Sancho I of León
Encyclopedia
Sancho I called the Fat, was the son of King Ramiro II of León
. He succeeded his half-brother Ordoño III
in 956 and reigned until his death, except for a two year interruption from 958 to 960, when Ordoño the Wicked
usurped the throne. He was a grandson of Sancho I of Pamplona
and Toda Aznárez
.
At first, Sancho disputed the throne with Ordoño III who had succeeded their father in 951. Upon Ordoño's death, he took the vacant throne, but only two years later he was deposed by the nobles led by the Fernán González of Castile, because of his extreme obesity.
During his exile in Andalus, according to Dozy, Sancho managed to shed at least some portion of his girth under the treatment of Hasdai ibn Shaprut
. At the same time, he began endeavoring to reclaim his throne. He first went to his grandmother Toda and asked for aid; next he concluded a treaty with the Moors
and, with the help of the Leonese and Navarrese noblesse, he took Zamora
in 959 and took his throne back soon afterwards.
As he did not respect his treaty with the Muslims, he experienced many punishing raids in response. The final years of his reign were characterised by the growing independence of the Castilian and Galician nobility. He was killed by poison and succeeded by his son Ramiro III
.
Ramiro II of León
Ramiro II , son of Ordoño II, was King of León from 931 until his death. Initially titular king only of a lesser part of Asturias, he gained the crown of León after his brother Alfonso IV abdicated in 931...
. He succeeded his half-brother Ordoño III
Ordoño III of León
Ordoño III was the King of León from 951 to 956, son and successor of Ramiro II . He confronted Navarre and Castile, who supported his half-brother Sancho the Fat in disputing Ordoño's claim to the throne....
in 956 and reigned until his death, except for a two year interruption from 958 to 960, when Ordoño the Wicked
Ordoño IV of León
Ordoño IV, called the Wicked or the Bad , son of Alfonso IV of León and nephew of Ramiro II, was the king of León from 958 until 960, interrupting the reign of Sancho the Fat for a two year period...
usurped the throne. He was a grandson of Sancho I of Pamplona
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...
and Toda Aznárez
Toda of Navarre
Toda Aznárez, also Teuda de Larraun or Tota , was the queen-consort of Pamplona through her marriage to Sancho I, who reigned 905–925, and was regent of Pamplona, 931–934...
.
At first, Sancho disputed the throne with Ordoño III who had succeeded their father in 951. Upon Ordoño's death, he took the vacant throne, but only two years later he was deposed by the nobles led by the Fernán González of Castile, because of his extreme obesity.
During his exile in Andalus, according to Dozy, Sancho managed to shed at least some portion of his girth under the treatment of Hasdai ibn Shaprut
Hasdai ibn Shaprut
Hasdai ibn Shaprut born about 915 at Jaén; died about 975 at Córdoba in Spain, was a Jewish scholar, physician, diplomat, and patron of science....
. At the same time, he began endeavoring to reclaim his throne. He first went to his grandmother Toda and asked for aid; next he concluded a treaty with the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
and, with the help of the Leonese and Navarrese noblesse, he took Zamora
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
in 959 and took his throne back soon afterwards.
As he did not respect his treaty with the Muslims, he experienced many punishing raids in response. The final years of his reign were characterised by the growing independence of the Castilian and Galician nobility. He was killed by poison and succeeded by his son Ramiro III
Ramiro 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...
.