02-28-2008, 06:06 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Posts: 22,492
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Ramiro II of Aragon 'the Monk' (c. 1075-August 16, 1157, at Huesca/Uesca), son of Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragón and Navarre and Felicie of Roucy, was king of Aragon from 1134 until 1137.
He spent most of his early life as monk in a French monastery and later as abbot of St. Peter at Huesca. In 1134, when his brother Alfonso the Battler died heirless, Ramiro was bishop of Barbastro-Roda. He temporarily gave up his monastic vows in order to secure the succession to the crown. Although Ramiro had to put up with the loss of Navarre, which had formed part of his late brother's dominions but in 1134 became independent under García Ramírez he fought off two other claimants to the throne, one Pedro de Atarés, an illegitimate connection of the royal line, and the other, Alfonso VII, king of Castile.
The reign of Ramiro the Monk, as he is known, was a turmoil and although he never renounced to his legitimate Royal Rights (until his death in Huesca, 16-VIII-1157) he relied his Royal Authority quite soon to his son in law Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona. Ramiro was not a war king and he was aware of it. At the beginning of this reign he had a lot of problems with his nobles who though he was going to be a docile man and they discovered he was a piece of ice. However, in that short time he managed to put down the rebellion of his nobles. In order to produce an heir, he married Agnes, daughter of Duke William IX of Aquitaine. Once wed, his wife bore a daughter, Petronila, who was betrothed to Ramon Berenguer IV at age two.
This way Ramiro was sure to have a great commanding general for his (the Aragonesse) armies. The conditions for this marriage were arranged and signed in the city of Barbastro the August 11 of 1137. Ramon Berenger IV had to accepted Ramiro as his "King, Lord and Father", he had to renounce his family name in favour of the House of Aragon and the Count of Barcelona united to the Kingdom. The "Corona de Aragon" was initially formed. The name Confederacion Catalanoaragonesa was not recorded until XIX siecle. This denomination comes from the renaixença, and was stablished in books as the "monografía de Antonio de Bofarull y Broca" and "La confederación catalano-aragonesa" (Barcelona, Luis Tasso, 1872)).
Read the entire wikipedia article here.
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