Petronilla of Aragon

• Preferred Name: Petronilla of Aragon ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}
  
• Alternate Name: Petronilha
  
• Alternate Name: Petronila De Aragón
  
• Gender: F
  
• Title (Nobility): BET 13 NOV 1137 AND 18 JUL 1164 with note: Description: Queen of Aragón
  
• Find A Grave: with note: Description: Memorial ID 8058083
  
• Birth: 29 JUN 1136 in Huesca, Aragón, Spain at LATI: N2.1137 LONG: E0.4139 with note: WIKIPEDIA
  
• Burial: AFT 17 OCT 1174 in Santa Eulalia, Gironella, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain at LATI: N2.0336 LONG: E0.8825
  
• Death: 17 OCT 1174 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain at LATI: N1.45 LONG: E0.0833
  
• FSID: L8TT-XRG
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Petronilla (29 June/11 August 1136-15 October 1173), whose name is also spelled Petronila or Petronella (Aragonese Peyronela or Payronella, and Catalan: Peronella), was the Queen of Aragon from the abdication of her father in 1137 until her own abdication in 1164. She was the daughter and successor of Ramiro II by his queen, Agnes. She was the last ruling member of the Jiménez dynasty in Aragon, and by marriage brought the throne to the House of Barcelona.
  
  Reign
  Petronilla came to the throne through special circumstances. Her father, Ramiro, was bishop of Barbastro-Roda when his brother, Alfonso I, died without an heir in 1134, and left the crown to the three religious military orders. His decision was not respected: the aristocracy of Navarre elected a king of their own, restoring their independence, and the nobility of Aragon raised Ramiro to the throne. As king, he received a papal dispensation to abdicate from his monastic vows in order to secure the succession to the throne. King Ramiro the Monk, as he is known, married Agnes of Aquitaine in 1135; their only child, Petronilla, was born the next year in Huesca. Her marriage was a very important matter of state. The nobility had rejected the proposition of Alfonso VII of Castile to arrange a marriage between Petronilla and his son Sancho and to educate her at his court. When she was just a little over one year old, Petronilla was betrothed in Barbastro on 11 August 1137 to Raymond Berengar IV, Count of Barcelona, who was twenty-three years her senior. At El Castellar on 13 November, Ramiro abdicated, transferred authority to Ramon Berenguer and returned to monastic life. Ramon Berenger de facto ruled the kingdom using the title of "Prince of the Aragonese" (princeps Aragonensis).
  
  In August 1150, when Petronilla was fourteen, the betrothal was ratified at a wedding ceremony held in the city of Lleida. Petronilla consummated her marriage to Ramon Berenguer in the early part of 1151, when she reached the age of 15. The marriage produced five children: Peter (1152-57), Raymond Berengar (1157-96), Peter (1158-81), Dulce (1160-98) and Sancho (1161-223). While she was pregnant with the first, on 4 April 1152, she wrote up a will bequeathing her kingdom to her husband in case she did not survive childbirth.
  
  While her husband was away in Provence (1156-57), where he was regent (since 1144) for the young Count Raymond Berengar II, Petronilla remained in Barcelona. Accounting records show her moving between there and Vilamajor and Sant Celoni while presiding over the court in Raymond Berengar's absence.
  
  Widowhood
  After her husband's death in 1162, Petronilla received the prosperous County of Besalú and the Vall de Ribes for life. Her eldest son was seven years old when, on 18 July 1164, Petronilla abdicated the throne of Aragon and passed it to him. When Raymond Berenguer inherited the throne from his mother, he changed his name to Alfonso out of deference to the Aragonese. The second son named Peter then changed his name to Raymond Berenguer.
  
  Petronilla died in Barcelona in October 1173 and was buried at Barcelona Cathedral; her tomb has been lost. After her death, Besalú and Vall de Ribes reverted to the direct domain of the Count of Barcelona, her son Alfonso, who by 1174 had bestowed Besalú on his wife, Sancha. In the Ribes, the local bailiff, Ramon, had carved out for himself "a virtually independent administrative authority" there. He had conducted an inventory for Petronilla after Raymond Berenguer's death, and his son and namesake was in power in 1198.
  
