García Ordóñez
Encyclopedia
García Ordóñez called de Nájera or de Cabra and in the epic literature Crispus or el Crespo de Grañón, was a Castilian
magnate who ruled the Rioja
from Nájera
from 1080 until his death. He is famous in literature as the rival of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the Cid, whose high position at court he took over after the Cid's exile in 1080. He was one of the most important military leaders and territorial governors under Alfonso VI, and was entrusted with military tutorship of the king's heir, Sancho Alfónsez
, with whom he died on the field of battle at Uclés.
and Bermudo II of León
, has been suggested as being this count, but his geographical base was in León, whereas García's was in Castile. Further, there is debate as to whether this Leonese Ordoño Ordóñez even existed. More recently it has been suggested that the Castilian count Ordoño Ordóñez, García's father, was son of count Ordoño Fafílaz of the Banu Gómez clan. This Ordoño Ordóñez can be show from surviving documents to have served as alférez
to Ferdinand I of León and Castile between 19 April 1042 and 1 July 1047. García's mother was named Enderquina, but her origins are unknown. He was also related, somehow, to Álvaro Díaz de Oca.
Sometime before 1081 García married the infanta Urraca Garcés, a daughter of García Sánchez III of Navarre and sister of Sancho Garcés IV
. The earliest reference to the marriage dates from 18 April that year, when the couple witnessed a donation of her brother Ramiro Garcés
. Urraca gave García three children, two daughters (Eva and Mayor) and a son Fernando, speculated to be identical to Fernando García de Hita, progenitor of the House of Castro
. A charter issued by Mayor in 1145 traces her royal ancestry.
Sometime after the death of his first wife (after 1095), García married again, this time to a certain Eva, long identified with Eva Pérez, daughter of Pedro Fróilaz de Traba
. More probably she was from southern France, being the daughter of Almanricus, viscount of Rochechouart
and one of those French barons who had answered Alfonso VI's international call for aid against the Almoravids
following the Battle of Sagrajas (1086). Eva had one son by García: García Garcés de Aza
, ancestor of the House of Aza, whose christening took place in 1106 according to the cartulary of the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla. After García's death, Eva married count Pedro González de Lara
. He also had an illegitimate son named Fernando Pellica.
In 1072 Sancho II was assassinated, and his brother Alfonso VI succeeded him. On 8 December Alfonso granted a charter to the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña in Castile. Among the confirmants is García Ordóñez, who was thus among the first to reconcile himself to the new king. In 1074 García was appointed the king's alférez by 20 February, a post he continued in down to 24 June at least. Thereafter he disappears from court records until 1080.
, which lists García as a confirmant.
In 1079, García was dispatched to Granada
to collect the parias
owed by that taifa
to León–Castile. While there he led an army on behalf of Granada against the taifa of Seville
. Among the other leaders on this campaign were two Navarrese magnates, Fortún Sánchez
and Lop Sánchez, who had formerly been leading men in Navarre and in Castile under Sancho II. With this expedition Alfonso VI may have been intending to produce discord between the taifa kingdoms, furthering his hegemony in the south of the peninsula. Whatever the case, at the time of the attack, the Cid was leading a Castilian embassy to the court of al-Mutamid, rule of Seville, and he repulsed the Christian and Grenadine attackers at the Battle of Cabra
, in the (probably mistaken) belief that he was defending the king's tributary. García and the other Castilian leaders were taken captive and held for three days before being released. Bernard Reilly has read the circumstances as implying that García was then an exile who had taken refuge in the south of the peninsula.
By 1080 the positions of García and his rival the Cid in the eyes of Alfonso had been reversed. By May (or at least by 6 December 1081) Alfonso had placed the territory of La Rioja
in his hands, with his chief seat at Nájera. To that same month is dated the last charter recording the presence of the Cid at Alfonso's court.
, the highest recognised in the kingdom. The precise date of his promotion is unclear. The earliest dated reference to his carrying this title is the carta de arras of the Cid, but it is mis-dated to 10/19 July 1074, whereas it must date from between July 1078 and July 1081. In the charter, redacted weeks after the last known reference to García as alférez records Rodrigo González
as alférez, although he is only known to have held that post between January 1078 and June 1081. There is a royal charter dated 1077 that refers to "García, count of Nájera" (Garsias comes de Nazara), but he is not known to have received the lordship of Nájera until 1081. The count being referred to is possibly García Jiménez de Oca. Another royal charter dated 8 May 1080 lists nineteen counts, among them García Ordóñez, but the list appears to be anachronistic, as Fernando Díaz
, not count until 1091, appears as Fernandus Didaz commes. Finally, there is a dubious royal charter from 3 December 1080 which was confirmed by one "Count García". The earliest secure reference to García as count is from 18 April 1081, also the first reference to his first wife, Urraca. Historian Ramón Menéndez Pidal
argued that García was appointed count of Nájera in 1076, a contention not generally accepted today.
