
Nuño Sánchez (, ''Nunyó'', or'' Nunyo Sanç'', ) ( 1185 – 1242) was a nobleman and statesman in the
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...
.
Nuño was the son of
Sancho,
Count of Provence
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
,
Roussillon
Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...
, and
Cerdagne, and Sancha Núñez of the
House of Lara
The House of Lara (Spanish: ''Casa de Lara'') is a noble family from the medieval Kingdom of Castile. Two of its branches, one of the Dukes of Nájera and one of the Marquises of Aguilar de Campoo were considered Grandees of Spain. The Lara fami ...
. His father was dispossessed of Provence in 1185 but maintained Roussillon and Cerdagne until his death in 1223, handing control of them over to his son as early as 1212. He was formally invested with them by
Peter II of Aragon
Peter II the Catholic (; ) (July 1178 – 12 September 1213) was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1196 to 1213.
Background
Peter was born in Huesca, the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile, Queen of Aragon, Sancha ...
later that year. His full
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
title was ''Nunus Sancii, Dei gratia dominus de Rossillionis, Vallis de Asperii, Conflent et Cerritane'' ("Nuño Sánchez,
by the grace of God lord of Roussillon,
Vallespir
Vallespir (; ) is a historical Catalan comarca in Northern Catalonia, part of the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales.
Geography
The capital of the comarca is Ceret, and it borders the comarques of Conflent, Rosselló, Alt Empordà ...
,
Conflent and Cerdagne").
His investment was of little help to Peter, for Nuño arrived too late to be of any service at the
Battle of Muret (1213), where Peter died. Subsequently, he and his father served as
regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
s for Peter's minor heir,
James I. In 1215 his father married him to
Peronella, daughter of
Bernard IV of Bigorre
Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname.
The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''ber ...
, but the marriage was annulled by
Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...
the very next year (1216). James reached his majority in 1223, the year Sancho died, and Nuño began serving James as chief advisor in matters relating to the
Viscounty of Béarn
The Viscounty, later Principality of Béarn ( or ), was a Middle Ages, medieval lordship in the far south of Kingdom of France, France, part of the Duchy of Gascony from the late ninth century. In 1347, the viscount declared Béarn an independent ...
.
By 1225, however, Nuño had grown weary of Aragonese politics and turned to his interests elsewhere. In 1226, he purchased the viscounties of
Fenouillèdes and
Peyrepertuse
Peyrepertuse (; Languedocien: ''Castèl de Pèirapertusa'') is a ruined fortress and one of the so-called Cathar castles located high in the French Pyrénées in the commune of Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse, in the Aude ''département'', and has bee ...
from
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII (5 September 1187 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As a prince, he invaded Kingdom of England, England on 21 May 1216 and was Excommunication in the Catholic Church, excommunicated by a ...
and
did homage for them.
Nuño was invited to participate in an expedition against
Majorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
in 1229 and this probably represents his return to favour in the Aragonese court, where the
conquest of Majorca
The conquest of the Majorca, island of Majorca on behalf of the Roman Catholic kingdoms was carried out by King James I of Aragon between 1229 and 1231. The pact to carry out the invasion, concluded between James I and the ecclesiastical and s ...
from the
Almoravids
The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...
had long been desired. Majorca finally capitulated in 1234 and Nuño was the recipient of much land. He only began to consistently use the title of "count" thereafter.
In 1230, he was tasked by
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...
to lead an expedition against
Tlemcen
Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...
, the capital of the
Kingdom of Tlemcen
The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen () was a kingdom ruled by the Berber Zayyanid dynasty in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached ...
under the rule of the
Zayyanid dynasty
The Zayyanid dynasty or Ziyanids (, ''Ziyāniyyūn'') or Abd al-Wadids (, ''Bānu ʿAbd āl-Wād'') was a Berber Zenata dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Tlemcen, mainly in modern Algeria centered on the town of Tlemcen in northwest Algeria. Th ...
.
Late in life, Nuño accompanied James on his military expeditions into
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
and
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
(conquered 1238). In 1220, Nuño had married Teresa López, daughter of
Lope Díaz II de Haro,
Lord of Biscay
The Lordship of Biscay (, Basque: ''Bizkaiko jaurerria'') was a region under feudal rule in the region of Biscay in the Iberian Peninsula between 1040 and 1876, ruled by a political figure known as the Lord of Biscay. One of the Basque ''señor� ...
. They had no children, so his lands and titles
escheat
Escheat () is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied t ...
ed to the crown on his death, either late 1241 or early 1242. The
troubadour
A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''.
The tr ...
Aimeric de Belenoi composed a ''
planh'' on his death, significant of his reputation for
courtliness and
chivalry
Chivalry, or the chivalric language, is an informal and varying code of conduct that developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood, with knights being members of ...
. He was buried in the hospital of
Bajoles, near
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...
, now disappeared. He left an illegitimate son, the "Bastard of Roussillon," who defended the city of
Elne from the French during
Aragonese Crusade
The Aragonese Crusade (1284–1285), also known as the Crusade of Aragon or Crusade against Catalonia, was a military venture waged by the Kingdom of France against the Crown of Aragon. Fought as an extension of the War of the Sicilian Vespers ...
in 1284.
Sources
*Bisson, Thomas N. ''The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986. .
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Nuno
Regents of Aragon
People of the Reconquista
Counts of Cerdanya
Counts of Roussillon
1180s births
1242 deaths
13th-century people from the Crown of Aragon