Íñigo Arista
Íñigo Arista (
He is first attested by chroniclers as a rebel against the Emirate of Córdoba from 840 until his death a decade later. Remembered as the nation's founder, he would be referred to as early as the 10th century by the nickname "Arista",[3] coming either from Basque Aritza (Haritza/Aiza, literally 'the oak', meaning 'the resilient') or Latin Aresta ('the considerable').[4]
Origin
The origin of Íñigo Arista is obscure. There is even disagreement regarding the name of his father. A charter preserved at Leyre describes him as Enneco ... filius Simeonis (Íñigo son of Jimeno) and another Leyre document reports the obituary of Enneco Garceanes, que fuit vulgariter vocas Areista (Íñigo Garcés [son of García], who is commonly called Arista). Many later historians have followed one or the other of these, but the reliability of either is questioned due to the possibility of later corruption or forgery.
Eleventh-century chroniclers
It has been speculated that he was kin to
The name of Íñigo's mother is unknown (she is sometimes called Onneca, without foundation) but it is known that she also married local valleys, and was also instrumental in the rebellions that would lead to Pamplona breaking with the Emirate.
Rise to power
The family came to power through struggles over
In 820, Íñigo is said to have intervened in the
Traditionally, this battle is portrayed as resulting in the crowning of Íñigo as
Rebellion and death
In 840 Íñigo's lands were attacked by Abd Allah ibn Kulayb,
In an 843 battle, Fortún Íñiguez was killed, and Musa unhorsed and forced to escape on foot, while Íñigo and his son Galindo escaped with wounds--and several noblemen, most notably Velasco Garcés, defected to Abd-ar-Rahman. The subsequent year, Íñigo's own son, Galindo Íñiguez, and Musa's son Lubb ibn Musa went over to Córdoba, and Musa was forced to submit. Following a brief campaign in 845, a general peace was achieved. In 850, Mūsā again rose in open rebellion, supported by Pamplona,[11] and envoys of Induo (thought to be Íñigo) and Mitio,[b] "Dukes of the Navarrese", were received at the French court.
Íñigo died in the Muslim year 237 A.H., which is late 851 or early 852, and was succeeded by his son García Íñiguez who was already governing the kingdom during his father's long illness prior to his death.[10][c]
During the lifetime of Íñigo, the existence of several monasteries is attested across Navarre, when the Cordovan priest Eulogius had to stay in the area (848). In a letter written to Wiliesind, not only does Eulogius reveal that the Basque leader was a christicola princeps but he provides the names of three monasteries not far from Pamplona: Siresa, St. Zacharias and Leyre.
The iconic monastery of Leyre, founded in the 9th century[12] and claimed later to be founded by the king of Pamplona, was fostered by granting lands and estates to it. A document in the archives of the monastery shows that in 842, Íñigo bestowed the town and lands of Yesa on Leyre ("Ego rex Eneco concedo..."), although the authenticity of the document recording this grant is disputed. Íñigo himself is reported to have been buried in the monastery after his death in 851/852.
Lineage and family links
The name of the wife (or wives) of Íñigo is not reported in contemporary records, although sources from centuries later assign her the name of Toda or Onneca.
- Assona Íñiguez, who married her father's half-brother, Musa ibn Musa al-Qasawi, lord of Tudela and Huesca
- García Íñiguez, regent and then Íñigo's successor as 'king'.
- Galindo Íñiguez, fled to Córdoba where he was friend of Eulogius of Córdoba. Musa ibn Galind, Amil of Huesca in 860, assassinated in 870, was apparently his son.[14]
- a daughter who married Count Aragón.[10]
Historical Legacy
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The dynasty founded by Íñigo reigned for about 80 years, being supplanted by a rival dynasty in 905. However, due to intermarriages, subsequent kings of Navarre descended from Íñigo, and some accounts even wrongly showed them to descend from Íñigo in the direct male line. He is remembered as the founder of the nation of Navarre.
Notes
- ^ Íñigo and Fortún Íñiguez are explicitly called brothers of Musa ibn Musa on their mother's side by chroniclers Ibn Hayyan and Al-Udri. The order of the maternal marriages has been subject to speculation, with Lévi-Provençal and Pérez de Urbel having the widowed mother of Íñigo marrying Musà ibn Fortún, while Sánchez Albornoz ("Problemas") argued that the Christian marriage came after the Muslim.[9]
- ^ Identified by Pérez de Urbel with Jimeno of Pamplona, but Sánchez Albornoz rejects this.
- ^ Lévi-Provençal and García Gómez; Sánchez Albornoz ("Problemas"). It has been suggested that either Jimeno of Pamplona or his son García Jiménez served as regent following the death of Íñigo, but as the chroniclers of Al-Andalus show García Íñiguez already taking a leadership role before his father's death, this is unlikely.
- ^ Mello Vaz de São Payo; Stasser. These identifications are based on the names given in subsequent generations, but Sánchez Albornoz ("Problemas") wrote of the danger of assuming that such name usage demonstrates specific familial linkage.
References
- ^ Collins 1990, p. 41.
- ^ Lévi-Provençal 1953, p. 11.
- ^ Lacarra de Miguel 1945, p. 204.
- ^ Caro Baroja 1978, p. 48.
- ISBN 9788415313-41-0.
- ^ a b Martínez Díez 2007, p. 22.
- ^ Barrau-Dihigo 1900.
- ^ Lacarra de Miguel 1945, p. 207.
- ^ Sánchez Albornoz 1959, pp. 14–15.
- ^ a b c Martínez Díez 2007, p. 23.
- ^ a b Granja 1967, pp. 468–69.
- ^ Collins 1990, p. 146.
- ^ Settipani 2004.
- ^ Sánchez Albornoz 1959, p. 32.
Sources
- Barrau-Dihigo, Lucien (1900). "Les origines du royaume de Navarre d'apres une théorie récente". Revue Hispanique (in French). 7 (21–22): 141–222. ISSN 9965-0355.
- ISBN 9788471480385.
- ISBN 0631175652.
- ISSN 0304-4335.
- Granja, Fernando de la (1967). "La Marca Superior en la obra de Al-'Udri" (PDF). Estudios de Edad Media de la Corona de Aragón. 8: 447–545. OCLC 694519776.
- Lacarra de Miguel, José María (1945). "Textos navarros del Códice de Roda" (PDF). Estudios de Edad Media de la Corona de Aragón. 1: 193–284. OCLC 694519776.
- ISSN 0007-4640.
- Martínez Díez, Gonzalo (2007). Sancho III el Mayor Rey de Pamplona, Rex Ibericus (in Spanish). Madrid: Marcial Pons Historia. ISBN 978-84-96467-47-7.
- ISSN 0304-4335.
- ISSN 0032-8472.
- ISSN 0032-8472.
- ISBN 9781900934046.
- Stasser, Thierry (1999). "Consanguinity et Alliances Dynastiques en Espagne au Haut Moyen Age: La Politique Matrimoniale de la Reinne Tota de Navarre". Hidalguía: La revista de Genealogía, Nobleza y Armas (in French). Madrid: Instituto Salazar y Castro: 811–839. ISSN 0018-1285.