Sobrarbe

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Sobrarbe is one of the comarcas (counties) in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as fabla. Sobrarbe was one of the Christian principalities of the Hispanic March in northernmost Hispania, with an obscure history that was liberally mixed with legend in the time of Eneko Aritza, who counted Sobrarbe as one of his possessions. It became part of the County of Aragon, and was absorbed into Ribagorza in the 10th century through marriage to an heiress. Sancho the Great of Navarre profited from the internal difficulties of Sobrarbe-Ribagorza, utilizing his interests and rights as feudal overlord to annex the dual counties in 1016–1019. This acquisition was solidified by his marriage to Mayor of Castile, the rightful heiress.

Sancho divided the territories he had united, and his third son, Gonzalo Sánchez, became king of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza. After the death of Gonzalo in 1038, his elder brother Ramiro I of Aragon obtained the kingdoms of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza. With his death, once again a third son, Gonzalo, received Sobrarbe and Ribagorza.