Ramiro II of Aragon
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Ramiro II of Aragon 'the Monk' (c. 1075-August 16, 1157, at Huesca/Uesca), son of Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragón and Navarre and Felicie of Roucy, was king of Aragon from 1134 until 1137.
He spent most of his early life as monk in a French monastery and later as abbot of St. Peter at Huesca. In 1134, when his brother Alfonso the Battler died heirless, Ramiro was bishop of Barbastro-Roda. He temporarily gave up his monastic vows in order to secure the succession to the crown. Although Ramiro had to put up with the loss of Navarre, which had formed part of his late brother's dominions but in 1134 became independent under García Ramírez, he fought off two other claimants to the throne, one Pedro de Atarés, an illegitimate connection of the royal line, and the other, Alfonso VII, king of Castile.
The reign of Ramiro the Monk, as he is known, was tumultuous and although he never renounced his legitimate Royal Rights (until his death in Huesca, 16-VIII-1157) he relied his Royal Authority quite soon to his son-in-law Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona. Ramiro was not a war king and he was aware of it. At the beginning of his reign he had a lot of problems with his nobles who thought he was going to be a docile man and they discovered he was a piece of ice. However, in that short time he managed to put down the rebellion of his nobles. In order to produce an heir, he married Agnes, daughter of Duke William IX of Aquitaine. Once wed, his wife bore a daughter, Petronila, who was betrothed to Ramon Berenguer IV at the age of two.
This way Ramiro was sure to have a great commanding general for his (the Aragonesse) armies. The conditions for this marriage were arranged and signed in the city of Barbastro on August 11 of 1137. Ramon Berenger IV had to accept Ramiro as his "King, Lord and Father", he had to renounce his family name in favour of the House of Aragon and the Count of Barcelona united to the Kingdom. The "Corona de Aragon" was initially formed. The name Confederacion Catalanoaragonesa was not recorded until the 19th century. This denomination comes from the renaixença, and was stablished in books as the "monografía de Antonio de Bofarull y Broca" and "La confederación catalano-aragonesa" (Barcelona, Luis Tasso, 1872)).
Ramon Berenguer became the "Prince of the Aragonesse people" (as the meaning of that time was "Chief of the Army")and then "Count of Barcelona". This document is now kept and can be checked in the "Archivos de la Corona de Aragón" in Barcelona. Later this year, on November 13, Ramiro II gave the authority of the kingdom to his son in law but never his title, instead he returned to San Pedro Monastery in Huesca where he was always aware of the business of the Kingdom, this way he will always be known as "Ramiro the Monk" and he is also known for the famous and passionate legend "The bell of Huesca". The heir-line for the Aragonesse Crown fixed in the marriage contract was: Petronila de Aragón became the Queen of Aragon and the Countess of Barcelona. Then the line passed to her descendants, if she had died childless then the right could have passed to Ramon Berenguer. Her son Alfonso II became King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona.
| Preceded by Alfonso I |
King of Aragon 1134-1137 |
Succeeded by Ramon Berenguer |