At the same time as his return to court, García thus received a vast fief comprising the erstwhile southern provinces of Navarre, promition to the highest aristocratic title (that of count) in the realm, and the hand in marriage of a Navarrese princess, presumably through Alfonso's actions, since the Navarrese royal family had fallen under his protection after the assassination of Sancho IV of Navarre in 1076. Also at this time, García's chief rival, the Cid, was forced into exile, and, by July 1081, García's brother, Rodrigo, had been appointed alférez to the king. It may be that the Lope Íñiguez
who by 1081 had been granted all three of the Basque señoríos
of Álava
, Biscay
, and Guipúzcoa was the same person as the Lop Jiménez who co-led the 1079 expedition against Seville. If so, then he is another ally of García Ordóñez who benefited from the latter's rise after his return to Castile.
In August 1084 García made a donation to the Benedictine
monastery of San Adrián de Palma. By 20 November 1085, according to a document in the cartulary of San Millán, García's lordship was extended south to include Calahorra
, an episcopal seat. By 1089 it was also included Grañón
and by 1092 Madriz. At this time, corresponding to the alférez-ship of Pedro González de Lara
from 1088 to 1091, García was the most prominent magnate in the kingdom and he frequently attended the royal court, confirming eleven charters out of a total of eighteen from these years, the most of any count. At about this time, however, Raymond of Burgundy
, a newcomer to the kingdom, was married to the king's eldest daughter, Urraca, and he quickly surpassed García in power, although the latter still confirmed fifteen of twenty-seven royal diplomas of the period 1092–99, more than any other magnate.
In 1096, Peter I of Aragon and Navarre
besieged Huesca
, a city of the taifa of Zaragoza
. In the late fall of 1096, the ruler of Zaragoza, al-Mustain II
, received assistance from his nominal overlord, Alfonso VI, in the persons of García Ordóñez de Nájera and Gonzalo Núñez de Lara. Alongside the Zaragozans, the Castilian counts led their personal retinues against the besiegers, but were defeated on 18 November in the Battle of Alcoraz
. García also took part in the Battle of Consuegra
on 15 Augusy 1097. This campaign had begun as planned harassment of Aragon, perhaps a concerted action with Zaragoza to re-take Huesca, but it was diverted by the arrival of an Almoravid army in the south centre of the peninsula. The result was a Castilian–Leonese defeat. García's participation in court politics appears to have continued to decline after this. Of twenty-three royal charters issued between 1100 and 1107, a year before his death, he confirmed eleven, still a sizable portion, but now less than half.
On 1 February 1095 García and Urraca granted a fuero
to the town of Fresnillo de las Dueñas
. In 1106 García made a donation to San Millán.
, Alfonso VI named García tutor for his only son, Sancho Alfónsez
. On 29 May 1108, he took part in the Battle of Uclés, where he died defending the life of the young Sancho, who would die in the same battle shortly after. His death is recorded in the De rebus Hispaniae, the Chronicon mundi, and the Chronica naierensis
, where the battle is dated to 24 June. The death of seven counts at Uclés led the Christians to refer to the site as Septem Comitem (Siete Condes), although García is the only count identified in the Chronica naierensis, which writes that "Count García of Grañón, called Crispus, and six other counts with him were killed". The Chronicon mundi states that "Sancho, the king's son, and Count García Fernández and Count Don Martín and many others died" at Uclés. "García Fernández" is probably an error for Ordóñez, if the thirteenth-century Chronicon can be trusted, and Martín is probably Martín Laíñez. The last reference to García as living occurs in a private document of the monastery of Valbanera
in the Rioja dated that year. His death left a power vacuum in the Rioja, which for much of the twelfth century fell outside Castilian control.
