Peter I of Aragon and Navarre
Encyclopedia
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 kingdom a vassal
. Peter continued his father's close alliance with the Church and pursued the Reconquista
with even greater success, allying with Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid, the ruler of Valencia, against the Almoravids
. According to the medieval Annales Compostellani
Peter was in bellis expertus et audax in principio ("expert in war and daring in initiative"), and one modern historian has remarked that "his grasp of the possibilities inherent in the age seems to have been faultless.".
, after Ermengol's own son and brothers. He was not destined to inherit it. In 1085, two years after his father had conquered Graus
(28 April 1083), Peter was entrusted with Sobrarbe
and Ribagorza
as a subkingdom with its capital at Graus, which he thenceforth ruled more or less independently with the title of king (Latin rex). On 28 October 1087 Peter joined his father in Pamplona
in Navarre, where the two monarchs confirmed the rights of the bishops in the city. He pursued the Reconquista with vigour in the southeast of the realm. In 1087 he conquered Estada
, in 1088 Montearagón
, and on 24 June 1089 Monzón
. These conquests opened up the valley of the Cinca, which he proceeded to conquer as far as Almenar
, taken in 1093.
Peter succeeded to the whole of his father's kingdom only on the latter's death while besieging Huesca
in 1094. Peter raised the siege, only to return to it within the year. After 1094 his objectives shifted westwards, towards the valley of the Gallega. In 1095 Peter renewed his father's oaths to Urban II
, and Urban renewed his promise of protection, under which Sancho, his sons, and his kingdom had been placed in July 1089. On 16 March 1095 the pope even issued a bull
, Cum universis sancte, granting the king and queen of Aragon immunity from excommunication
without the permission of the pope. That same year, while he was besieging Huesca, Peter defeated the relief forces of the Taifa of Zaragoza
at the Battle of Alcoraz
. Peter later rewarded a certain Sancho Crispo for his contribution of three hundred knights and infantry at Alcoraz. He went on to take Huesca on 27 November of that same year.
, though the Historia Roderici
claims that he came to help Rodrigo. He met Rodrigo in Valencia and with a large force already assembled they decided to reinforce the southern frontier fort of Benicadell, rebuilt by Rodrigo in 1091. As they were passing by Játiva they were met by an Almoravid force under the command of Mohammed, the nephew of Almoravid leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin
, and the commander whom Rodrigo had defeated at the Battle of Cuarte in 1095. They decided to hastily restock Benicadell and retreat to Valencia via the coast, but were met at Bairén by Muhammad's forces encamped on the high ground that reached almost to the sea. A small Almoravid fleet had been assembled from the southern ports, including Almería
, and the Christians were trapped between arrow fire from the ships and the cavalry perched atop the hill. Rodrigo roused the troops with a speech and the next day at midday the Christians charged. The Battle of Játiva ended in a rout, with many Almoravids killed or forced into the river or the sea, where many drowned. Peter and Rodrigo returned to Valencia in triumph and thanking God for the victory, as the Historia records.
In 1099, in preparation for the fall of Barbastro
, Peter sent Pons, then Bishop of Roda, to Rome to ask Pope Urban to transfer the see of Roda to Barbastro. The pope complied and endowed the transferred diocese with all the re-conquered lands of the Diocese of Lleida
. Peter's motive in this action was probably to curtail any expansion of the Diocese of Urgell
in the direction of Lleida. In any case, Barbastro fell in 1100.
According to what is probably a legend, at the urging of the monks of San Juan de la Peña
Peter planned to join on the Crusade of 1101
and make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but Pope Paschal II
refused to allow it and ordered him to make war on Zaragoza instead. Peter, probably aided by knights from France
and Catalonia
, certainly did make war on Zaragoza in 1101, in a campaign that lasted the whole year. He may have been inspired by the First Crusade
rs, since contemporary accounts of the 1101 campaign call him a "cross-bearer" (crucifer). The size of his forces so impressed a contemporary scribe in León
that he remarked in the dating formula of a document of 12 February that "Peter, Aragonese king, with his infinite multitude of armed men, the city of Zaragoza, with Christ's banner, fought". By June Peter had begun the siege of Zaragoza
itself. For the siege he had a fortress built named Juslibol (a corruption of the Latin slogan Deus lo volt [God wills it] used by the First Crusaders) and ringed the city with banners bearing the cross. In August he was conducting a razzia (raid) as far south as Alpenes
and the river Ebro, but the campaign was eventually aborted due to insufficient cavalry. By the end of the year he had expanded Aragon and Navarre in the west almost as far as the walls of Zaragoza and Tudela
, though the cities both remained in Muslim hands.
