Mayor OF CASTILE

  General Notes:

She was originally called Muniadona (or Muñadona) and is variously called Munia (or Muña) Mayor (or just Munia or Muña). In Spanish, she is called Muniadona de Castilla. It is said that her husband Sancho III of Navarre (Sancho the Great) renamed her from her contemporary name Muniadona to Mayor, for she was the eldest in her family, yet since she had an aunt of the same name, the story is clearly apocryphal. She was the daughter of Count Sancho García of Castile. Her marriage to Sancho made her Queen consort of Navarre.

In 1029, the Count García Sánchez of Castile, Mayor's brother, was assassinated by the Vela family, Castilian exiles in León. Mayor's husband, Sancho the Great, claimed his role as feudal overlord to pass the county to their second son, Ferdinand. Likewise this brought a nominal legitimate claim to the counties of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe to her husband, who had already taken control of them militarily.

  Noted events in her life were:

• Alt. Death, After 1066.

Mayor married King Sancho of Navarre III, son of King García Sánchez II of Pamplona and Jimena Fernández. (King Sancho of Navarre III was born circa 992 and died on 18 Oct 1035.)