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
magnate who ruled the Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
from Nájera
Nájera
Nájera is a small town located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the Way of St James.-History:...
from 1080 until his death. He is famous in literature as the rival of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the Cid, whose high position at court he took over after the Cid's exile in 1080. He was one of the most important military leaders and territorial governors under Alfonso VI, and was entrusted with military tutorship of the king's heir, Sancho Alfónsez
Sancho Alfónsez
Sancho Alfónsez was the only son of Alfonso VI of Castile and León and his heir from May 1107, eventually co-ruling from Toledo. He predeceased his father, being killed while trying to escape the field of the Battle of Uclés...
, with whom he died on the field of battle at Uclés.
Family and marriages
García was the son of a count Ordoño Ordóñez whose identity is disputed. An Ordoño Ordóñez, grandson of kings Ramiro IIIRamiro III of León
Ramiro III , king of León , was the son of Sancho the Fat and his successor at the age of only five. During his minority, the regency was in the hands of two nuns: his aunt Elvira Ramírez of León, who took the title of queen during the minority, and his mother Teresa Ansúrez, who was put in a...
and Bermudo II of León
Bermudo II of León
Bermudo II , called the Gouty , was the King of Galicia and León . His reign is summed up by Justo Pérez de Urbel's description of him as "el pobre rey atormentado en la vida por la espada de Almanzor y en muerte por la pluma vengadora de un obispo" Bermudo (or Vermudo) II (956–999), called the...
, has been suggested as being this count, but his geographical base was in León, whereas García's was in Castile. Further, there is debate as to whether this Leonese Ordoño Ordóñez even existed. More recently it has been suggested that the Castilian count Ordoño Ordóñez, García's father, was son of count Ordoño Fafílaz of the Banu Gómez clan. This Ordoño Ordóñez can be show from surviving documents to have served as alférez
Alférez
Alférez is a junior officer rank also used in Spain, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The variant Alferes is used in Portugal and was formerly also used in Brazil. A naval variant, Frigate Alférez, is used in Spain, Dominican Republic and Peru. "Alférez" is often translated as ensign...
to Ferdinand I of León and Castile between 19 April 1042 and 1 July 1047. García's mother was named Enderquina, but her origins are unknown. He was also related, somehow, to Álvaro Díaz de Oca.
Sometime before 1081 García married the infanta Urraca Garcés, a daughter of García Sánchez III of Navarre and sister of Sancho Garcés IV
Sancho IV of Navarre
Sancho IV Garcés , called Sancho of Peñalén or Sancho the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1054 to 1076. He was the eldest son and heir of García Sánchez III and Estefanía....
. The earliest reference to the marriage dates from 18 April that year, when the couple witnessed a donation of her brother Ramiro Garcés
Ramiro Garcés, Lord of Calahorra
Ramiro Garcés was the second son of king García Sánchez III of Navarre and queen Stephania. He was a powerful nobleman in the region around Nájera and Calahorra and a major figure at the courts of both Navarre and Castile...
. Urraca gave García three children, two daughters (Eva and Mayor) and a son Fernando, speculated to be identical to Fernando García de Hita, progenitor of the House of Castro
House of Castro
The House of Castro, is believed to have had its origins in Castile, the name deriving from the town of Castrogeriz , and had deep branches in Galicia.-Origins and Brief History:...
. A charter issued by Mayor in 1145 traces her royal ancestry.
Sometime after the death of his first wife (after 1095), García married again, this time to a certain Eva, long identified with Eva Pérez, daughter of Pedro Fróilaz de Traba
Pedro Fróilaz de Traba
Pedro Fróilaz de Traba was the most powerful secular magnate in the Kingdom of Galicia during the first quarter of the twelfth century. According to the Historia compostelana, he was "spirited ... warlike ... of great power .....
. More probably she was from southern France, being the daughter of Almanricus, viscount of Rochechouart
Rochechouart
Rochechouart is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in west-central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....
and one of those French barons who had answered Alfonso VI's international call for aid against the Almoravids
Almoravids
The Almoravids were a Berber dynasty of Morocco, who formed an empire in the 11th-century that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus. Their capital was Marrakesh, a city which they founded in 1062 C.E...
following the Battle of Sagrajas (1086). Eva had one son by García: García Garcés de Aza
García Garcés de Aza
García Garcés de Aza was a Castilian magnate "renowned for his wealth and dullness", yet "a prominent figure in the later Andalusian campaigns of the Emperor between 1150 and 1157"...