  Historical significance
  In 1410, after the death of King Martin without living legitimate descendants, the House of Barcelona became extinct in the legitimate male line. Two years later, Fernando of Trastámara was enthroned per the Compromise of Caspe. Although Fernando triumphed mainly for political and military reasons, the theoretical basis of his candidacy was inheritance in the female line, for which Petronilla served as the precedent. He was the closest relative of the late king, but they were related through women. His chief opponent, Count James II of Urgell, was related to Martin more distantly, but in the male line. In Catalonia there were indications that women were forbidden to hold comital office, but in Aragon there was no legislation on the subject. In both places there were a few cases of women who had passed on their right to their sons, most importantly Petronilla.
  
  There is a long debate whether Petronilla was the true ruler of Aragon. Some claim that Ramiro II gave the kingdom of Aragon to his son-in-law and that the presence of Petronilla was secondary. According to Jerónimo de Zurita, there was a clause in the pact with Ramon Berenguer stating that if Petronilla died, Aragon would pass to the children of Ramon Berenguer through a future second marriage. In any case, there is insufficient documentation to make a completely conclusive statement about the question and the Compromise of Caspe confirmed the legitimacy of female transmission.
  
  BIO
  BIO: fromhttp://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ARAGON%20&%20CATALONIA.htm#Petronilladied1174B as of 2/8/2016
  Infanta doña PETRONILA de Aragón, daughter of RAMIRO II “el Monje” King of Aragon and Navarre &
  
  === Aunt of Eleanor and namesake of niece Pe ===
  Aunt of Eleanor and namesake of niece Petronilla of Aquitaine. Motherof Alfonso II who inherited Aragon.
  
  === !Ancestral Roots, Line 111-26. ===
  !Ancestral Roots, Line 111-26.
  
  === Royal Ancestors of Some LDS Families, by ===
  Royal Ancestors of Some LDS Families, by Michael L. Call, Chart 303
  
  === M L Call: Cht 11303 # 9 ===
  M L Call: Cht 11303 # 9
  
  === father's name from Encyc. Britannica 196 ===
  father's name from Encyc. Britannica 1968 vol. 1, p. 592.
  
  === [Bryan William Edward II 1.ged] Queen of ===
  [Bryan William Edward II 1.ged] Queen of /Aragn/ abdicated Ramirez, Petronilla, Queen of Aragn, b. 1135[Humphrey.ged] Queen of /Aragn/ abdicated Ramirez, Petronilla, Queen of Aragn, b. 1135[Humphrey 52.ged] Queen of /Aragn/ abdicated Ramirez, Petronilla, Queen of Aragn, b. 1135[Corrie Hale Families 11-18-02.FTW] [Bryan William Edward II 1.ged] Queen of /Aragn/ abdicated Ramirez, Petronilla, Queen of Aragn, b. 1135[Humphrey.ged] Queen of /Aragn/ abdicated Ramirez, Petronilla, Queen of Aragn, b. 1135[Humphrey 52.ged] Queen of /Aragn/ abdicated Ramirez, Petronilla, Queen of Aragn, b. 1135 !NOTE: Bryan William Edward II 1.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date !NOTE: Humphrey.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date of Import: Sep !NOTE: Humphrey 52.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date of Import: Oct !NOTE: Corrie Hale Families 11-18-02.FTW;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. !NOTE: GEDCOM File : Corrie Hale Families 12-4-02.ged !BIRTH: Bryan William Edward II 1.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date !BIRTH: Humphrey.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date of Import: Sep !BIRTH: Humphrey 52.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date of Import: !BIRTH: Corrie Hale Families 11-18-02.FTW;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. !DEATH: Bryan William Edward II 1.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date !DEATH: Humphrey.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date of Import: Sep !DEATH: Humphrey 52.ged;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. Date of Import: !DEATH: Corrie Hale Families 11-18-02.FTW;;;;, Source Media Type: Other. !MARRIAGE: GEDCOM File : Corrie Hale Families 12-4-02.ged Import: Sep 10, 2002 2002 Import: Dec 3, 2002 Import: Sep 10, 2002 2002 Import: Dec 3, 2002
  
  === 9 on 510 WFT Ref # 551 Vol 27 Petronill ===
  9 on 510 WFT Ref # 551 Vol 27 Petronilla inherited the kingdom from her father Ramiro II. She was betrothed in 1137 (at the age of 2 years) to Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona, who was entrusted with the administration of the kingdom.
  
