Sancho I of Pamplona

Sancho Garcés I (Basque: Antso Ia. Gartzez; c. 860 – dead 925), also known as Sancho I, was King of Pamplona from 905 until 925. He was son of García Jiménez and was the first king of Pamplona of the Jiménez dynasty. Coming from a dynasty of great military and political power, Sancho I was the feudal ruler of the Onsella valley, and soon would expand his power to all the neighboring territories. He would be chosen to replace Fortún Garcés by the Pamplonese nobility in 905.

Biography

Sancho Garcés was born around the year 860, son of García Jiménez and his second wife Dadildis de Pallars. Around the time of death of King García Íñiguez he ruled the Onsella valley in the western lands of the kingdom. He managed to take control of the city of Pamplona while Fortún Garcés was still king, aided by Alfonso III of Asturias and the Count of Pallars. Along with the Pamplonese nobility, they plotted to remove the king's children from the line of succession, which passed down to the king's granddaughter Toda, who was married to Sancho Garcés. He proclaimed himself King of Pamplona in 905.

The Kingdom of Pamplona at the death of Sancho I

Throughout his reign, he involved himself in the squabbles among the Muslim lords to the south with repeated success. In 907, he turned on his former ally Lubb ibn Muhammad, killing him in battle. Four years later, another former ally, Galindo Aznar, joined with his brother-in-law Muhammad al-Tawil and Abd Allah ibn Lubb ibn Qasi to attack Sancho, but they were defeated and neutralized as a threat. Al-Tawil fled and was killed shortly afterward, and the power of the Banu Qasi was severely crippled, while Galindo was forced into vassalage to Sancho, leading to the incorporation of the County of Aragon into the Pamplona kingdom. In 920, he teamed with Bernard I of Ribagorza and Amrus ibn Muhammed, son of Muhammad al-Tawil, to attack Banu Qasi-held Monzón. His successes allowed him to join the Lower Navarre, to his own dominions, and extend his territory as far as Nájera. As a thanksgiving offering for his victories, he founded, in 924, the convent of Albelda.

He died near the town of Resa, close to the Ebro river on 10 December, 925 and buried in Villamayor de Monjardín.

Marriage and children

Sancho Garcés was married to Toda Aznárez, daughter of the Count Aznar Sánchez and Onneca Fortúnez, herself being daughter of Fortún Garcés. According to the Roda Codex, they had six children:

• García Sánchez I, King of Pamplona from 925 until 970, married first to Andregoto Galíndez, daughter of the Count of Aragon Galindo Aznárez II and later to Teresa Ramírez, daughter of Ramiro II of León.
• Urraca Sánchez, Queen consort of the Kingdom of León from 931 until 951 after marrying Ramiro II of León.
• Oneca Sánchez, Queen consort of the Kingdom of León from 926 until 931 after marrying Alfonso IV of León.
• Sancha Sánchez (died between 949 and 963), was queen consort of León as the third wife of King Ordoño II. After the king's death in 924, she married Álvaro Herraméliz, count of Álava and then, after his death in 931, she became the wife of Fernán González count of Castile who also succeeded her second husband as count of Álava.
• Velasquita Sánchez, married first to Munio Vélaz, Count of Álava, second to Galindo of Ribargoza and third to Fortún Galindez.
• Orbita Sánchez

References

• Salas Merino, Vicente (2008) (in Spanish). La Genealogía de Los Reyes de España The Genealogy of the Kings of Spain (4th ed.). Madrid: Editorial Visión Libros. pp. 216–218. ISBN 978-84-9821-767-4. [].