Jiménez dynasty
Encyclopedia
The Jiménez or Ximenes (ʃimenes̺) were an Iberian ruling family from the 10th century to the 13th century. They were the first Europeanisers of Spain (Ramón Menéndez Pidal
) and brought her back within the wider European political scene while also giving her the political character and division that persisted until the end of
the Middle Ages
.
, is obscure, it being stated by the Roda Codex
that he was "king of another part of the kingdom" of Pamplona, presumably lord of part of Navarre beyond the area of direct control of the Íñiguez kings: probably the frontier areas of Álava
and the western Pyrenees given the list of their landholdings preserved in a later charter. It was long believed that their origins lay in Gascony.
In 905 Sancho Garcés
, a younger son of the dynasty founder, used foreign assistance to displace the Íñiguez ruler Fortún Garcés and consolidate the monarchy in his dynasty's hands. Based on this, for several subsequent generations the family would be called the Banu Sanyo in Iberian Muslim
sources. In addition to repulsing several attacks from the Emir of Córdoba, Sancho crushed the neighboring Banu Qasi
and thus expanded Pamplona to the upper Ebro River valley, as well as incorporating the previously-independent County of Aragon
into the realm.
Following the death of Sancho in 925, his brother Jimeno Garcés maintained a position of strength, intervening in the politics of neighboring Christian and Muslim states. His death left the crown to his nephew, Sancho's son García Sánchez I, who was still a child. Originally ruling under the tutelage of his mother, the Íñiguez descendant Toda Aznar who established a web of political and marital alliances among the Iberian Christian states, he invited the intervention of his cousin Abd-ar-Rahman III
of Córdoba to achieve emancipation from his mother. There followed three generations of defeat and subjugation by the Caliphate. He did create for his younger son a short-lived sub-kingdom centered at Viguera, which lasted for several decades until it was reabsorbed into the Pamplona kingdom.
The kingdom of Pamplona only reemerged from the Cordoban shadow during the reign of Sancho the Great, who ruled from 1000 to 1035 in Pamplona, but also ruled Aragon
, Castile
, Ribagorza and eventually León
(but not Galicia
) by right or conquest. He received the homage of the Count of Barcelona and possibly of the Duke of Gascony
. After his coronation in León, he even took up the imperial title over all Spain
. His vast domains were divided amongst his sons at his death, giving rise to three independent medieval kingdoms each ruled by a Jiménez monarch.
The Kingdom of Navarre, passing to the eldest son García, was unable to maintain its hegemony, leading to the full independence of Aragon under his illegitimate brother Ramiro I
, who had previously taken over the territories of murdered brother Gonzalo of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza
. Younger sibling Ferdinand I
, then Count of Castile, killed in battle his nominal overlord the king of León and Galicia in 1037 and thereby inheriting them and bringing them fully into the orbit of his ruling clan. He then defeated García, achieving a sort of hegemony over his brothers, but again divided his realm among his sons. One of these, Alfonso VI
, not only succeeded to the reunited realm of his father, but also conquered Toledo, reclaimed the imperial title and even pretended to rule over both Christian and Moslem Spain.
The Navarre branch of the dynasty went into eclipse when in 1076 Sancho IV
was assassinated by his siblings, and his cousins Alfonso VI of Castile and Sancho Ramírez of Aragon converged and divided the kingdom, with the Aragon ruler gaining the Navarre crown, while ceding western lands to Castile.
The holdings of the family were briefly reunited when Alfonso the Battler
of Navarre and Aragon married Alfonso VI's daughter Urraca, Queen of Castile and León
, and claimed the imperial title. However, the marriage failed and the kingdoms of Castile and León passed out of the dynasty, to Urraca's son by a prior marriage. The Kingdom of Aragon
and that of Navarre
likewise went their separate ways following Alfonso's death, the former passing to his brother, the latter to a descendant of its original ruling family, with each eventually passing to other dynasties through heiresses: Petronilla of Aragon, who married the ruler of Barcelona and thus united those two realms into the Crown of Aragon
; and Blanca
, sister of Sancho VII of Navarre
, whose 1234 death brought Jiménez rule to an end.
The Borgias of Italy in the 15th century would present a pedigree that traced their ancestry to Pedro de Atarés, lord of Borja, Zaragoza
, who had been a competitor for the thrones of Navarre and Aragon following the death of Alfonso the Battler. Pedro was a scion of this family, being grandson of count Sancho Ramírez, illegitimate brother of king Sancho Ramírez of Aragon. Such a descent would thus have made the Borgias male-line descendants of the Jiménez dynasty. However, the descent was a fabrication.
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....