, ancestor of the House of Aza, whose christening took place in 1106 according to the cartulary of the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla. After García's death, Eva married count Pedro González de Lara
Pedro González de Lara
Pedro González de Lara was a Castilian magnate. He served Alfonso VI as a young man, and later became the lover of Alfonso's heiress, Queen Urraca. He may have joined the First Crusade in the following of Raymond IV of Toulouse, earning the nickname el Romero...
. He also had an illegitimate son named Fernando Pellica.
Early career (1062–74)
García's public career began late in the reign of Ferdinand I, when he subscribed a charter of 10 May 1062, now in the cartulary of the monastery of Arlanza. During the reign of Ferdinand's successor in Castile, Sancho II, García was a figure on the rise. He subscribed three of the ten surviving royal charters of Sancho's reign, while his father confirmed five. During this time he was associated with Pancorvo in the northeast of the Bureba, along the Way of Saint James leading from Miranda del Ebro.In 1072 Sancho II was assassinated, and his brother Alfonso VI succeeded him. On 8 December Alfonso granted a charter to the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña in Castile. Among the confirmants is García Ordóñez, who was thus among the first to reconcile himself to the new king. In 1074 García was appointed the king's alférez by 20 February, a post he continued in down to 24 June at least. Thereafter he disappears from court records until 1080.
Outside of royal service (1074–80)
There is a false documented dated 1075 by which Alfonso VI purportedly made a grant of privileges to BurgosBurgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, which lists García as a confirmant.
In 1079, García was dispatched to Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
to collect the parias
Parias
In medieval Spain, parias were a form of tribute paid by the taifas of al-Andalus to the Christian kingdoms of the north...
owed by that taifa
Taifa
In the history of the Iberian Peninsula, a taifa was an independent Muslim-ruled principality, usually an emirate or petty kingdom, though there was one oligarchy, of which a number formed in the Al-Andalus after the final collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031.-Rise:The origins of...
to León–Castile. While there he led an army on behalf of Granada against the taifa of Seville
Taifa of Seville
The Taifa of Seville was a short lived medieval kingdom, in what is now southern Spain and Portugal. It originated in 1023 and lasted until 1091, and was under the rule of the Arab Abbadid family.-History:...
. Among the other leaders on this campaign were two Navarrese magnates, Fortún Sánchez
Fortún Sánchez
Fortún Sánchez , called Bono Patre , was a Navarrese nobleman and courtier . He had the same wet nurse as King Sancho Garcés III, and was a regular presence at his court from the start of his majority in 1011 until his death in 1035...
and Lop Sánchez, who had formerly been leading men in Navarre and in Castile under Sancho II. With this expedition Alfonso VI may have been intending to produce discord between the taifa kingdoms, furthering his hegemony in the south of the peninsula. Whatever the case, at the time of the attack, the Cid was leading a Castilian embassy to the court of al-Mutamid, rule of Seville, and he repulsed the Christian and Grenadine attackers at the Battle of Cabra
Battle of Cabra
The Battle of Cabra took place in 1079 in modern-day Spain. It resulted in a victory for El Cid who routed the combined armies of Emir Abd Allah of Granada and his ally García Ordóñez...
, in the (probably mistaken) belief that he was defending the king's tributary. García and the other Castilian leaders were taken captive and held for three days before being released. Bernard Reilly has read the circumstances as implying that García was then an exile who had taken refuge in the south of the peninsula.
By 1080 the positions of García and his rival the Cid in the eyes of Alfonso had been reversed. By May (or at least by 6 December 1081) Alfonso had placed the territory of La Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
in his hands, with his chief seat at Nájera. To that same month is dated the last charter recording the presence of the Cid at Alfonso's court.
Count of Nájera (1080–1108)
Sometime shortly after his return to court, García was raised to the rank of countCount
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
, the highest recognised in the kingdom. The precise date of his promotion is unclear. The earliest dated reference to his carrying this title is the carta de arras of the Cid, but it is mis-dated to 10/19 July 1074, whereas it must date from between July 1078 and July 1081. In the charter, redacted weeks after the last known reference to García as alférez records Rodrigo González
Rodrigo González de Lara
Rodrigo González de Lara was a Castilian nobleman of the House of Lara. Early in his career he ruled that half of Asturias allocated to Castile. He was faithful to the crown throughout the reign of Queen Urraca , during which time he was married to the queen's half-sister and ruled a large part of...
as alférez, although he is only known to have held that post between January 1078 and June 1081. There is a royal charter dated 1077 that refers to "García, count of Nájera" (Garsias comes de Nazara), but he is not known to have received the lordship of Nájera until 1081. The count being referred to is possibly García Jiménez de Oca. Another royal charter dated 8 May 1080 lists nineteen counts, among them García Ordóñez, but the list appears to be anachronistic, as Fernando Díaz
Fernando Díaz
Fernando Díaz was a Spanish nobleman and military leader in the Kingdom of León, the most powerful Asturian magnate of the period. He held the highest rank in the kingdom, that of count , from at least 24 September 1089...
