García Ramirez, sometimes García IV,V, VI or VII, the Restorer, Lord of Monzon and Logrono, King of Navarre. He "restored" the independence of the Navarrese crown after 58 years of union with the Kingdom of Aragon.
García was born about 1100 to Ramiro Sanchez of Monzon and Christine, a daughter of Rodrigo Diaz, better known as El Cid. His father was the son Sancho Garces, an illegitimate son of García Sanchez III of Navarre and half-brother of Sancho IV.
When Aragon, which had from 1076 been united to Navarre, lost its warrior king Alfonso the Battler and fell into a succession crisis in 1134, García managed to wrest Navarre from his Aragonese cousins. He was elected in Pamplona by the bishops and nobles of the realm against the will of Alfonso. That Alfonso, in drawing up a will, had ignored his distant relation (of an illegitimate line), is not unsurprising given the circumstances. Alfonso had nearer male kin in the form of his brother Ramiro. Besides that, since Alfonso seems to have disregarded Ramiro as well, the choice of an illegitimate descendant of Sancho the Great would undoubtedly have aroused the opposition of the Papacy to the succession.
His father succeeded as ruler in Aragon despite the will of the late king specifying his brother Ramiro while Garcia managed to take leadership of Navarre against his cousins. The Bishop of Pamplona granted García his church's treasure to fund his government against Ramiro's pretensions.
In May 1135, García declared himself a vassal of Alfonso VII. This simultaneously put him under the protection and lordship of Castile, thusly forced Ramiro to marry, to forge an alliance with Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona and to produce an heir.
Sometime after 1130, but before his succession, García married Marguerite de l'Aigle. They had three children:
* Sancho VI, his successor, died 1194
* Blanche, 1133-1156, married Sancho III, King of Castile
Blanche was promised to Raymond Berengar IV who was previously promised to Petronilla of Aragon, the marriage was confirmed by a peace treaty in 1149, but Garcia died before the marriage was carried out.
* Margaret, 1135-1183, married William I of King of Sicily
A second son was born to Garcia and Marguerite named Rodrigo, but she took on many lovers and Garcia refused to acknowledge Rodrigo as his own.
On 24 June 1144, in Leon, García married Urraca, "La Asturiana," theillegitimate daughter of Alfonso VII by Guntroda Perez, to strengthen his relationship with his overlord. They had a daughter, Sancha, 1148-1176, who would marry twice, to Gaston V of Beam and Pedro Manrique de lara, Viscount of Narbonne and Lord of Molina.
He married a third time to Ganfreda, who would eventually become his widow.
García died on 21 November 1150 in Lorca, near Estella, and was buried in the cathedral of Santa Maria la Real in Pamplona. He was succeeded by his eldest son.
García was born about 1100 to Ramiro Sanchez of Monzon and Christine, a daughter of Rodrigo Diaz, better known as El Cid. His father was the son Sancho Garces, an illegitimate son of García Sanchez III of Navarre and half-brother of Sancho IV.
When Aragon, which had from 1076 been united to Navarre, lost its warrior king Alfonso the Battler and fell into a succession crisis in 1134, García managed to wrest Navarre from his Aragonese cousins. He was elected in Pamplona by the bishops and nobles of the realm against the will of Alfonso. That Alfonso, in drawing up a will, had ignored his distant relation (of an illegitimate line), is not unsurprising given the circumstances. Alfonso had nearer male kin in the form of his brother Ramiro. Besides that, since Alfonso seems to have disregarded Ramiro as well, the choice of an illegitimate descendant of Sancho the Great would undoubtedly have aroused the opposition of the Papacy to the succession.
His father succeeded as ruler in Aragon despite the will of the late king specifying his brother Ramiro while Garcia managed to take leadership of Navarre against his cousins. The Bishop of Pamplona granted García his church's treasure to fund his government against Ramiro's pretensions.
In May 1135, García declared himself a vassal of Alfonso VII. This simultaneously put him under the protection and lordship of Castile, thusly forced Ramiro to marry, to forge an alliance with Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona and to produce an heir.
Sometime after 1130, but before his succession, García married Marguerite de l'Aigle. They had three children:
* Sancho VI, his successor, died 1194
* Blanche, 1133-1156, married Sancho III, King of Castile
Blanche was promised to Raymond Berengar IV who was previously promised to Petronilla of Aragon, the marriage was confirmed by a peace treaty in 1149, but Garcia died before the marriage was carried out.
* Margaret, 1135-1183, married William I of King of Sicily
A second son was born to Garcia and Marguerite named Rodrigo, but she took on many lovers and Garcia refused to acknowledge Rodrigo as his own.
On 24 June 1144, in Leon, García married Urraca, "La Asturiana," theillegitimate daughter of Alfonso VII by Guntroda Perez, to strengthen his relationship with his overlord. They had a daughter, Sancha, 1148-1176, who would marry twice, to Gaston V of Beam and Pedro Manrique de lara, Viscount of Narbonne and Lord of Molina.
He married a third time to Ganfreda, who would eventually become his widow.
García died on 21 November 1150 in Lorca, near Estella, and was buried in the cathedral of Santa Maria la Real in Pamplona. He was succeeded by his eldest son.
