Sancho II (Navarre)

Sancho II.

Sancho II. Garcés Abarca (* 938 ; † December 994 ) was Count of Aragon and King of Navarre (970-994).

Sancho II was the grandson of the founder of the Sánchez dynasty and son of García I Sánchez and Andregoto , daughter of Count Galindo II Aznárez of Aragón . He was married to Urraca Fernández, daughter of Count Fernán González of Castile . Thus there were family connections to the two larger neighboring empires, in whose warlike and diplomatic ventures he was repeatedly involved. With her he had the son García II. Sánchez (* around 964, † 1000), from an extramarital relationship also the illegitimate daughter Abda "La Vascona" oo Abu Amir ibn Abi Almansur . He transferred control of the Viguera border region to his brother Ramiro Garcés . The royal title was associated with this, but it was only a sub-kingdom. Before the death of Caliph al-Hakam II in 976, Sancho traveled to his court several times, despite the conflicts with the other Christian empires, in which Sancho was also involved, there was de facto an alliance between Navarre and the caliphate.

From 976, Sancho II, like the other Christian rulers, had to defend himself with their empires from the constant attacks of the Arabs under al-Mansur . His brother was already killed in a raid by Qaid Halib . In 992, Uncastillo Castle fell under the control of Navarre. Sancho was able to restore the peace and married one of his daughters to al-Mansur. He was able to inherit the Kingdom of Navarra-Pamplona including the later provinces of the Basque Country ( Álava , Guipúzcoa ) and the upper Rioja as well as western parts of Aragón to his son García II. Sánchez after his death . He is buried today in the monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera .

literature

• Béatrice Loroy: 9. S. II. Garcés , In: Lexikon des Mittelalters Vol. VII (2003), Col. 1356
• Vones Ludwig: History of the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages 711-1480. Empires - Crowns - Regions. Jan Thorbecke Verlag Sigmaringen 1993, pages 33, 44, 74

predecessor	Office	successor
García I.	King of Pamplona (Navarre) 970–994	García II.
García I.	Count of Aragon 970–994	García II.