HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

García Sánchez I (
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
: ''Gartzea I.a Santxez''; 919 – 22 February 970), was the
king of Pamplona The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...
from 925 until his death in 970. He was the second king of the
Jiménez dynasty The Jiménez dynasty, alternatively called the Jimena, the Sancha, the Banu Sancho, the Abarca or the Banu Abarca, was a medieval ruling family which, beginning in the 9th century, eventually grew to control the royal houses of several kingdoms ...
, succeeding his father when he was merely six years old.


Biography

Son of Sancho I and Toda Aznárez, he succeeded his father in 925 when he was only six years old and reigned under the tutelage of his uncle Jimeno Garcés and of his mother, Toda. Three of García's sisters married kings of León: Urraca married Ramiro II; Oneca was the wife of Alfonso IV; and Sancha Sánchez was first married to Ordoño II. After Ordoño's death, she became the wife of
Álvaro Herraméliz Álvaro Herraméliz (floruit, fl. 923–931), was a Spanish people, Spanish noble and the count of Lantarón and of Álava in the region that today would be considered the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country in northern Spain. ...
, Count of Álava, and after his death married Fernán González,
Count of Castile This is a list of counts of Castile. The County of Castile had its origin in a fortified march on the eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Asturias. The earliest counts were not hereditary, being appointed as representatives of the Asturian king. F ...
. Another sister, Velasquita, married
Munio Vélaz Munio Vélaz or Vigílaz (died before 931) was the Count of Álava and probably also of Biscay. The exact dates of his countship are unknown. Only one document, dated 18 May 919 in the cartularies of Valpuesta, names Munio as count in Álava. He r ...
, who was Álvaro Herraméliz's predecessor as count of Álava. According to historian Gonzalo Martínez Díez, "the intimate family ties of the Navarrese dynasty with the monarchs of León and with the counts of Castile and Álava, would be reflected in the battlefield where soldiers from Pamplona frequently fought side by side with the Leonese and Castilians against a common enemy,
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
". Thanks to this web of alliances crafted by Queen Toda, Pamplona was able to increase its power and play a key role in the affairs of the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. Upon the death of his uncle and tutor, Jimeno Garcés, on 29 May 931, another uncle, Íñigo Garcés, half-brother of García's father, Sancho I, probably tried to become the regent of the kingdom and perhaps even usurp the throne, to the detriment of his nephew's rights. Both García and his mother Toda appear in a charter at the Abbey of San Pedro de Siresa on 9 March 933 without the royal titles. A year later, in May 934, the
Caliph 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 ...
,
Abd-ar-Rahman III ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam al-Rabdī ibn Hishām ibn Abd al-Rahman I, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dākhil (; 890–961), or simply ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III, was the Umayyad dyna ...
, led a military expedition against King Ramiro II of León. The Caliph's original intention was to penetrate Castile, but he changed his plans when the Tujibid governor of
Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
, Muhammad ibn Hashim, refused to join forces. His armies first attacked the fortress in Maluenda and then ibn Hashim's fortress in Rueda de Jalón. When Abd-ar-Rahman was about to penetrate the Kingdom of Pamplona, he received an embassy from Toda asking him to withdraw his troops, and also reminding him of the family ties that bound them. The objective of Toda's embassy to her nephew Abd-ar-Rahman III could also have been to seek his protection for herself and her son and to have the Caliph "expressly recognize her son, the young monarch García Sánchez I". This would have secured García the crown in the face of possible counterclaimants (such as Íñigo Garcés). Abd-ar-Rahman, who had never met his aunt, imposed the condition that she was to meet him at his camp in
Calahorra Calahorra (; ; ) is a municipality in the Spanish autonomous community and province of La Rioja. During Ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as ''Calagurris Nassica Iulia''. Location The city is located on a hill at an altitude ...
"as proof of the sincerity of her motives". She accepted and went to meet him. As described by historian
Ibn Hayyan Abū Marwān Ḥayyān ibn Khalaf ibn Ḥusayn ibn Ḥayyān al-Andalusī al-Qurṭubī () (987–1075), usually known as Ibn Hayyan, was an Arab Muslim historian from Al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Pen ...
, as part of the "pact of submission and vassalage", she was to submit to him and detach herself from the other Christian rulers, allies, and relatives, desist from supporting them, and do nothing to hurt the Muslims. She was also to allow free passage to his armies through the Kingdom of Pamplona and had to liberate the Muslim hostages that she had as a pledge for a payment due to her. She consented to all of his demands and he, in turn, gave her son, García, Pamplona and all of its districts in investiture. She left on the same day taking with her the rich presents that he had given her. Shortly afterwards, the Muslim armies rapidly crossed the territory under the Pamplonese monarchy so as not to cause damage, and attacked the neighboring Álava and Castile, attacking the fortress in Grañón. They burned crops, chopped down fruit trees, and destroyed vineyards and buildings along the way. In 937, King García allied himself with
Ramiro II of León Ramiro II ( 900 – 1 January 951), son of Ordoño II of León, Ordoño II and Elvira Menendez, was a Kingdom of León, King of León from 931 until his death. Initially titular king only of a lesser part of the kingdom, he gained the crown of Le ...
and Muhammad ibn Hashim, governor of
Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
, resulting in a military campaign by Abd-ar-Rahman III via Calatayud and Zaragoza into García's lands. He participated in July 939 in the Battle of Simancas alongside Ramiro II and Fernán González with the Christian armies defeating the caliphal forces. After this reversal, Abd-ar-Rahman III was planning another expedition for March 940 but suspended all plans when he received a messenger from Ramiro II to negotiate a truce. The Caliph, in response, also sent an envoy to the Leonese court for the negotiations. At about the same time or sometime before, he had also begun talks with
Sunyer, Count of Barcelona Sunyer ( 870 – 950) was count of Barcelona, Girona and Ausona from 911 to 947. Origins He was the son of Wilfred the Hairy and younger brother of the previous count of Barcelona, Wilfred II Borrel. He worked jointly with his brother in th ...
, the result of which was a two-year truce. The accord, very advantageous for the Christians in commercial terms, included several conditions, one of which was the cancellation of the plans (or the annulment) of the marriage of King García with Count Sunyer's daughter. The peace negotiations between King Ramiro II and Abd-ar-Rahman III were not concluded until the summer of 941. The peace included "all the frontier communities between the kingdoms of Leon and Pamplona, from Santarém to
Huesca Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
since Ramiro had a great interest in including García Sánchez I, the king who governed the destinies of the Pyrenean kingdom, rather than leaving him in the hands of Abd-ar-Rahman as the only Christian ruler remaining in a state of war with the Cordoban caliphate". Following the death of Ramiro II and his successor
Ordoño III of León Ordoño III (–956) was the King of León from 951 to 956, son and successor of Ramiro II (931–951). He confronted Navarre and Castile, who supported his half-brother Sancho the Fat in disputing Ordoño's claim to the throne. He a ...
, the Pamplona kingdom threw support behind the deceased king's younger brother, Sancho I of León, who was García's nephew. When García's brother-in-law, later also his son-in-law, and ally Fernán González of Castile switched his support and installed his own son-in-law
Ordoño IV of León Ordoño IV, called the Wicked or the Bad ( 926–Córdoba (Spain), Córdoba, c. 962 or 963) was the king of León from 958 until 960, interrupting the reign of Sancho I of León, Sancho the Fat for a two-year period. He was the son of Alfonso IV ...
in place of Sancho, Fernán's relationship with García became strained and the death of Fernán's wife, García's sister Sancha, the next year led to a break. García directly intervened in León, capturing Fernán and restoring Sancho. Fernán was forced to make territorial concessions to García to gain his release and their alliance wasn't fully restored until 964, when Fernán remarried, this time to García's daughter Urraca. He died on 22 February 970 and was interred in the castle of San Esteban de Deyo in Villamayor de Monjardín, Navarre.