s on Barbastro (1100), Caparroso
(1102), and Santacara
(1102). The last was repopulated partly by Frenchmen, whose influence on local customs is apparent. According to Peter's fueros, citizens were required to serve in local campaigns and castle defence, but were exempted from long-term service in the "host", the army of the Reconquista. Horse-owners resident in the towns of Barbastro and Santa Cristina de Somport (1104) were also exempted from knight-service, known as cavalcata. In 1101 Peter delineated the boundaries of the diocese of Roda–Barbastro and those that would belong to Lleida after its reconquest. On 11 December 1102 Peter was in Estella on the border with Castile
, perhaps seeking the aid of Alfonso VI
after a particularly disastrous autumn for the Christians of eastern Spain. In 1104 Peter granted a fuero to all the infanzones of his realm, retaining his right to require three-day field service.
(betrothed 1081), was arranged by his father and performed in the capital of Jaca
in January 1086. His second marriage, to a certain Bertha, probably from Lombardy
, was officiated in Huesca on 16 August 1097. This represented the transferral of the capital of Aragon from Jaca to the larger city of Huesca. Peter's only children, Isabella and Peter (born c. 1086), both from his first marriage, died young in 1103 and on 1 February 1104, respectively. The boy, Peter, was wed to María Rodríguez, a daughter of El Cid, in 1098, a marriage celebrated in the Cantar de mio Cid
and subsequent literature. Both Isabella and Peter were interred in San Juan de la Peña on 18 August 1104.
When Peter I died in the Val d'Aran
, his kingdoms passed to his younger half-brother, Alfonso the Battler
. Peter was buried in San Juan de la Peña alongside his children. When Alfonso also died without living children, the kingdom of Aragon passed to the youngest brother, Ramiro II
. Peter's name was adopted, in a feminised form, for Ramiro's only child, and successor, Petronilla (1037–64). The name Peter entered the name pool
of the House of Barcelona
into which Petronilla married and was thereafter common in the ruling family of Aragon.
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, because of his father's special devotion to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, to which he had made his kingdom a vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
. Peter continued his father's close alliance with the Church and pursued the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
with even greater success, allying with Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid, the ruler of Valencia, 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...
. According to the medieval Annales Compostellani
Annales Compostellani
The Annales Compostellani or Anales castellanos terceros are a set of Latin annals found in, and named after, Santiago de Compostela...
Peter was in bellis expertus et audax in principio ("expert in war and daring in initiative"), and one modern historian has remarked that "his grasp of the possibilities inherent in the age seems to have been faultless.".
Sub-king in Sobrarbe and the succession to Aragon
The Crónica de San Juan de la Peña, a rather late source for Peter's reign, states that Peter was 35 years of age when he died, which places his birth in 1068 or 1069. As a child Peter was placed in the line of succession to the County of Urgell by the first testament of his uncle Count Ermengol IVErmengol IV of Urgell
Ermengol IV , called el de Gerb or Gerp, was the Count of Urgell from 1066 to his death. He was the son of Ermengol III and Clemencia, daughter of Bernard II of Bigorre....
, after Ermengol's own son and brothers. He was not destined to inherit it. In 1085, two years after his father had conquered Graus
Graus
Graus is a village in the Spanish province of Huesca, located in the Pyrenees at the confluence of rivers Esera and Isabena. It is the administrative capital of the region. It is one of the areas of Aragon in which is still preserved the Aragonese language....
(28 April 1083), Peter was entrusted with Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is one of the Comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain...
and Ribagorza
County of Ribagorza
The County of Ribagorza or Ribagorça was originally the independent creation of a local Basque dynasty, later absorbed into the Kingdom of Navarre, and then into the Crown of Aragon. Historically it had a strong connexion with the counties of Sobrarbe and Pallars. Its territory was the valleys of...
as a subkingdom with its capital at Graus, which he thenceforth ruled more or less independently with the title of king (Latin rex). On 28 October 1087 Peter joined his father in Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
in Navarre, where the two monarchs confirmed the rights of the bishops in the city. He pursued the Reconquista with vigour in the southeast of the realm. In 1087 he conquered Estada
Estada
Estada is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 192 inhabitants....
, in 1088 Montearagón
Montearagón
Montearagón or Mount of Aragón can refer to the following sites:* Montearagón, Toledo* Castle of Montearagón near Huesca, Aragón...
, and on 24 June 1089 Monzón
Monzón
Monzón is a small town in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It has a population of 17,050. It is located in the northeast and adjoins the rivers Cinca and Sosa.-Historical overview:...