) and brought her back within the wider European political scene while also giving her the political character and division that persisted until the end of
Early modern period
In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...
the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
History
The first known member of the family, García Jiménez of PamplonaGarcía Jiménez of Pamplona
García Jiménez was king of a part of Pamplona in the late 9th century.The Jiménez dynasty that would later rule the kingdom of Navarre apparently originally held a territory within that realm distinct from that held by the descendants of Iñigo Arista...
, is obscure, it being stated by the Roda Codex
Roda Codex
The Roda Codex is a medieval manuscript which represents a unique source for details of the 9th century Kingdom of Navarre and neighbouring principalities, now Madrid, Real Academia de la Historia, cód...
that he was "king of another part of the kingdom" of Pamplona, presumably lord of part of Navarre beyond the area of direct control of the Íñiguez kings: probably the frontier areas 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...
and the western Pyrenees given the list of their landholdings preserved in a later charter. It was long believed that their origins lay in Gascony.
In 905 Sancho Garcés
Sancho I of Pamplona
Sancho I Garcés was king of Pamplona from 905 to 925. He was a son of García Jiménez, who was king of "another part of the kingdom" of Pamplona and Dadildis de Pallars, his second wife...
, a younger son of the dynasty founder, used foreign assistance to displace the Íñiguez ruler Fortún Garcés and consolidate the monarchy in his dynasty's hands. Based on this, for several subsequent generations the family would be called the Banu Sanyo in Iberian Muslim
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
sources. In addition to repulsing several attacks from the Emir of Córdoba, Sancho crushed the neighboring Banu Qasi
Banu Qasi
The Banu Qasi, Banu Kasi, Beni Casi or Banu Musa were a Basque Muladi dynasty that ruled the upper Ebro valley in the 9th century, before being displaced in the first quarter of the 10th century.-Dynastic beginnings:...
and thus expanded Pamplona to the upper Ebro River valley, as well as incorporating the previously-independent County of Aragon
County of Aragon
The County of Aragon or Jaca was a small Frankish marcher county in the central Pyrenean valley of the Aragon river, comprising Ansó, Echo, and Canfranc and centred on the small town of Jaca...
into the realm.
Following the death of Sancho in 925, his brother Jimeno Garcés maintained a position of strength, intervening in the politics of neighboring Christian and Muslim states. His death left the crown to his nephew, Sancho's son García Sánchez I, who was still a child. Originally ruling under the tutelage of his mother, the Íñiguez descendant Toda Aznar who established a web of political and marital alliances among the Iberian Christian states, he invited the intervention of his cousin Abd-ar-Rahman III
Abd-ar-Rahman III
Abd-ar-Rahman III was the Emir and Caliph of Córdoba of the Ummayad dynasty in al-Andalus. Called al-Nasir li-Din Allah , he ascended the throne in his early 20s, and reigned for half a century as the most powerful prince of Iberia...
of Córdoba to achieve emancipation from his mother. There followed three generations of defeat and subjugation by the Caliphate. He did create for his younger son a short-lived sub-kingdom centered at Viguera, which lasted for several decades until it was reabsorbed into the Pamplona kingdom.
The kingdom of Pamplona only reemerged from the Cordoban shadow during the reign of Sancho the Great, who ruled from 1000 to 1035 in Pamplona, but also ruled Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, Castile
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...
, Ribagorza and eventually León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
(but not Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Founded by Suebic king Hermeric in the year 409, the Galician capital was established in Braga, being the first kingdom which...
) by right or conquest. He received the homage of the Count of Barcelona and possibly of the Duke of Gascony
Duke of Gascony
The Duchy of Vasconia , later known as Gascony, was a Merovingian creation: a frontier duchy on the Garonne, in the border with the rebel Basque tribes...
. After his coronation in León, he even took up the imperial title over all Spain
Imperator totius Hispaniae
Imperator totius Hispaniae is a Latin title meaning "Emperor of all Spain". In Spain in the Middle Ages, the title "emperor" was used under a variety of circumstances from the ninth century onwards, but its usage peaked, as a formal and practical title, between 1086 and 1157...
. His vast domains were divided amongst his sons at his death, giving rise to three independent medieval kingdoms each ruled by a Jiménez monarch.
The Kingdom of Navarre, passing to the eldest son García, was unable to maintain its hegemony, leading to the full independence of Aragon under his illegitimate brother Ramiro I
Ramiro I of Aragon
Ramiro I was de facto the first King of Aragon from 1035 until his death. Apparently born before 1007, he was the illegitimate son of Sancho III of Navarre by his mistress Sancha de Aybar...
, who had previously taken over the territories of murdered brother Gonzalo of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza
Gonzalo of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza
Gonzalo Sánchez was made Count of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, two small Pyrenean counties, before 1035 by his father, Sancho III of Navarre. He succeeded to these domains after his father's death in that year and ruled them as vassal of his brother García Sánchez III until his death...