Marriages and children

García married his first cousin Andregoto Galíndez, daughter of Galindo Aznárez II, Count of Aragon and his wife Sancha Garcés. Given that Galindo Aznárez II did not have any legitimate male heirs, the rights to the County of Aragon passed down to Andregoto, and then to her first son with García Sánchez, as a county within the Kingdom of Pamplona. The following children were born of this marriage: *
Sancho II of Pamplona Sancho Garcés II (Basque: ''Antso II.a Gartzez'', c. 938 – 994), also known as Sancho II, was King of Pamplona and Count of Aragon from 970 until his death in 994. He was the eldest son of García Sánchez I of Pamplona and Andregoto Galí ...
,
King of Pamplona The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...
and Count of Aragon until his death in 994. He was married to his first cousin, Urraca Fernández, daughter of Fernán González of Castile,
Count of Castile This is a list of counts of Castile. The County of Castile had its origin in a fortified march on the eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Asturias. The earliest counts were not hereditary, being appointed as representatives of the Asturian king. F ...
and his wife Sancha Sánchez, who was Sancho's paternal aunt. * Toda Garcés Andregoto was repudiated by her husband in 942. She retired to her lands in Aibar where she died sometime after June 971. The King had reached an agreement to marry the daughter of Sunyer, Count of Barcelona, but the forced submission of Sunyer to Abd-ar-Rahman included the abandonment of this plan. By 943, García had married Teresa Ramírez, daughter of his ally
Ramiro II of León Ramiro II ( 900 – 1 January 951), son of Ordoño II of León, Ordoño II and Elvira Menendez, was a Kingdom of León, King of León from 931 until his death. Initially titular king only of a lesser part of the kingdom, he gained the crown of Le ...
and Adosinda Gutiérrez. They had the following children: * Ramiro Garcés of Viguera (died 981), first King of Viguera. * Jimeno Garcés * Urraca Garcés (died before 1008), was the second wife of Fernán González,
Count of Castile This is a list of counts of Castile. The County of Castile had its origin in a fortified march on the eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Asturias. The earliest counts were not hereditary, being appointed as representatives of the Asturian king. F ...
, and, after his death, married to count
William Sánchez of Gascony __notoc__ William II Sánchez (also William Sancho, , , Gascon: ''Guilhem Sans'', , or ), Duke of Gascony from ''circa'' 961 at least until 996, was the younger illegitimate son of duke Sancho IV and successor, around 961, of his childless e ...
.


Ancestry


Notes


References


Bibliography


Secondary sources

* * * * * * * *


Primary sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Sanchez 01 of Pamplona 910s births 970 deaths 10th-century Navarrese monarchs House of Jiménez Medieval child monarchs Sons of emperors fi:Garcia II (Pamplona)