, not count until 1091, appears as Fernandus Didaz commes. Finally, there is a dubious royal charter from 3 December 1080 which was confirmed by one "Count García". The earliest secure reference to García as count is from 18 April 1081, also the first reference to his first wife, Urraca. Historian Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal was a Spanish philologist and historian. He worked extensively on the history of the Spanish language and Spanish folklore and folk poetry. One of his main topics was the history and legend of The Cid....
argued that García was appointed count of Nájera in 1076, a contention not generally accepted today.
At the same time as his return to court, García thus received a vast fief comprising the erstwhile southern provinces of Navarre, promition to the highest aristocratic title (that of count) in the realm, and the hand in marriage of a Navarrese princess, presumably through Alfonso's actions, since the Navarrese royal family had fallen under his protection after the assassination of Sancho IV of Navarre in 1076. Also at this time, García's chief rival, the Cid, was forced into exile, and, by July 1081, García's brother, Rodrigo, had been appointed alférez to the king. It may be that the Lope Íñiguez
Lope Íñiguez
Lope Íñiguez succeeded his father Íñigo López to become the second Lord of Biscay in 1076.Íñigo died shortly after the assassination of his overlord Sancho IV of Navarre and the subsequent takeover of Biscay, Álava, part of Guipúzcoa and La Rioja by Alfonso VI of Castile...
who by 1081 had been granted all three of the Basque señoríos
Basque señoríos
The Basque señoríos were medieval hereditary land titles over an area called señorío , recognized by a king to former basque chieftains in relation to the concept of manorialism in exchange for sworn allegiance. The Basque term is jaurerria , means "lord's country" and usually relates to the...
of Álava
Álava
Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
, Biscay
Lord of Biscay
Lord of Biscay is a historical title of the head of state of the autonomous territory of Biscay, Basque Country.- History :The first known Lord of Biscay , Íñigo López "Ezkerra" was a lieutenant of the Kingdom of Pamplona , and this was until the Castilian conquest of Gipuzkoa in 1200...
, and Guipúzcoa was the same person as the Lop Jiménez who co-led the 1079 expedition against Seville. If so, then he is another ally of García Ordóñez who benefited from the latter's rise after his return to Castile.
In August 1084 García made a donation to the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery of San Adrián de Palma. By 20 November 1085, according to a document in the cartulary of San Millán, García's lordship was extended south to include Calahorra
Calahorra
Calahorra, , La Rioja, Spain is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as Calagurris.-Location:...
, an episcopal seat. By 1089 it was also included Grañón
Grañón
Grañón is a village in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain....
and by 1092 Madriz. At this time, corresponding to the alférez-ship of Pedro González de Lara
Pedro González de Lara
Pedro González de Lara was a Castilian magnate. He served Alfonso VI as a young man, and later became the lover of Alfonso's heiress, Queen Urraca. He may have joined the First Crusade in the following of Raymond IV of Toulouse, earning the nickname el Romero...
from 1088 to 1091, García was the most prominent magnate in the kingdom and he frequently attended the royal court, confirming eleven charters out of a total of eighteen from these years, the most of any count. At about this time, however, Raymond of Burgundy
Raymond of Burgundy
Raymond of Burgundy was the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy, and was Count of Amous. He came to the Iberian Peninsula for the first time during the period 1086–1087 with Odo I, Duke of Burgundy...
, a newcomer to the kingdom, was married to the king's eldest daughter, Urraca, and he quickly surpassed García in power, although the latter still confirmed fifteen of twenty-seven royal diplomas of the period 1092–99, more than any other magnate.
