Sancho I of Gascony
Encyclopedia
Sancho I López or Lupus Sancho (also Lupo; , French
: Sanche Loup, Gascony
: Sans Lop, or ) was a Duke of Gascony
between the years 801 and 812.
His parentage is unknown, but onomastics
and chronology indicate that he may have been a son of Lupus II. This is especially likely if the early dukes of Gascony are to be regarded as related.
Sancho first appears (as Lupus Sancho) in the historical record as dux
"of the Vascones." This means that he was almost certainly a Basque
. He was a leader of the army of Louis the Pious
which besieged and took Barcelona
in 801. He was probably the leader of the Gascon contingent. Ermoldus Niger celebrates him in a poem as a nutritus of Charlemagne
, perhaps indicating that he was raised at the Frankish king's court. This has led to speculation that he was initially sent by Charlemagne to pacify the Gascons and be their duke: a royal Frankish appointee.
He was the probable elder brother of Lupus Centule
, Seguin I
, and Garsand (García) and father of Aznar and Sancho II
. It is possible that Sancha, the wife of Emenon
, was his daughter or granddaughter. Sancho died on an unknown date before 812 and was probably succeeded by his brother Seguin. He has been reputed as the father of Dhuoda
.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Sanche Loup, Gascony
Gascon language
Gascon is usually considered as a dialect of Occitan, even though some specialists regularly consider it a separate language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn in southwestern France and in the Aran Valley of Spain...
: Sans Lop, or ) was a Duke of Gascony
Duke of Gascony
The Duchy of Vasconia , later known as Gascony, was a Merovingian creation: a frontier duchy on the Garonne, in the border with the rebel Basque tribes...
between the years 801 and 812.
His parentage is unknown, but onomastics
Onomastics
Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper names of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek: "ὀνομαστικός" , "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" , from "ὄνομα" "name". Toponymy or toponomastics, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of...
and chronology indicate that he may have been a son of Lupus II. This is especially likely if the early dukes of Gascony are to be regarded as related.
Sancho first appears (as Lupus Sancho) in the historical record as dux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
"of the Vascones." This means that he was almost certainly a Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
. He was a leader of the army of Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
which besieged and took Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 801. He was probably the leader of the Gascon contingent. Ermoldus Niger celebrates him in a poem as a nutritus of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, perhaps indicating that he was raised at the Frankish king's court. This has led to speculation that he was initially sent by Charlemagne to pacify the Gascons and be their duke: a royal Frankish appointee.
He was the probable elder brother of Lupus Centule
Lupo III Centule of Gascony
Lupo III Centule was the Duke of Gascony briefly from 818 until his deposition by Pepin I of Aquitaine in 819...
, Seguin I
Seguin I of Gascony
Seguin I Lupo was Duke of Gascony from 812 until 816, when Louis the Pious deposed him "because of his boundless arrogance and wicked ways", according to the contemporary Frankish chroniclers. The "Basques across the Garonne and around the Pyrenees" rebelled against the removal of their duke, but...
, and Garsand (García) and father of Aznar and Sancho II
Sancho Sánchez of Gascony
Sancho II Sánchez or Sans II Sancion succeeded his brother Aznar Sánchez as count of Vasconia Citerior in 836, in spite of the objections of Pepin I, King of Aquitaine.After Pepin's death in 838, confusion enveloped southern Gaul...
. It is possible that Sancha, the wife of Emenon
Emenon
Emenon was the Count of Poitou , Périgord , and Angoulême .It is unknown who nominated him count of Poitou, but it was probably Pepin I of Aquitaine, at whose side he had fought against the emperor Louis the Pious. During his tenure in Poitous, the Empress Judith was imprisoned in the abbey of...
, was his daughter or granddaughter. Sancho died on an unknown date before 812 and was probably succeeded by his brother Seguin. He has been reputed as the father of Dhuoda
Dhuoda
Dhuoda was the author of the Liber Manualis, a handbook written for her son. Her date of birth and death are unknown but it is circa 803-843.-Life:...
.
Sources
- Collins, Roger. The Basques. Blackwell Publishing: London, 1990.
- EinhardEinhardEinhard was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the Vita Karoli Magni, "one of the most precious literary bequests of the early Middle Ages."-Public life:Einhard was from the eastern...
. Annales Regni Francorum. - Lewis, Archibald R. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.
- Astronomus. Vita Hludovici imperatoris, ed. G. Pertz, ch. 2, in Mon. Gen. Hist. Scriptores, II, 608.
- Chronicle of MoissacChronicle of MoissacThe Chronicle of Moissac is an anonymous compilation that was discovered at the abbey of Moissac, but is now thought to have been compiled in the Catalan monastery of Ripoll in the end of the tenth century. Like most chronicles, it begins with Adam, but gains increasing interest for historians as...
. - Ermoldus NigellusErmoldus NigellusErmoldus Nigellus or Niger, translated Ermold the Black, also Ermoald, was a monk of Aquitaine, who accompanied King Pippin, son of the Emperor Louis I, on a campaign into Brittany in 824....
. Carmina in honorem Hludovici, ed. E. Dummier, I, in Mon. Ger. Hist. ScriptoresMonumenta Germaniae HistoricaThe Monumenta Germaniae Historica is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published sources for the study of German history from the end of the Roman Empire to 1500.The society sponsoring the series was established by the Prussian reformer Heinrich Friedrich Karl Freiherr vom...
, I, 472-475. - Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Gascony.
- Sedycias, João. História da Língua Espanhola.
- Monlezun, Jean Justin. Histoire de la Gascogne. 1864.