. Younger sibling Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I of León
Ferdinand I , called the Great , was the Count of Castile from his uncle's death in 1029 and the King of León after defeating his brother-in-law in 1037. According to tradition, he was the first to have himself crowned Emperor of Spain , and his heirs carried on the tradition...
, then Count of Castile, killed in battle his nominal overlord the king of León and Galicia in 1037 and thereby inheriting them and bringing them fully into the orbit of his ruling clan. He then defeated García, achieving a sort of hegemony over his brothers, but again divided his realm among his sons. One of these, Alfonso VI
Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
, not only succeeded to the reunited realm of his father, but also conquered Toledo, reclaimed the imperial title and even pretended to rule over both Christian and Moslem Spain.
The Navarre branch of the dynasty went into eclipse when in 1076 Sancho 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....
was assassinated by his siblings, and his cousins Alfonso VI of Castile and Sancho Ramírez of Aragon converged and divided the kingdom, with the Aragon ruler gaining the Navarre crown, while ceding western lands to Castile.
The holdings of the family were briefly reunited when Alfonso the Battler
Alfonso the Battler
Alfonso I , called the Battler or the Warrior , was the king of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Peter I...
of Navarre and Aragon married Alfonso VI's daughter Urraca, Queen of Castile and León
Urraca of Castile
Urraca was Queen regnant of León, Castile, and Galicia, and claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All the Spains from 1109 until her death in childbirth, as well as Empress of All Galicia.- Childhood :...
, and claimed the imperial title. However, the marriage failed and the kingdoms of Castile and León passed out of the dynasty, to Urraca's son by a prior marriage. The Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
and that of Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
likewise went their separate ways following Alfonso's death, the former passing to his brother, the latter to a descendant of its original ruling family, with each eventually passing to other dynasties through heiresses: Petronilla of Aragon, who married the ruler of Barcelona and thus united those two realms into the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
; and Blanca
Blanca of Navarre (daughter of Sancho VI)
Blanche of Navarre was Countess-consort of Champagne, then Regent of Champagne, and finally also regent of her native kingdom of Navarre.-Family:...
, sister of Sancho VII of Navarre
Sancho VII of Navarre
Sancho VII Sánchez , called the Strong or the Prudent, was the King of Navarre from 1194 to his death...
, whose 1234 death brought Jiménez rule to an end.
The Borgias of Italy in the 15th century would present a pedigree that traced their ancestry to Pedro de Atarés, lord of Borja, Zaragoza
Borja, Zaragoza
Borja is a town in the province of Zaragoza, community of Aragon, north-eastern Spain.-History:The town's origins date back to the 5th century BC, when a Celtiberian settlement, known as Bursau or Bursao, existed near the current ruins of the castle...
, who had been a competitor for the thrones of Navarre and Aragon following the death of Alfonso the Battler. Pedro was a scion of this family, being grandson of count Sancho Ramírez, illegitimate brother of king Sancho Ramírez of Aragon. Such a descent would thus have made the Borgias male-line descendants of the Jiménez dynasty. However, the descent was a fabrication.
Navarre
- 905–925 Sancho ISancho I of PamplonaSancho I Garcés was king of Pamplona from 905 to 925. He was a son of García Jiménez, who was king of "another part of the kingdom" of Pamplona and Dadildis de Pallars, his second wife...
, son of García Jiménez of PamplonaGarcía Jiménez of PamplonaGarcía Jiménez was king of a part of Pamplona in the late 9th century.The Jiménez dynasty that would later rule the kingdom of Navarre apparently originally held a territory within that realm distinct from that held by the descendants of Iñigo Arista...
'king of another part of the kingdom' - 925–931 Jimeno Garcés, brother of Sancho I
- 925–970 García Sánchez I, son of Sancho I
- 970–994 Sancho IISancho II of PamplonaSancho II Garcés Abarca was King of Pamplona from 970 until his death. He was the son of García Sánchez I and Andregota, daughter of Galindo Aznárez II, Count of Aragon...
, son of García - 994–1000 García Sánchez II, son of Sancho II
- 1000–1035 Sancho III (1034), son of García
- 1035–1054 García Sánchez III, son of Sancho III
- 1054–1076 Sancho IVSancho IV of NavarreSancho 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....
, son of García
- United with Aragon 1076 to 1134.
- 1134–1150 García Ramírez, grandson of an illegitimate son of García Sánchez III
- 1150–1194 Sancho VISancho VI of NavarreSancho VI Garcés , called the Wise , was the king of Navarre from 1150 until his death in 1194....