García Ramirez, sometimes García IV,V, VI or VII, the Restorer, Lord of Monzon and Logrono, King of Navarre. He "restored" the independence of the Navarrese crown after 58 years of union with the Kingdom of Aragon.
García was born about 1100 to Ramiro Sanchez of Monzon and Christine, a daughter of Rodrigo Diaz, better known as El Cid. His father was the son Sancho Garces, an illegitimate son of García Sanchez III of Navarre and half-brother of Sancho IV.
When Aragon, which had from 1076 been united to Navarre, lost its warrior king Alfonso the Battler and fell into a succession crisis in 1134, García managed to wrest Navarre from his Aragonese cousins. He was elected in Pamplona by the bishops and nobles of the realm against the will of Alfonso. That Alfonso, in drawing up a will, had ignored his distant relation (of an illegitimate line), is not unsurprising given the circumstances. Alfonso had nearer male kin in the form of his brother Ramiro. Besides that, since Alfonso seems to have disregarded Ramiro as well, the choice of an illegitimate descendant of Sancho the Great would undoubtedly have aroused the opposition of the Papacy to the succession.
His father succeeded as ruler in Aragon despite the will of the late king specifying his brother Ramiro while Garcia managed to take leadership of Navarre against his cousins. The Bishop of Pamplona granted García his church's treasure to fund his government against Ramiro's pretensions.
In May 1135, García declared himself a vassal of Alfonso VII. This simultaneously put him under the protection and lordship of Castile, thusly forced Ramiro to marry, to forge an alliance with Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona and to produce an heir.
Sometime after 1130, but before his succession, García married Marguerite de l'Aigle. They had three children:
* Sancho VI, his successor, died 1194
* Blanche, 1133-1156, married Sancho III, King of Castile
Blanche was promised to Raymond Berengar IV who was previously promised to Petronilla of Aragon, the marriage was confirmed by a peace treaty in 1149, but Garcia died before the marriage was carried out.
* Margaret, 1135-1183, married William I of King of Sicily
A second son was born to Garcia and Marguerite named Rodrigo, but she took on many lovers and Garcia refused to acknowledge Rodrigo as his own.
On 24 June 1144, in Leon, García married Urraca, "La Asturiana," theillegitimate daughter of Alfonso VII by Guntroda Perez, to strengthen his relationship with his overlord. They had a daughter, Sancha, 1148-1176, who would marry twice, to Gaston V of Beam and Pedro Manrique de lara, Viscount of Narbonne and Lord of Molina.
He married a third time to Ganfreda, who would eventually become his widow.
García died on 21 November 1150 in Lorca, near Estella, and was buried in the cathedral of Santa Maria la Real in Pamplona. He was succeeded by his eldest son.
García was born about 1100 to Ramiro Sanchez of Monzon and Christine, a daughter of Rodrigo Diaz, better known as El Cid. His father was the son Sancho Garces, an illegitimate son of García Sanchez III of Navarre and half-brother of Sancho IV.
When Aragon, which had from 1076 been united to Navarre, lost its warrior king Alfonso the Battler and fell into a succession crisis in 1134, García managed to wrest Navarre from his Aragonese cousins. He was elected in Pamplona by the bishops and nobles of the realm against the will of Alfonso. That Alfonso, in drawing up a will, had ignored his distant relation (of an illegitimate line), is not unsurprising given the circumstances. Alfonso had nearer male kin in the form of his brother Ramiro. Besides that, since Alfonso seems to have disregarded Ramiro as well, the choice of an illegitimate descendant of Sancho the Great would undoubtedly have aroused the opposition of the Papacy to the succession.
His father succeeded as ruler in Aragon despite the will of the late king specifying his brother Ramiro while Garcia managed to take leadership of Navarre against his cousins. The Bishop of Pamplona granted García his church's treasure to fund his government against Ramiro's pretensions.
In May 1135, García declared himself a vassal of Alfonso VII. This simultaneously put him under the protection and lordship of Castile, thusly forced Ramiro to marry, to forge an alliance with Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona and to produce an heir.
Sometime after 1130, but before his succession, García married Marguerite de l'Aigle. They had three children:
* Sancho VI, his successor, died 1194
* Blanche, 1133-1156, married Sancho III, King of Castile
Blanche was promised to Raymond Berengar IV who was previously promised to Petronilla of Aragon, the marriage was confirmed by a peace treaty in 1149, but Garcia died before the marriage was carried out.
* Margaret, 1135-1183, married William I of King of Sicily
A second son was born to Garcia and Marguerite named Rodrigo, but she took on many lovers and Garcia refused to acknowledge Rodrigo as his own.
On 24 June 1144, in Leon, García married Urraca, "La Asturiana," theillegitimate daughter of Alfonso VII by Guntroda Perez, to strengthen his relationship with his overlord. They had a daughter, Sancha, 1148-1176, who would marry twice, to Gaston V of Beam and Pedro Manrique de lara, Viscount of Narbonne and Lord of Molina.
He married a third time to Ganfreda, who would eventually become his widow.
García died on 21 November 1150 in Lorca, near Estella, and was buried in the cathedral of Santa Maria la Real in Pamplona. He was succeeded by his eldest son.
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