. These conquests opened up the valley of the Cinca, which he proceeded to conquer as far as Almenar
Almenar
Almenar is a municipality in the comarca of the Segrià in Catalonia, Spain.The Battle of Almenar, one of the main battles of the War of the Spanish Succession, was fought in the hills close to this town on 27 July 1710.- Demography :-External links :...
, taken in 1093.
Peter succeeded to the whole of his father's kingdom only on the latter's death while besieging 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....
in 1094. Peter raised the siege, only to return to it within the year. After 1094 his objectives shifted westwards, towards the valley of the Gallega. In 1095 Peter renewed his father's oaths to Urban II
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
, and Urban renewed his promise of protection, under which Sancho, his sons, and his kingdom had been placed in July 1089. On 16 March 1095 the pope even issued a bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
, Cum universis sancte, granting the king and queen of Aragon immunity from excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
without the permission of the pope. That same year, while he was besieging Huesca, Peter defeated the relief forces 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...
at 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...
. Peter later rewarded a certain Sancho Crispo for his contribution of three hundred knights and infantry at Alcoraz. He went on to take Huesca on 27 November of that same year.
Reconquista and war with the Almoravids
The next year (1096) Peter travelled south to inspect his fortress at CastellónCastellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana or Castelló de la Plana is the capital city of the province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea...
, though the Historia Roderici
Historia Roderici
The Historia Roderici , originally Gesta Roderici Campi Docti and sometimes in Spanish Crónica latina del Cid , is an anonymous Latin prose history of the Castilian folk hero Rodrigo Díaz, better known as El Cid Campeador.It is generally written in a simple, unadorned Latin by...
claims that he came to help Rodrigo. He met Rodrigo in Valencia and with a large force already assembled they decided to reinforce the southern frontier fort of Benicadell, rebuilt by Rodrigo in 1091. As they were passing by Játiva they were met by an Almoravid force under the command of Mohammed, the nephew of Almoravid leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin
Yusuf ibn Tashfin
Yusef ibn Tashfin also, Tashafin, or Teshufin; or Yusuf; was a king of the Almoravid empire, he founded the city of Marrakech and led the Muslim forces in the Battle of Zallaqa....
, and the commander whom Rodrigo had defeated at the Battle of Cuarte in 1095. They decided to hastily restock Benicadell and retreat to Valencia via the coast, but were met at Bairén by Muhammad's forces encamped on the high ground that reached almost to the sea. A small Almoravid fleet had been assembled from the southern ports, including Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
, and the Christians were trapped between arrow fire from the ships and the cavalry perched atop the hill. Rodrigo roused the troops with a speech and the next day at midday the Christians charged. The Battle of Játiva ended in a rout, with many Almoravids killed or forced into the river or the sea, where many drowned. Peter and Rodrigo returned to Valencia in triumph and thanking God for the victory, as the Historia records.
In 1099, in preparation for the fall of Barbastro
Barbastro
Barbastro is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain...
, Peter sent Pons, then Bishop of Roda, to Rome to ask Pope Urban to transfer the see of Roda to Barbastro. The pope complied and endowed the transferred diocese with all the re-conquered lands of the Diocese of Lleida
Diocese of Lleida
The Diocese of Lleida is located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Lleida, part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The diocese forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Tarragona, and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Tarragona.The diocese of Lleida was created in the 3rd...
. Peter's motive in this action was probably to curtail any expansion of the Diocese of Urgell
Diocese of Urgell
The Diocese of Urgell is a Roman Catholic diocese in Catalonia, Spain, with origins in the fifth century AD or possibly earlier. It is based in the region of the historical Catalan county of Urgell, though it has different borders...
in the direction of Lleida. In any case, Barbastro fell in 1100.
According to what is probably a legend, at the urging of the monks of San Juan de la Peña
San Juan de la Peña
The monastery of San Juan de la Peña is a religious complex in the town of Santa Cruz de la Serós, at the south-west of Jaca, in the province of Huesca, Spain. It was one of the most important monasteries in Aragon in the Middle Ages. Its two-level church is partially carved in the stone of the...
Peter planned to join on the Crusade of 1101
Crusade of 1101
The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade of three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade. It is also called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted due to the number of participants who joined this crusade after having turned back from the First...
and make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but Pope Paschal II
Pope Paschal II
Pope Paschal II , born Ranierius, was Pope from August 13, 1099, until his death. A monk of the Cluniac order, he was created cardinal priest of the Titulus S...
refused to allow it and ordered him to make war on Zaragoza instead. Peter, probably aided by knights from France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
and Catalonia
Principality of Catalonia
The Principality of Catalonia , is a historic territory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, mostly in Spain and with an adjoining portion in southern France....