, son of García - 1194–1234 Sancho VIISancho VII of NavarreSancho VII Sánchez , called the Strong or the Prudent, was the King of Navarre from 1194 to his death...
, son of Sancho VI
- Navarre to House of ChampagneChampagne, FranceChampagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, now best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles east of Paris. The cities of Troyes, Reims, and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area...
in 1234.
Castile, León, and Galicia
- 1035–1065 Ferdinand IFerdinand I of LeónFerdinand I , called the Great , was the Count of Castile from his uncle's death in 1029 and the King of León after defeating his brother-in-law in 1037. According to tradition, he was the first to have himself crowned Emperor of Spain , and his heirs carried on the tradition...
(1056), son of Sancho III
- Took León and Galicia in 1037.
- 1065–1072
- Sancho IISancho II of CastileSancho II , called the Strong, or in Spanish, el Fuerte, was King of Castile and León .He was the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Castile and Sancha of León, the eventual heiress to the Leonese crown...
in Castile, son of Ferdinand - Alfonso VIAlfonso VI of CastileAlfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
in León, son of Ferdinand - García IIGarcía II of Galicia and PortugalGarcía II , King of Galicia and Portugal, was the youngest of the three sons and heirs of Ferdinand I, King of Castile and León, and Sancha of León, whose Leonese inheritance included the lands García would be given....
in Galicia and Portugal (displaced in 1071 by Sancho II and Alfonso VI), son of Ferdinand
- Sancho II
- 1072 Sancho IISancho II of CastileSancho II , called the Strong, or in Spanish, el Fuerte, was King of Castile and León .He was the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Castile and Sancha of León, the eventual heiress to the Leonese crown...
in Castile, León, and Galicia - 1072–1109 Alfonso VIAlfonso VI of CastileAlfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
(1077) - 1109–1126 UrracaUrraca of CastileUrraca was Queen regnant of León, Castile, and Galicia, and claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All the Spains from 1109 until her death in childbirth, as well as Empress of All Galicia.- Childhood :...
, daughter of Alfonso, briefly wife of Alfonso I of Aragon
- 1065–1072
- Galicia to House of BurgundyAnscaridsThe Anscarids or Anscarii or the House of Ivrea were a medieval Frankish dynasty of Burgundian origin which rose to prominence in Italy in the tenth century, even briefly holding the Italian throne. They also ruled the County of Burgundy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and it was one of their...
in 1111, León and Castile in 1126.
Sobrarbe and Ribagorza
- 1035–1043 GonzaloGonzalo of Sobrarbe and RibagorzaGonzalo Sánchez was made Count of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, two small Pyrenean counties, before 1035 by his father, Sancho III of Navarre. He succeeded to these domains after his father's death in that year and ruled them as vassal of his brother García Sánchez III until his death...
, son of Sancho III
- Sobrarbe and Ribagorza merged into Aragon in 1043.
Aragon
- 1035–1063 Ramiro IRamiro I of AragonRamiro I was de facto the first King of Aragon from 1035 until his death. Apparently born before 1007, he was the illegitimate son of Sancho III of Navarre by his mistress Sancha de Aybar...
, illegitimate son of Sancho III - 1063–1094 Sancho Ramírez, son of Ramiro
- 1094–1101 Peter I, son of Sancho
- 1104–1134 Alfonso I (1109), half-brother of Peter
- 1134–1137 Ramiro IIRamiro II of AragonRamiro II , called the Monk, was King of Aragon from 1134 until withdrawing from public life in 1137...
, brother of Alfonso - 1137–1162 PetronillaPetronila of AragonPetronilla of Aragon , whose name is also spelled Petronila or Petronella , was Queen regnant of Aragon from 1137 until 1164. She was the daughter and successor of Ramiro II by Agnes of Aquitaine...
, daughter of Ramiro II
- Aragon to House of Barcelona in 1137.
Viguera
- 970–991 Ramiro GarcésRamiro Garcés of VigueraRamiro Garcés was the King of Viguera from 970 to his death. He was the son of García Sánchez I of Pamplona by his second wife, Theresa of León...
, son of García Sánchez I, half-brother of Sancho II - 991–1002 Sancho RamírezSancho Ramírez of VigueraSancho Ramírez was the second King of Viguera from 991 or earlier until his death. He was the son and successor of Ramiro Garcés. Following the death of his father, he appears in documents with his uncle Sancho II Garcés and his brother García Ramírez...
son of Ramiro - 1002–1005/1030 García RamírezGarcía Ramírez of VigueraGarcía Ramírez was the third and final King of Viguera. From 991 he appears in royal charters of his uncle Sancho II, along with his brother Sancho Ramírez...
, brother of Sancho
- Viguera merged back into Navarre by 1030.