Ramiro II of Aragon
Encyclopedia
Ramiro II called the Monk, was King of Aragon from 1134 until withdrawing from public life in 1137 (although he used the royal title until his death). He was the youngest son of Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragon and Navarre and Felicia of Roucy
.
His father had placed him as a child into the Benedictine monastery of Saint Pons de Thomières
in the Viscounty of Béziers. As a respected monk there he was elected abbot of the Castillian royal monastery of Santos Fecundo y Primitivo in Sahagún
and later was abbot of the monastery of San Pedro el Viejo
at Huesca
. Wanting to limit Ramiro's power within the Kingdom of Navarre-Aragon, his brother Alfonso the Battler
had blocked his elections as bishop of Burgos
and as bishop of Pamplona. In 1134 he had been elected bishop of Barbastro-Roda when the childless death of his brother made him one of the candidates for succession to the crown. Others put forward included Alfonso VII, king of Castile
, who as a foreign king found little support, and the choice of the Navarrese nobility, Pedro of Atarés, grandson of Sancho Ramírez, Count of Ribagorza
, the illegitimate son of Ramiro I of Aragon
. At an assembly at Borja
intended to resolve the succession, a misunderstanding alienated Pedro from his supporters, yet they were unwilling to accept the Aragonese-favored Ramiro, and in the end the kingdoms were divided. In Navarre
, García Ramírez, a scion of the pre-union royal family of Navarre and protege of Alfonso VII was chosen king, while in Aragon the choice fell on Ramiro, who suspended his monastic vows to take the crown.
The reign of Ramiro the Monk, as he is known, was tumultuous. At the beginning of his reign he had problems with his nobles, who thought he would be docile and easily steered to their wishes, but discovered him to be inflexible. In order to produce an heir, he married Agnes
, daughter of Duke William IX, Duke of Aquitaine. Once wed, his wife bore a daughter, Petronilla, who was betrothed to Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
at the age of one. The marriage contract, signed at Barbastro on 11 August 1137, made Petronilla the heiress to the crown of Aragon, which in event of her childless death would pass to Ramon Berenguer and any children he might have by other wives. Ramon accepted Ramiro as "King, Lord and Father", 'renounced his family name' in favor of the House of Aragon and united the County of Barcelona with the Kingdom. This union, which came to be called the Confederacion Catalanoaragonesa (Catalan-Aragonese Confederation), created the Crown of Aragon
, returning the previously-landlocked kingdom of Aragon to the position of peninsular power it had held prior to the loss of Navarre, as well as giving it a window to the Western Mediterranean
it would come to dominate.
In the time between his accession and the betrothal of his daughter, Ramiro II had already had to put down a rebellion of the nobles, and knowing himself not to be a war king, he passed royal authority to his son-in-law Ramon Berenguer on 13 November 1137. Ramon became the "Prince of the Aragonese people" (Princeps Aragonensis) and effective chief of the kingdom's armies. Ramiro never formally resigned his royal rights, continuing to use the royal title, and keeping aware of the business of the kingdom, he withdrew from public life, returning to the Abbey of San Pedro in Huesca. He later became known for the famous and passionate legend of the Bell of Huesca. He died there on 16 August 1157, the crown then formally passing to his daughter Petronilla.
Felicia of Roucy
Felicia of Roucy was a daughter of Hilduin IV of Montdidier and his wife Alice of Roucy.She married in 1076 to Sancho Ramírez, then king of Aragon after he had divorced his first wife, Isabella of Urgell. His accession to the crown of Navarre later that year made her the first Aragonese consort to...
.
His father had placed him as a child into the Benedictine monastery of Saint Pons de Thomières
Saint-Pons-de-Thomières Cathedral
Saint-Pons-de-Thomières Cathedral is a former Roman Catholic cathedral, and national monument of France, in Saint-Pons-de-Thomières....
in the Viscounty of Béziers. As a respected monk there he was elected abbot of the Castillian royal monastery of Santos Fecundo y Primitivo in Sahagún
Sahagún, Spain
Sahagún is a town in the province of León, Spain. It is the main town of the Leonese section of the Tierra de Campos comarca.Sahagún is notable for containing some of the earliest examples of the mudéjar style of architecture. It lies on the Way of St. James.The initial town arose due to the...
and later was abbot of the monastery of San Pedro el Viejo
Abbey of San Pedro el Viejo
The Abbey of San Pedro el Viejo is a former Benedictine monastery in the old town of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. The present Romanesque structure was built by the Benedictines in the 12th century...
at 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....