  === Rainha de Aragão ===
  Rainha de Aragão
  
  === THE PLANTAGENET ANCESTRY (GS NUMBER Q940 ===
  THE PLANTAGENET ANCESTRY (GS NUMBER Q940 D2T) P.34, 36, 46, 55, 56; SORLEY'S PEDIGREES (GS NUMBER Q929.242 SO68) P.16, 21; TABLEAUX GENEALOGIQUES DES SOUVERAINS DE FRANCE ET SEU GRANDS FEUDATAIRES (GS NUMBER 944 D22L); TABLETTES CHRONOLOGIQUES (GS NUMBER 044 D22T) VOL 2 P.202; ANCESTRAL FILE, LDS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY;
  
  === Ramirez, Petronilla, Queen of Aragón Bor ===
  Ramirez, Petronilla, Queen of Aragón Born: 1135 Acceded: 1137 Died: 17 OCT 1174, Barcelona Notes: abdicated 1164. Father: Sanchez, Ramiro II the Monk of Aragón, King of Aragón, b. CIR 1075 Mother: , Agnes of Aquitaine Married 11 AUG 1137 to , Raymond Berengar IV the Saint, Count of Provence Child 1: , Alphonso II the Chaste of Aragón, King of Aragón, b. MAY 1152 Child 2: , Sancho of Provence, Count of Provence Child 3: , Pere Child 4: , Fernando Child 5: , Raymond Berenger IV of Provence, Count of Provence Child 6: , Dulcia of Barcelona, b. 1160

• m. 1151 in Huesca, Huesca, Aragon, Spain

1. Doña Dulce Aldonza de Aragão, b. 4 APR 1152 in Aragón, Espanha     d. 1 de setembro de 1198 in Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
2. Alphonso 'The Chaste' of Aragon II, b. BEF 25 MAR 1157     d. 25 APR 1196 in Perpignan, Pyrenees-Orientales, France