In 1096, Peter I of Aragon and Navarre
Peter I of Aragon and Navarre
Peter I was the King of Aragon and Navarre for a decade from 1094 until his death. He was the son and successor of Sancho V Ramírez by his first wife, Isabella of Urgell. He was named in honour of Saint Peter, because of his father's special devotion to the Holy See, to which he had made his...
besieged Huesca
Huesca
Huesca is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
, a city of the taifa of Zaragoza
Taifa of Zaragoza
The taifa of Zaragoza was an independent Muslim state in Moorish Al-Andalus, present day eastern Spain, which was established in 1018 as one of the taifa kingdoms, which emerged in the 11th century following the destruction of the Caliphate of Córdoba in the Moorish Iberian Peninsula.During the...
. In the late fall of 1096, the ruler of Zaragoza, al-Mustain II
Al-Mustain II
Al-Mustain II, Ahmad ibn Yusuf was the final member of the Banu Hud family to rule Zaragoza. He ruled from 1085-1110. He was the son of Al-Mustain II, Ahmad ibn Yusuf....
, received assistance from his nominal overlord, Alfonso VI, in the persons of García Ordóñez de Nájera and Gonzalo Núñez de Lara. Alongside the Zaragozans, the Castilian counts led their personal retinues against the besiegers, but were defeated on 18 November in the Battle of Alcoraz
Battle of Alcoraz
The Battle of Alcoraz took place in 1096 outside Huesca , pitting the besieging forces of Peter I of Aragon and Navarre against the relief forces of Al-Musta'in II of Zaragoza. The siege was begun some two years earlier by Peter's father, Sancho Ramírez, who had camped at the time in the Castle of...
. García also took part in the Battle of Consuegra
Battle of Consuegra
The Battle of Consuegra was fought on August 15, 1097 near the village of Consuegra in the province of Castile-La Mancha between the Castilian and Leonese army of Alfonso VI and the Almoravids under Yusuf ibn Tashfin. The battle soon turned into Almoravid victory and the son of El Cid, Diego...
on 15 Augusy 1097. This campaign had begun as planned harassment of Aragon, perhaps a concerted action with Zaragoza to re-take Huesca, but it was diverted by the arrival of an Almoravid army in the south centre of the peninsula. The result was a Castilian–Leonese defeat. García's participation in court politics appears to have continued to decline after this. Of twenty-three royal charters issued between 1100 and 1107, a year before his death, he confirmed eleven, still a sizable portion, but now less than half.
On 1 February 1095 García and Urraca granted a fuero
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
to the town of Fresnillo de las Dueñas
Fresnillo de las Dueñas
Fresnillo de las Dueñas is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 349 inhabitants....
. In 1106 García made a donation to San Millán.
Tutorship of Sancho Alfónsez (1108)
According to the De rebus HispaniaeDe rebus Hispaniae
De rebus Hispaniae or Historia gothica is a history of the Iberian peninsula written in Latin by Archbiship of Toledo Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada en the first half of the thirteenth century on behalf of King Ferdinand III of Castile....
, Alfonso VI named García tutor for his only son, Sancho Alfónsez
Sancho Alfónsez
Sancho Alfónsez was the only son of Alfonso VI of Castile and León and his heir from May 1107, eventually co-ruling from Toledo. He predeceased his father, being killed while trying to escape the field of the Battle of Uclés...
. On 29 May 1108, he took part in the Battle of Uclés, where he died defending the life of the young Sancho, who would die in the same battle shortly after. His death is recorded in the De rebus Hispaniae, the Chronicon mundi, and the Chronica naierensis
Chronica Naierensis
The Chronica Naierensis or Crónica najerense was a late twelfth-century chronicle of universal history composed at the Benedictine monastery of Santa María la Real in Nájera...
, where the battle is dated to 24 June. The death of seven counts at Uclés led the Christians to refer to the site as Septem Comitem (Siete Condes), although García is the only count identified in the Chronica naierensis, which writes that "Count García of Grañón, called Crispus, and six other counts with him were killed". The Chronicon mundi states that "Sancho, the king's son, and Count García Fernández and Count Don Martín and many others died" at Uclés. "García Fernández" is probably an error for Ordóñez, if the thirteenth-century Chronicon can be trusted, and Martín is probably Martín Laíñez. The last reference to García as living occurs in a private document of the monastery of Valbanera
Valbanera
The Valbanera was a steamship operated by the Pinillos Line of Spain from 1905 until 1919, when it sank in a hurricane with the loss of all 488 crew and passengers aboard. The Valbanera was a steamer capable of carrying close to 1,200 passengers. It sailed a regular route between Spain and Puerto...
in the Rioja dated that year. His death left a power vacuum in the Rioja, which for much of the twelfth century fell outside Castilian control.