, certainly did make war on Zaragoza in 1101, in a campaign that lasted the whole year. He may have been inspired by the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
rs, since contemporary accounts of the 1101 campaign call him a "cross-bearer" (crucifer). The size of his forces so impressed a contemporary scribe in 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...
that he remarked in the dating formula of a document of 12 February that "Peter, Aragonese king, with his infinite multitude of armed men, the city of Zaragoza, with Christ's banner, fought". By June Peter had begun the siege of Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
itself. For the siege he had a fortress built named Juslibol (a corruption of the Latin slogan Deus lo volt [God wills it] used by the First Crusaders) and ringed the city with banners bearing the cross. In August he was conducting a razzia (raid) as far south as Alpenes
Alpeñés
Alpeñés is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 27 inhabitants....
and the river Ebro, but the campaign was eventually aborted due to insufficient cavalry. By the end of the year he had expanded Aragon and Navarre in the west almost as far as the walls of Zaragoza and Tudela
Tudela, Navarre
Tudela is a municipality in Spain, the second city of the autonomous community of Navarre. Its population is around 35,000. Tudela is sited in the Ebro valley. Fast trains running on two-track electrified railways serve the city and two freeways join close to it...
, though the cities both remained in Muslim hands.
Administration of the realm and the granting of fueros
During his reign Peter bestowed fueroFuero
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...
s on Barbastro (1100), Caparroso
Caparroso
Caparroso is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, in the north of Spain.-External links:*...
(1102), and Santacara
Santacara
Santacara is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
(1102). The last was repopulated partly by Frenchmen, whose influence on local customs is apparent. According to Peter's fueros, citizens were required to serve in local campaigns and castle defence, but were exempted from long-term service in the "host", the army of the Reconquista. Horse-owners resident in the towns of Barbastro and Santa Cristina de Somport (1104) were also exempted from knight-service, known as cavalcata. In 1101 Peter delineated the boundaries of the diocese of Roda–Barbastro and those that would belong to Lleida after its reconquest. On 11 December 1102 Peter was in Estella on the border with 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...
, perhaps seeking the aid of 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...
after a particularly disastrous autumn for the Christians of eastern Spain. In 1104 Peter granted a fuero to all the infanzones of his realm, retaining his right to require three-day field service.
Marriages, issue and ordering the succession
Peter's first marriage, to Agnes of AquitaineAgnes of Aquitaine, Queen of Aragon and Navarre
Agnes of Aquitaine was a daughter of William VIII, Duke of Aquitaine and his third wife Hildegarde of Burgundy, and thus half-sister of Agnes of Aquitaine, Queen of Castile, with whom she is sometimes confused....
(betrothed 1081), was arranged by his father and performed in the capital of Jaca
Jaca
Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca...
in January 1086. His second marriage, to a certain Bertha, probably from Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, was officiated in Huesca on 16 August 1097. This represented the transferral of the capital of Aragon from Jaca to the larger city of Huesca. Peter's only children, Isabella and Peter (born c. 1086), both from his first marriage, died young in 1103 and on 1 February 1104, respectively. The boy, Peter, was wed to María Rodríguez, a daughter of El Cid, in 1098, a marriage celebrated in the Cantar de mio Cid
Cantar de Mio Cid
El Cantar de Myo Çid , also known in English as The Lay of the Cid and The Poem of the Cid is the oldest preserved Spanish epic poem...
and subsequent literature. Both Isabella and Peter were interred in San Juan de la Peña on 18 August 1104.
When Peter I died in the Val d'Aran
Val d'Aran
The Val d'Aran is a valley in the Pyrenees mountains and a comarca in the northwestern part of the province of Lleida, in Catalonia, northern Spain. Most of the valley constitutes the only part of Spain, and of Catalonia, on the north face of the Pyrenees, hence the only part of Catalonia whose...
, his kingdoms passed to his younger half-brother, 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...
. Peter was buried in San Juan de la Peña alongside his children. When Alfonso also died without living children, the kingdom of Aragon passed to the youngest brother, Ramiro II
Ramiro II of Aragon
Ramiro II , called the Monk, was King of Aragon from 1134 until withdrawing from public life in 1137...
. Peter's name was adopted, in a feminised form, for Ramiro's only child, and successor, Petronilla (1037–64). The name Peter entered the name pool
Onomastics
Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper names of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek: "ὀνομαστικός" , "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" , from "ὄνομα" "name". Toponymy or toponomastics, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of...
of the House of Barcelona
House of Barcelona
The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 . From the male part they descend from the Bellonids, the descendants of Wifred the Hairy...
into which Petronilla married and was thereafter common in the ruling family of Aragon.