1. Title: Foundation for Medieval Genealaogy
   Note: Infanta doña PETRONILA de Aragón, daughter of RAMIRO II “el Monje” King of Aragon and Navarre & his wife Agnès d’Aquitaine ([Jul] 1136-Barcelona 17 Oct 1174, bur Barcelona, Church of the Holy Cross and Santa Eulalia). The Brevi Historia Comitum Provinciæ records the marriage of "Berengarius primogenitus filius…" of "Raymundus-Berengarii vulgo Cap-De stoupes…dictus, Comes Barcinonæ in Catalonia" & his wife and "Petronillæ filiæ Ranemiri primo monachi…Aragonum regis"[272]. She succeeded her father in 1157 as PETRONILA Queen of Aragon. She made a donation of the kingdom of Aragon to her son Alfonso I in 1164[273]. m (Barbastro 11 Aug 1137, consummated early 1151) RAMON BERENGUER IV Comte de Barcelona, son of RAMON BERENGUER III "el Grande" Comte de Barcelona & his third wife Dulce Ctss de Provence (1113-San Dalmacio near Turin 6 Aug 1162, bur Monastery of Santa María de Ripoll). "Raymondi comes Barchinonensis, Dulciæ comitissæ uxoris eius, Raimundi et Berengarii filiorum suorum…" subscribed the charter dated [4/12] Feb 1114 under which "Bernardus Wilelmi…comes Ceritaniensis" donated property to the abbey of la Grasse[274]. “Raymundus Berengarii…comes Barchinonæ” donated “monasterium…sancti Petri de Gallicant” in Girona to “monasterio Crassensi” by charter dated 20 Jan 1117, subscribed by “Raimundi comitis Barchinonensis, Raimundi Berengerii, Berengerii et Bernardi filiorum eius, Dulciæ comitissæ uxoris eius…”[275]. The testament of "Raimundus Berengarii…Barchinonensis comes et marchio" dated [8 Jul] 1130 names "Raimundo Berengarii filio meo…"[276]. He succeeded his father in 1131 as Comte de Barcelona, Cerdanya, Besalú, Girona i Ausona. Barcelona's territorial stability was threatened by Aragonese advances on Lérida and Tortosa, cut short by the death of Alfonso I King of Aragon in 1134. After his betrothal to the heiress of Aragon, he successfully negotiated settlements with the military orders of the Holy Land to whom Alfonso I had bequeathed his kingdom. The Orders of the Hospital and the Holy Sepulchre renounced their claims in Sep 1140. By a charter Nov 1143 (agreement confirmed by the Pope), the Templars accepted compensation (six Aragonese castles, a tenth of royal revenues plus 1000 sous a year from those from Zaragoza, a fifth of all lands conquered from the Moors, and exemption from land tolls). His father-in-law conceded the government of Aragon to him 13 Nov 1137[277]. He accepted the suzerainty of the Pope over Aragon and Barcelona. He allied himself with his brother-in-law Alfonso VII King of Castile, conducting a joint expedition against the Moors of Murcia in 1144 and conquering Almería in 1147. He conquered Tortosa in Dec 1148, and Lérida and Fraga 24 Oct 1149. He styled himself Marques de Tortosa y Lérida. In 1154, Pope Anastasius IV revived the supremacy of the archbishopric of Tarragona over the sees of Girona, Barcelona, Urgel, Osona, Lérida, Tortosa, Zaragoza, Huesca, Pamplona, Tarragona and Calahorra. Ramon Berenguer established the monastery of Poblet in 1150-53. He regained the tribute of Valencia, and by the treaty of Tudillén (1151) confirmed Castile’s recognition of a sphere of prospective influence over Valencia and Murcia. He was elected lord and tutor of the infant Gaston V Vicomte de Béarn in 1154. He died while travelling to meet Emperor Friedrich "Barbarossa" at Turin. The Annales Sancti Victoris Massilienses record the death in 1162 of "Raimundus comes Barchinonensis princeps Aragonensis et marchio Provincie seu Tortuose"[278]. The Gestis Comitum Barcinonensium records his death "apud Burgum S Dalmatii iuxta Januensem urbem in Italia…1162 VIII Id Aug" and his burial "in Rivipullensi Monasterio"[279]. An epitaph records the death "1162 VIII Id Aug" of "Marchio…Dominus Raymundus Berengarii Comes Barchinonensis Princeps et Rex Aragonensis et Dux Provinciæ…in Italia apud Vicum Sancti Dalmatii" and his burial in "Monasterium Rivipullense"[280]. Queen Petronila & conde Ramón Berenguer IV had five children: 1. Infante don PEDRO de Aragón (Barcelona 4 May 1152-young Huesca). 2. Infante don RAMÓN de Aragón (Villamayor del Valle, Huesca 1/25 Mar 1157-Perpignan 25 Apr 1195, bur Poblet, monastery of Nuestra Señora). 3. Infante don PEDRO de Aragón ([1158]-murdered Montpellier 5 Apr 1181, bur Melgueil). 4. Infanta doña DULCIA de Aragón ([1160]-Coimbra 1 Sep 1198, bur Church of the Cross Coimbra). 5. Infante don SANCHO de Aragón ([1161]-1226).
   
