King Sancho of Pamplona I

  General Notes:

In 905, a coalition of enemies of the king, Fortún Garcés: Lubb ibn Muhammed of the Banu Qasi, King Alfonso III of Asturias, Galindo Aznar II of Aragon and Sancho's uncle, Raymond I of Pallars and Ribagorza, deposed the king, and put Sancho on the throne in his place. Throughout his reign, he involved himself in the squabbles among the Muslim lords to the south with repeated success. In 907, he turned on his former ally Lubb ibn Muhammad, killing him in battle. Four years later, another former ally, Galindo Aznar, joined with his brother-in-law Muhammad al-Tawil and Abd Allah ibn Lubb ibn Qasi to attack Sancho, but they were defeated and neutralized as a threat. Al-Tawil fled and was killed shortly afterward, and the power of the Banu Qasi was severely crippled, while Galindo was forced into vassalage to Sancho, leading to the incorporation of the County of Aragon into the Pamplona kingdom. In 920, he teamed with Bernard I of Ribagorza and Amrus ibn Muhammed, son of Muhammad al-Tawil, to attack Banu Qasi-held Monzón. His successes allowed him to join Ultra-Puertos, or Basse-Navarre (Baja Navarra), to his own dominions, and extend his territory as far as Nájera. As a thanksgiving offering for his victories, he founded, in 924, the convent of Albelda.

Perhaps to legitimize the succession, Sancho married Toda Aznárez, daughter of Onneca Fortúnez, (who was a daughter of former king Fortún Garcés) and Aznar Sánchez, lord of Larraun. Thus, Sancho and Toda's children were also descendants of the Arista dynasty of Navarrese monarchs, but likewise akin to Abd-ar-Rahman III of Córdoba, a grandson of Onneca by a former husband. When Sancho died in 925, his only son was still quite young. Thus Sancho was succeeded by his brother, Jimeno Garcés, upon whose death Sancho's son García would succeed under that regency of Toda. In his memory, the family would be called the Banu Sanyo (Arabic: 'descendants of Sancho') by Al-Andalus chroniclers.

Sancho married Toda of Navarre, daughter of Lord Aznar Sánchez of Larraun and Onneca Fortúnez. (Toda of Navarre was born circa 885 and died after 970.)