Sancho III of Navarre

Sancho III (c. 985–October 18, 1035), called Sancho the Great, was Count of Aragon and King of Navarre from 1000 or 1004 until his death and King of Castile from 1029 to his death. During his lifetime, he was the most important Christian monarch of Spain. Having gone further than any of his predecessors in uniting the divided kingdoms of Spain, his life's work was undone when he divided his domains shortly before his death to provide for each of his sons.

Related Topics:
985 - October 18 - 1035 - Count of Aragon - King of Navarre - 1000 - 1004 - King of Castile - 1029

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Sancho was born around 985 to Garcia IV (the Tremulous) of Pamplona and Jimena Fernández, daughter of the Count of Cea in the Galician frontier. Sancho became king in 1000 or 1004, inheriting the Kingdom of Navarre and the Kingdom of Aragon. He later profited from the internal difficulties of Sobrarbe-Ribagorza, and annexed that kingdom in 1016–1019 by using his rights as a descendant of Dadildis of Pallars. He also forced Berengar Raymond I of Barcelona to become his vassal.

Related Topics:
Garcia IV - Pamplona - Jimena Fernández - Count - Cea - Galicia - Kingdom of Navarre - Kingdom of Aragon - Sobrarbe - Ribagorza - 1016 - 1019 - Dadildis of Pallars - Berengar Raymond I

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With his nephew Alfonso V of Leon (later of Castile) and Garcia II of Castile, Jimena led a combined attack against al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, conquering further territories in the south. After the crisis in the Caliphate, initiated by the death of al-Mansur and leading to fragmented principalities, so-called Taifa kingdoms, Sancho aspired to unify the Christian principalities.

Related Topics:
Alfonso V of Leon - Garcia II of Castile - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir - Taifa

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However, relation between the three Christian entities soured after the assassination of Count García of Castile in 1027. He had been bethrothed to Sancha of Leon, with Alfonso V of Leon gaining from Castile lands between river Cea and Pisuerga as his price for approving the pact. As Garcia arrived in Leon for his wedding, he was killed by sons of a noble he had expelled from his lands.

Related Topics:
1027 - Alfonso V of Leon - Cea - Pisuerga

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Sancho III had opposed the wedding and the ensuing Leonese expansion and got his chance to act after Garcia's death. As the late count's brother-in-law he immediately occupied Castile and was soon engaged in full-scale war with Leonese forces under King Bermudo. The combined Castilean and Navarrese armies quickly overran Bermudo's kingdom, occupying Astorga and even the city of León in 1034, where he had himself crowned. This was the height of Sancho's rule which now extended from the borders of Galicia in the west to the county of Barcelona in the east and he styled himself Rex Hispaniarum, "King of the Spains".

Related Topics:
King Bermudo - Astorga - 1034 - Galicia - Barcelona

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Taking residence in Najera instead of the traditional capital of Pamplona, as his realm grew larger, he considered himself a European monarch, establishing relations on the other side of the Pyrenees with the Duchy of Gascony.

Related Topics:
Najera - Pamplona - Gascony

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Issue and succession:

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• Ramiro Sánchez de Aragón, bastard, born of Sancha de Aibar
• Fernando I "The Great" (1017-1065), king of Castile (1035-1065) and León (1037-1065)
• García Sánchez "of Nájera", king in Pamplona
• Gonzalo Sánchez, king of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, died 1038.
• Bernardo Sánchez de Navarra.

Sancho was married to Muña Mayor Sánchez, daughter of count Sancho I of Castile. Besides four legitimate sons he also fathered one by his mistress Sancha de Aybar, named Ramiro, who was the eldest of his sons but as bastard not entitled to succeed. Before his death in 1035 Sancho divided his possessions among his sons. Fernando received Castile and the high kingship, García received Navarre and the Basque country and Gonzalo got Sobrarbe and Ribagorza. The illegitimate son Ramiro obtained the county of Aragon, which was elevated to a kingdom, though very small as it was at that era, hence Ramiro was known as "the petty king".

Related Topics:
Muña Mayor Sánchez - Sancho I of Castile - 1035 - Fernando - García - Basque country - Ramiro - Kingdom

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