Sancho I of Pamplona
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García Jiménez of Pamplona
García Jiménez was king of a part of Pamplona in the late 9th century.The Jiménez dynasty that would later rule the kingdom of Navarre apparently originally held a territory within that realm distinct from that held by the descendants of Iñigo Arista...
, who was king of "another part of the kingdom" of Pamplona and Dadildis de Pallars, his second wife. In 905, a coalition of enemies of the king, Fortún Garcés: Lubb ibn Muhammed of the Banu Qasi
Banu Qasi
The Banu Qasi, Banu Kasi, Beni Casi or Banu Musa were a Basque Muladi dynasty that ruled the upper Ebro valley in the 9th century, before being displaced in the first quarter of the 10th century.-Dynastic beginnings:...
, King Alfonso III of Asturias, Galindo Aznar II of Aragon
County of Aragon
The County of Aragon or Jaca was a small Frankish marcher county in the central Pyrenean valley of the Aragon river, comprising Ansó, Echo, and Canfranc and centred on the small town of Jaca...
and Sancho's uncle, Raymond I of Pallars and Ribagorza
Raymond I of Pallars and Ribagorza
Raymond I was the first independent Count of Pallars and Ribagorza from 872 until his death. Early speculation made him a scion of the Counts of Toulouse, but he is certainly the "Regimundo comite, filio Luponi comiti . . . in pago Paliarensi" of a 920 document....
, deposed the king, and put Sancho on the throne in his place. Throughout his reign, he involved himself in the squabbles among the Muslim lords to the south with repeated success. In 907, he turned on his former ally Lubb ibn Muhammad, killing him in battle. Four years later, another former ally, Galindo Aznar, joined with his brother-in-law Muhammad al-Tawil and Abd Allah ibn Lubb ibn Qasi to attack Sancho, but they were defeated and neutralized as a threat. Al-Tawil fled and was killed shortly afterward, and the power of the Banu Qasi was severely crippled, while Galindo was forced into vassalage to Sancho, leading to the incorporation of the County of Aragon
County of Aragon
The County of Aragon or Jaca was a small Frankish marcher county in the central Pyrenean valley of the Aragon river, comprising Ansó, Echo, and Canfranc and centred on the small town of Jaca...
into the Pamplona kingdom. In 920, he teamed with Bernard I of Ribagorza and Amrus ibn Muhammed, son of Muhammad al-Tawil, to attack Banu Qasi-held Monzón
Monzón
Monzón is a small town in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It has a population of 17,050. It is located in the northeast and adjoins the rivers Cinca and Sosa.-Historical overview:...
. His successes allowed him to join Ultra-Puertos, or Basse-Navarre (Baja Navarra), to his own dominions, and extend his territory as far as Nájera
Nájera
Nájera is a small town located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the Way of St James.-History:...
. As a thanksgiving offering for his victories, he founded, in 924, the convent of Albelda
Albelda
Albelda is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 877 inhabitants....
.
Perhaps to legitimize the succession, Sancho married Toda Aznárez, daughter of Onneca Fortúnez
Onneca Fortúnez
Onneca Fortúnez or Iñiga Fortúnez was a Basque princess from the Kingdom of Pamplona, later known as the Kingdom of Navarre. She was the daughter of Fortún Garcés of Pamplona and his wife Oria. At the time of Onneca's birth, which occurred between 848 and 850, the Iberian Peninsula was largely...
, (who was a daughter of former king Fortún Garcés) and Aznar Sánchez, lord of Larraun
Larraun
Larraun is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
. Thus, Sancho and Toda's children were also descendants of the Arista dynasty of Navarrese monarchs, but likewise akin to Abd-ar-Rahman III
Abd-ar-Rahman III
Abd-ar-Rahman III was the Emir and Caliph of Córdoba of the Ummayad dynasty in al-Andalus. Called al-Nasir li-Din Allah , he ascended the throne in his early 20s, and reigned for half a century as the most powerful prince of Iberia...
of Córdoba, a grandson of Onneca by a former husband. When Sancho died in 925, his only son was still quite young. Thus Sancho was succeeded by his brother, Jimeno Garcés, upon whose death Sancho's son García
García
García or Garcia is a Spanish surname referring to:People with García as the full name:*Kings of Pamplona/Navarre**Garc%C3%ADa %C3%8D%C3%B1iguez of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 851/2-882...
would succeed under that regency of Toda. In his memory, the family would be called the Banu Sanyo (Arabic: , 'descendants of Sancho') by Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
chroniclers.
The Codex of Roda
Roda Codex
The Roda Codex is a medieval manuscript which represents a unique source for details of the 9th century Kingdom of Navarre and neighbouring principalities, now Madrid, Real Academia de la Historia, cód...
gives Sancho and Toda six children:
- Oneca (d.931), married Alfonso IV, the Monk, of LeónAlfonso IV of LeónAlfonso IV , called the Monk, was King of León from 925 and King of Galicia from 929, until he abdicated in 931....
in 926 - Sancha, married firstly Ordoño II of LeónOrdoño II of LeónOrdoño II was king of Galicia from 910, and king of Galicia and León from 914 until his death. He was the second son of King Alfonso III the Great and his wife, Jimena of Pamplona....
, secondly Count Alvaro Herraméliz of ÁlavaÁlavaÁlava 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...
, and thirdly Fernán González, Count of Castile - Urraca, married Ramiro II of LeónRamiro II of LeónRamiro II , son of Ordoño II, was King of León from 931 until his death. Initially titular king only of a lesser part of Asturias, he gained the crown of León after his brother Alfonso IV abdicated in 931...
- Velasquita (or Belasquita), married firstly Munio, count of VizcayaBiscayBiscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
, secondly Galindo, son of Bernard count of Ribagorza, and third, nobleman Fortún GalíndezFortún GalíndezFortún Galíndez was a powerful nobleman in the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century. He is the only recorded Navarrese of that time to bear the title dux . He was entrusted by Sancho I with the newly conquered territory of the Rioja Alta around Nájera...
. - Orbita
- García, king of Pamplona, married firstly Andregota GalíndezAndregota GalíndezAndregoto Galíndez was daughter of Count Galindo II Aznárez Count of Aragon from 922, being by his second wife, Sancha Garcés of Pamplona...
and secondly Teresa
Sancho also had an illegitimate daughter:
- Lupa, mother of Raymond I, Count of BigorreCounty of BigorreThe County of Bigorre was a small feudatory of the Duchy of Aquitaine in the ninth through fifteenth centuries. Its capital was Tarbes.The county was constituted out of the dowry of a Faquilène, an Aquitainian princess, for her husband Donatus Lupus I, the son of Lupus III of Gascony...