. Wanting to limit Ramiro's power within the Kingdom of Navarre-Aragon, his 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...
had blocked his elections as bishop of Burgos
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Burgos
The Archdiocese of Burgos has been since the tenth century an episcopal see of Spain, to which in the eleventh century the ancient Sees of Oca and Valpuesta were transferred. In 1574 Pope Gregory XIII raised it to metropolitan rank, at the request of King Philip II...
and as bishop of Pamplona. In 1134 he had been elected bishop of Barbastro-Roda when the childless death of his brother made him one of the candidates for succession to the crown. Others put forward included Alfonso VII, king of 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...
, who as a foreign king found little support, and the choice of the Navarrese nobility, Pedro of Atarés, grandson of Sancho Ramírez, Count of 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...
, the illegitimate son of Ramiro I of Aragon
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...
. At an assembly at Borja
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...
intended to resolve the succession, a misunderstanding alienated Pedro from his supporters, yet they were unwilling to accept the Aragonese-favored Ramiro, and in the end the kingdoms were divided. In Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, García Ramírez, a scion of the pre-union royal family of Navarre and protege of Alfonso VII was chosen king, while in Aragon the choice fell on Ramiro, who suspended his monastic vows to take the crown.
The reign of Ramiro the Monk, as he is known, was tumultuous. At the beginning of his reign he had problems with his nobles, who thought he would be docile and easily steered to their wishes, but discovered him to be inflexible. In order to produce an heir, he married Agnes
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 :...
, daughter of Duke William IX, Duke of Aquitaine. Once wed, his wife bore a daughter, Petronilla, who was betrothed 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....
at the age of one. The marriage contract, signed at Barbastro on 11 August 1137, made Petronilla the heiress to the crown of Aragon, which in event of her childless death would pass to Ramon Berenguer and any children he might have by other wives. Ramon accepted Ramiro as "King, Lord and Father", 'renounced his family name' in favor of the House of Aragon and united the County of Barcelona with the Kingdom. This union, which came to be called the Confederacion Catalanoaragonesa (Catalan-Aragonese Confederation), created 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...
, returning the previously-landlocked kingdom of Aragon to the position of peninsular power it had held prior to the loss of Navarre, as well as giving it a window to the Western Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
it would come to dominate.
In the time between his accession and the betrothal of his daughter, Ramiro II had already had to put down a rebellion of the nobles, and knowing himself not to be a war king, he passed royal authority to his son-in-law Ramon Berenguer on 13 November 1137. Ramon became the "Prince of the Aragonese people" (Princeps Aragonensis) and effective chief of the kingdom's armies. Ramiro never formally resigned his royal rights, continuing to use the royal title, and keeping aware of the business of the kingdom, he withdrew from public life, returning to the Abbey of San Pedro in Huesca. He later became known for the famous and passionate legend of the Bell of Huesca. He died there on 16 August 1157, the crown then formally passing to his daughter Petronilla.
Sources
- Belenguer, Ernest (2006). «Aproximación a la historia de la Corona de Aragón». La Corona de Aragón. El poder y la imagen de la Edad Media a la Edad Moderna (siglos XII - XVIII). Sociedad Estatal para la Acción Cultural Exterior (SEACEX), Generalitat Valenciana y Ministerio de Cultura de España: Lunwerg, pp. 25–53. ISBN 84-9785-261-3
- Bisson, Thomas N. (2000). The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Chaytor, Henry John. (1933). A History of Aragon and Catalonia. London: Methuan Publishing.
- Lapeña Paúl, Ana Isabel. (2008). Ramiro II de Aragón: el rey monje (1134–1137). Gijón: Trea. ISBN 978-84-9704-392-2