Petronila of Aragon
Encyclopedia
Petronilla of Aragon whose name is also spelled Petronila or Petronella (Aragonese
Peyronela or Payronella, and ), was Queen regnant
of Aragon
from 1137 until 1164. She was the daughter and successor of Ramiro II
by Agnes of Aquitaine
. By right of her marriage, she was also styled Countess of Barcelona.
Petronilla came to the throne through special circumstances. Her father, Ramiro, was bishop of Barbastro-Roda when his brother, Alfonso I
, died without an heir in 1134, and left the crown to the three religious military orders. The nobility of Aragon, however, raised Ramiro to the throne. As king, he received a papal dispensation to abdicate from his monastic vows in order to secure the succession to the throne. King Ramiro the Monk, as he is known, married Agnes, daughter of Duke William IX
of Aquitaine
and Gascony
, and through her produced an heiress, Petronilla. When she was just a little over one year old, Petronilla was married in Barbastro
on 11 August 1137 to Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
. Immediately thereafter, Ramiro abdicated in favour of Petronilla and Ramon Berenguer and returned to monastic life.
Petronilla consummated her marriage to Ramon Berenguer in the early part of 1151, when she reached the age of 15. The marriage produced five children:
Shortly after his death in 1162, Petronilla renounced the crown of Aragon in favour of her eldest son, Ramon Berenguer, who, as a compliment to the Aragonese, changed his name to Alfonso
. Her son was the first ruler of both Aragon and Catalonia (where he is known as Alfons I) thereby establishing the dynastic union between the two countries that lasted until the Crown of Aragon
was dissolved in 1707. The two kingdoms remained largely separate in a federal state in which each had its own system of laws and government. The ruler used both titles of King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona. Alfonso II was seven years old when on 18 July 1164 Petronilla abdicated on his behalf. She died in Barcelona
in October 1173 and was buried at Barcelona Cathedral. Her tomb has been lost.
Aragonese language
Aragonese is a Romance language now spoken in a number of local varieties by between 10,000 and 30,000 people over the valleys of the Aragón River, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in Aragon, Spain...
Peyronela or Payronella, and ), was Queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
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...
from 1137 until 1164. She was the daughter and successor of Ramiro II
Ramiro II of Aragon
Ramiro II , called the Monk, was King of Aragon from 1134 until withdrawing from public life in 1137...
by Agnes of Aquitaine
Agnes of Aquitaine, Queen of Aragon
Agnes of Aquitaine was a daughter of Duke William IX of Aquitaine and his wife Philippa, Countess of Toulouse. She was an aunt of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen consort of France and England.- First marriage :...
. By right of her marriage, she was also styled Countess of Barcelona.
Petronilla came to the throne through special circumstances. Her father, Ramiro, was bishop of Barbastro-Roda when his brother, Alfonso I
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...
, died without an heir in 1134, and left the crown to the three religious military orders. The nobility of Aragon, however, raised Ramiro to the throne. As king, he received a papal dispensation to abdicate from his monastic vows in order to secure the succession to the throne. King Ramiro the Monk, as he is known, married Agnes, daughter of Duke William IX
William IX of Aquitaine
William IX , called the Troubador, was the Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitou between 1086 and his death. He was also one of the leaders of the Crusade of 1101...
of Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
and Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, and through her produced an heiress, Petronilla. When she was just a little over one year old, Petronilla was married in Barbastro
Barbastro
Barbastro is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain...
on 11 August 1137 to Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer IV , sometimes called the Holy, was the Count of Barcelona who effected the union between the Kingdom of Aragon and the Principality of Catalonia into the Crown of Aragon....
. Immediately thereafter, Ramiro abdicated in favour of Petronilla and Ramon Berenguer and returned to monastic life.
Petronilla consummated her marriage to Ramon Berenguer in the early part of 1151, when she reached the age of 15. The marriage produced five children:
- Peter of Aragon (b.4 May 1152- died young)
- King Alfonso II of AragonAlfonso II of AragonAlfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
(March 1157- 25 April 1196), Married Sancha of Castile, by whom he had issue. - Ramon Berenguer III, Count of ProvenceRamon Berenguer III, Count of ProvenceRamon Berenguer III was the count of Cerdanya , as Peter, and count of Provence .He was the second son of Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon. He received Cerdanya, including Carcassonne and Narbonne, on his father's death, but relinquished it to his younger brother Sancho in...
(1158- 5 April 1181), died unmarried. - Dulce of Aragon (1160- 1 September 1198), married King Sancho I of PortugalSancho I of PortugalSancho I , nicknamed the Populator , second monarch of Portugal, was born on 11 November 1154 in Coimbra and died on 26 March 1212 in the same city. He was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fourth child of Afonso I of Portugal by his wife, Maud of Savoy. Sancho succeeded his father...
, by whom she had issue. - Sancho, Count of ProvenceSancho, Count of ProvenceSancho was the count of Cerdanya from 1168, Provence from 1181 to 1185, and Roussillon from 1185. He was the youngest son of Count Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona and Queen regnant Petronilla of Aragón....
(1161–1223), married firstly Ermensinda of Rocabertí; and secondly Sancha Núñez de Lara, by whom he had a son and a daughter.
Shortly after his death in 1162, Petronilla renounced the crown of Aragon in favour of her eldest son, Ramon Berenguer, who, as a compliment to the Aragonese, changed his name to Alfonso
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
. Her son was the first ruler of both Aragon and Catalonia (where he is known as Alfons I) thereby establishing the dynastic union between the two countries that lasted until 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...
was dissolved in 1707. The two kingdoms remained largely separate in a federal state in which each had its own system of laws and government. The ruler used both titles of King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona. Alfonso II was seven years old when on 18 July 1164 Petronilla abdicated on his behalf. She died in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in October 1173 and was buried at Barcelona Cathedral. Her tomb has been lost.