García Sánchez III (; 1012 – 1 September 1054),
[''Europäische Stammtafeln'': II #56, III.1 #145; Moriarty, ''Plantagenet Ancestry of King Edward III and Queen Philippa of Hainault'', p80, 109] nicknamed García from Nájera (, ) was
King of Pamplona from 1034 until his death. He was also
Count of Álava and had under his personal control part of the
County of Castile. As the eldest son of
Sancho III he inherited the dynastic rights over the crown of Pamplona, becoming feudal overlord over two of his brothers:
Ramiro
Ramiro is a Spanish and Portuguese name from the latinisation of the Gothic given name *𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌹𐍂 (*Ranamir). Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Ramiro I of Asturias (c. 790–850), king of Asturias
* Ramiro ...
, who was given lands that would serve as the basis for the
Kingdom of Aragón; and
Gonzalo, who received the counties of
Sobrarbe and
Ribagorza. Likewise, he had some claim to
suzerainty over his brother
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
, who under their father had served as
Count of Castile, nominally subject to the
Kingdom of León but brought under the personal control of Sancho III.
Biography
García Sánchez inherited the crown of
Pamplona
Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain.
Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
after the death of his father
Sancho III in 1035, bypassing the late king's eldest son
Ramiro
Ramiro is a Spanish and Portuguese name from the latinisation of the Gothic given name *𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌹𐍂 (*Ranamir). Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Ramiro I of Asturias (c. 790–850), king of Asturias
* Ramiro ...
, who was illegitimate. In 1043, he defeated his half-brother in battle, setting the eastern border of the kingdom. García Sánchez III took advantage of the weakened state of the numerous
Islamic taifa kingdoms that arose after the dissolution of the
Caliphate of Córdoba
A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
to push the southern border over their territory, taking the city of
Calahorra in 1045. He also inherited from his father the
County of Álava and a great part of the
County of Castile (
La Bureba,
Trasmiera,
Montes de Oca, the
Encartaciones and
Las Merindades).
In 1037, he joined his brother
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
, the nominal Count of Castile, in a battle against the
Kingdom of León that took place near the river
Pisuerga and that came to be known as
Battle of Tamarón.
Bermudo III, King of León, was defeated and killed in battle, ending a dynasty of monarchs that went back to
Peter of Cantabria. Ferdinand would then be crowned King of León.
The relationship between the two brothers would however turn sour by the conflictive distribution of the lands of Castile between León and Pamplona, leading to the
Battle of Atapuerca, where García Sánchez would perish.
Marriage and family
García Sánchez III married
Stephanie of Foix in Barcelona in 1038. Stephanie was the youngest daughter of either
Bernard-Roger, Count of Bigorre or
Berenguer Ramon I, Count of Barcelona. They had nine children:
*
Sancho Garcés, nicknamed ''Sancho the Noble'', who became
King of Pamplona and ruled as Sancho IV from 1054 until his death in 1076. He married Placencia of
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
.
* Urraca Garcés, married in 1074 to
García Ordóñez, lord of
Nájera and
Grañón.
* Ermesinda Garcés, married to Fortún Sánchez, lord of
Yéqueda.
*
Ramiro Garcés, lord of
Calahorra.
* Fernando Garcés, lord of Bucesta, Jubera, Lagunilla and Oprela.
* Ramón Garcés, lord of
Murillo and
Agoncillo. Ramón became known as ''the fratricidal'', after he murdered his brother and King Sancho IV. Afterwards he escaped to the
Taifa of Zaragoza. In an 1134 charter, Marquesa, wife of Aznar López, referred to her grandfather as "rex Raymundi" (literally 'king' Ramón). However, in medieval Navarre there are examples of the term being used by ''
infantes'', so this need not signify he claimed the throne on his brother's death.
* Jimena Garcés, lady of Corcuetos,
Hornos de Moncalvillo and
Daroca.
[Appears for the last time on 27 May 1085 at the Monastery of Santa María la Real of Najera confirming a donation made by her brother Ramiro.]
* Mayor Garcés, lady of
Yanguas.
* Sancha Garcés
García Sánchez had two illegitimate children by unknown women:
*
Sancho Garcés, lord of
Uncastillo, married to Constanza. His son,
Ramiro Sánchez, would be the father of
García Ramírez, who became
King of Pamplona.
* Mencía Garcés, married to
Fortún Ochoiz, lord of Cameros.
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*Salazar y Acha, Jaime de (1992)
"Reflexiones sobre la posible historicidad de un episodio de la Crónica Najarense" Príncipe de Viana, Anejo 14:537–564.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Sanchez 03 Of Navarre
1010s births
1054 deaths
People from Nájera
11th-century people from the Kingdom of Pamplona
Sons of emperors
11th-century Navarrese monarchs
House of Jiménez
Monarchs killed in action
Burials at the Monastery of Santa María la Real of Nájera