Sancha of León

For other people named Sancha of León, see Sancha of León (disambiguation).
Sancha
Empress of All Spain
Queen of León

18th-century Statue in the Royal Palace of Madrid
Died 27 November 1067(1067-11-27)
Burial Basilica of San Isidoro
Spouse Ferdinand I of León[1]
Issue Urraca of Zamora
Sancho II
Elvira of Toro
Alfonso VI
García II
Father Alfonso V of León
Mother Elvira Menéndez[2]
Religion Roman Catholicism

Sancha of León (? 27 November 1067) was a Queen of León.

Family

Sancha was a daughter of Alfonso V of León by his first wife, Elvira Menéndez.[3] She became a secular abbess of the Monastery of San Pelayo.

In 1029, a political marriage was arranged between her and count García Sánchez of Castile.[4] However, having traveled to León for the marriage, García was assassinated by a group of disgruntled vassals. In 1032, Sancha was married to García’s nephew and successor, Ferdinand I of León and Castile.

At the Battle of Tamarón in 1037 Ferdinand killed Sancha’s brother[5] Bermudo III of León,[6] making Sancha the heir and allowing Ferdinand to have himself crowned King of León, Sancha thereby became Queen. Following Ferdinand’s 1065 death and the division of her husband’s kingdom, she is said to have played the futile role of peacemaker among her sons.

She was a devout Catholic, who, with her husband, commissioned the crucifix that bears their name[7] as a gift for the Basilica of San Isidoro.[8]

Children

Sancha had five children:

Death and burial

The Royal Pantheon

She died in the city of León on 27 November 1067. She was interred in the Royal Pantheon of the Basilica of San Isidoro, along with her parents, brother, husband, and her children Elvira, Urraca and García.

The following Latin inscription was carved in the tomb in which were deposited the remains of Queen Sancha:

"H. R. SANCIA REGINA TOTIUS HISPANIAE, MAGNI REGIS FERDINANDI UXOR. FILIA REGIS ADEFONSI, QUI POPULAVIT LEGIONEM POS DESTRUCTIONEM ALMANZOR. OBIIT ERA MCVIII. III N. M."

Which translates to:

"Here lies Sancha, Queen of All Spain, wife of the great king Ferdinand and daughter of king Alfonso, who populated León after the destruction of Almanzor. Died 3 November 1108."

References

  1. Martínez Díez, Gonzalo. Sancho III el Mayor: Rey de Pamplona, Rex Ibericus. Madrid: Marcial Pons Historia, 2007.
  2. The Royal Ancestry Bible, Royal Ancestors of 300 Colonial American Families Vol. 3 (chart 2186) by Michel L. Call
  3. Fernández del Pozo, José María (1999). Alfonso V (999) Vermudo III (1029-1037). Burgos. ISBN 84-89915-07-5.
  4. Bernard F. Reilly, 26.
  5. Justo Pérez de Urbel and Ricardo Del Arco y Garay, Historia de España, vol. 6, España cristiana, comienzo de la reconquista (711-I038), 2d ed.
  6. Reilly, Bernard F. 1982. The Kingdom of León-Castilla under Queen Urraca, 11091126, 3. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  7. Gómez-Moreno, María Elena (1947). Mil Joyas del Arte Español. Barcelona: Instituto Gallach.
  8. Sureda, Joan (1988). Historia Universal del Arte: Románico/Gótico. Barcelona: Editorial Planeta
  9. Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy". Genealogy.EU. External link in |publisher= (help)
Preceded by
Urraca Gómez
Countess of Castile
10321037
Succeeded by
Title superseded
Preceded by
New Creation
Queen of Castile
10371065
Succeeded by
Alberta, Queen of Castile
Preceded by
Jimena of Castile
Queen of León
10371065
Succeeded by
Agnes of Aquitaine
Preceded by
Muniadona of Castile
Empress of Spain
10561065
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