García Fernández of Castile

García Fernández of Castile
García Fernández of Castile
Spouse(s)	Ava of Ribagorza
Noble family	Beni Mamaduna
Father	Fernán González of Castile
Mother	Sancha Sánchez of Pamplona
Born	938 Burgos
Died	995 Córdoba

García Fernández, called of the White Hands (Spanish: Él de las Manos Blancas) (Burgos, 938 — Córdoba, 995), was the count of Castile and Alava from 970 to 995. In May 995, he was captured by a raiding party while out hunting.^[1] Wounded in the encounter, he was sent to Cordoba as a trophy, but died at Medinaceli in June 995.^[1]

Family

The son of Count Fernán González and Queen Sancha Sánchez of Pamplona, in 970 he succeeded his father as Count of Castile. He continued to recognise the suzerainty of the Kingdom of León, even though he was practically autonomous. In order to expand his frontiers at the expense of the Moors, in 974 he expanded the social base of the nobility by promulgating decrees stating that any villein of Castrojeriz who equipped a knight for battle would enter the ranks of the nobility. He was succeeded by his son, Sancho I of Castile.

In 960, Garcia married Ava of Ribagorza, daughter of Raymond II, count of Ribagorza. They had seven children:

• Mayor García, married Raymond III, count of Pallars Jussà
• Sancho García
• Urraca García entered the monastery of Infantado de Covarrubias
• Gonzalo García (died 979), speculated to have been ancestor of the House of Lara
• Elvira García, married in 991 to Bermudo II of León
• Toda García, married Sancho Gómez of Saldaña
• Oneca García, married in 995 Almanzar, chamberlain of Cordoba

Notes

References

• Roger Collins, Caliphs and Kings, 796-1031, Blackwell Publishing, 2012.
• Pérez de Urbel, Justo (1979). García Fernández (El conde de las bellas manos). Burgos: Diputación provincial de Burgos