", and its plural specula, may refer to:* Speculum , a medical tool used for examining body cavities* Speculum , a journal of medieval studies published by the Medieval Academy of America...
, Vol. 50, No. 4. (Oct., 1975), pp 635–651. - Nelson, Lynn. The Aragonese Acquisition of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza. Estudios en Homenaje a Don Claudio Sánchez Albornoz en sus 90 Años, 2:227-236 (1982).
- Ubieto Arteta, Antonio. "Estudios en torno a la división del Reino por Sancho el Mayor de Navarra", Príncipe de Viana, vol. 21, pp. 5–56, 163–236.