García Fernández of Castile

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

García Fernández, called of the White Hands (Spanish: Él de las Manos Blancas) (Burgos, c. 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.

Marriage and issue

Around 960, Garcia married Ava de Ribagorza,^[2] daughter of Raymond II, count of Ribagorza. They had seven children:

• Mayor García, married to Raymond III, count of Pallars Jussà. Repudiated by her husband, she returned to Castile where she was the abbess of the Monastery of San Miguel de Pedroso. With the help of her brother Sancho, she governed the County of Ribagorza which would eventually pass to her niece, Muniadona of Castile, the wife of King Sancho III of Pamplona.^[3]
• Sancho García, count of Castile.^[4]
• Urraca García, the first abbess of the Colegiata de San Cosme y San Damián in Covarrubias.^[5]
• Gonzalo García (died 979),^[5][6] speculated to have been ancestor of the Salvadórez and the House of Lara
• Elvira García, married in 991 to Bermudo II of León^[7][2]
• Toda García, married Sancho Gómez, son of Count Gómez Díaz of Saldaña^[8]
• Oneca García, the first abbess of the Monastery of San Juan in Cillaperlata and later abess at the Monastery of Monastery of San Salvador de Oña.^[3]

References

Bibliography

• Collins, Roger (2012). Caliphs and Kings, 796-1031. ISBN 9781280587498. 
• Martínez Díez, Gonzalo (2005). El Condado de Castilla (711-1038): la historia frente a la leyenda (in Spanish). 2 volumes. Valladolid: Junta de Castilla y León. ISBN 84-9718-275-8. 
• Pérez de Urbel, Justo (1979). García Fernández (El conde de las bellas manos) (in Spanish). Burgos: Diputación Provincial de Burgos. ISBN 8471382350. 
• Salazar y Acha, Jaime de (2006). "Urraca. Un nombre egregio en la onomástica altomedieval" (PDF). En la España medieval (in Spanish) (1). pp. 29–48. ISSN 0214-3038. 
• Torres Sevilla-Quiñones de León, Margarita Cecilia (1999). Linajes nobiliarios de León y Castilla: Siglos IX–XIII. Salamanca: Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de educación y cultura. ISBN 84-7846-781-5.