Urraca Fernández

Urraca Fernández (died 1007), was queen consort of two Kings of León and one King of Navarre between 951 and 994. She acted as regent for her son Gonzalo, who had been given the County of Aragon, and later was co-regent of the Kingdom of Navarre, along with her daughter-in-law Jimena Fernández and the bishops of Navarre, of her grandson Sancho III.

Family

She was infanta of Castile and daughter of Count Fernán González and queen Sancha Sánchez of Pamplona.

She was first married by her father to Ordoño III of León in 951. Fernán's support of Sancho the Fat cost her her husband's affection and she was repudiated in 956. By him she had two, and possibly three children:

• Ordoño, who died young
• Theresa, who became a nun
• (perhaps) Bermudo II of León, whose maternity is subject to scholarly debate^[1]

In 958, after Ordoño's death, she was remarried to Ordoño IV. He died in 960.

Her third and most important marriage was contracted in 962 to Sancho II of Pamplona. Both Sancho and Urraca were grandchildren of Sancho I of Pamplona. With Sancho, she had several children:

• García Sánchez II of Pamplona
• Ramiro (died 992)
• Gonzalo, who ruled the County of Aragon with Urraca as regent
• Urraca Sanchez, nicknamed "the Basque", adopted the Arabic name Abda after being given to Almanzor Ruler of Al-Andalus by her father Sancho II of Pamplona. Urraca and Almanzor had a single son, named Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo that became chief minister of Hisham II, Caliph of Córdoba.

Notes