2. Title: Wikipedia - Petronilla, Queen of Aragon
   Author: Bisson, Thomas N. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2000. Chaytor, Henry John. A History of Aragon and Catalonia. London: Methuan, 1933. Hirel-Wouts, Sophie. "Cuando abdica la reina... Reflexiones sobre el papel pacificador de Petronila, reina de Aragón y condesa de Barcelona (siglo XIII)", e-Spania, vol. 20 (2015), retrieved 8 June 2016. Stalls, William C. "Queenship and the Royal Patrimony in Twelfth-Century Iberia: The Example of Petronilla of Aragon", Queens, Regents and Potentates, Women of Power, vol. 1 (Boydell & Brewer, 1995), 49–61.
   Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronilla_of_Aragon;
   Note: Petronilla (29 June[1]/11 August[2] 1136 – 15 October 1173), whose name is also spelled Petronila or Petronella (Aragonese Peyronela or Payronella,[3] and Catalan: Peronella), was the queen of Aragon from the abdication of her father, Ramiro II, in 1137 until her own abdication in 1164. After her abdication she acted as regent during the minority of her son (1164–1173). She was the last ruling member of the Jiménez dynasty in Aragon, and by marriage brought the throne to the House of Barcelona. Early life Petronilla came to the throne through special circumstances. Her father, Ramiro, was bishop of Barbastro-Roda when his brother, Alfonso I, died childless in 1134. Alfonso left the crown to the three religious military orders, but his decision was not respected. The aristocracy of Navarre elected a king of their own, restoring their independence, and the nobility of Aragon raised Ramiro to the throne. As king, he received a papal dispensation to abandon his monastic vows in order to secure the succession to the throne. King Ramiro the Monk, as he is known, married Agnes of Aquitaine in 1135; their only child, Petronilla, was born the next year in Huesca. Petronilla's marriage was a very important matter of state. The nobility had rejected the proposition of Alfonso VII of Castile to arrange a marriage between Petronilla and his son Sancho and to educate her at his court. When she was just a little over one year old, Petronilla was betrothed in Barbastro on 11 August 1137 to Raymond Berengar IV, Count of Barcelona, who was twenty-three years her senior.[4] Queen regnant At El Castellar on 13 November 1137, Ramiro abdicated, transferred authority to Ramon Berenguer, and returned to monastic life.[4] Ramon Berenger de facto ruled the kingdom using the title of "Prince of the Aragonese" (princeps Aragonensis). In August 1150, when Petronilla was fourteen, the betrothal was ratified at a wedding ceremony held in the city of Lleida.[5] Petronilla consummated her marriage to Ramon Berenguer in the early part of 1151, when she reached the age of 15. The marriage produced five children: Peter (1152–57), Raymond Berengar (1157–96), Peter (1158–81), Dulce (1160–98), and Sancho (1161–1223). While she was pregnant with the first, on 4 April 1152, she wrote up a will bequeathing her kingdom to her husband in case she did not survive childbirth.[6] While her husband was away in Provence (1156–57), where he was regent (since 1144) for the young Count Raymond Berengar II, Queen Petronilla remained in Barcelona. Accounting records show her moving between there and Vilamajor and Sant Celoni while presiding over the court in Raymond Berengar's absence.[7] After her husband's death in 1162, Petronilla received the prosperous County of Besalú and the Vall de Ribes for life. As a widow, she was the only ruler of Aragon for the next two years. Regent Charter by which Petronilla abdicated in favour of her son Her eldest son was seven years old when, on 18 June 1164 (Actum est hoc in Barchinona XIIII kalendas julii anno Dominice incarnationis M C LXIIII), Petronilla abdicated the throne of Aragon and passed it to him. When Raymond Berenguer inherited the throne from his mother, he changed his name to Alfonso out of deference to the Aragonese. The second son, named Peter, then changed his name to Raymond Berenguer. Her son and heir were only seven yars old when she abdicated in his favor, and so she continued to rule after her abdication, this time acting as his regent during his minority. Petronilla died in Barcelona in October 1173 and was buried at Barcelona Cathedral; her tomb has been lost. After her death, Besalú and Vall de Ribes reverted to the direct domain of the count of Barcelona, her son Alfonso, who by 1174 had bestowed Besalú on his wife, Sancha.[8] In the Ribes, the local bailiff, Ramon, had carved out for himself "a virtually independent administrative authority" there. He had conducted an inventory for Petronilla after Raymond Berenguer's death, and his son and namesake was in power in 1198.[9] Legacy Petronilla as imagined by António de Holanda in the early 1530s In 1410, after the death of King Martin without living legitimate descendants, the House of Barcelona became extinct in the legitimate male line. Two years later, Ferdinand I was enthroned per the Compromise of Caspe. Although Ferdinand triumphed mainly for political and military reasons, the theoretical basis of his candidacy was inheritance in the female line, for which Queen Petronilla served as the precedent. He was Martin's closest legitimate male relative, but related through a woman. His chief opponent, Count James II of Urgell, was related to Martin more distantly, but in the male line. In Catalonia there were indications that women were forbidden to hold comital office, but in Aragon there was no legislation on the subject. In both places there were a few cases of women who had passed on their right to their sons, most importantly Petronilla. There is a long debate whether Petronilla was the true ruler of Aragon. Some claim that Ramiro II gave the kingdom of Aragon to his son-in-law and that the presence of Petronilla was secondary. According to Jerónimo de Zurita, there was a clause in the pact with Ramon Berenguer stating that if Petronilla died, Aragon would pass to the children of Ramon Berenguer through a future second marriage. In any case, there is insufficient documentation to make a completely conclusive statement about the question and the Compromise of Caspe confirmed the legitimacy of female transmission.[10] Notes: Notes Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa Antonio Ubieto Arteta (1987), Historia de Aragón: creación y desarrollo de la corona de Aragón (Zaragoza: Anubar), p. 131. Ana Isabel Lapeña Paúl (2008): "Apéndice III. Ramiro II en la Crónica de San Juan de la Peña". Ramiro II de Aragón: el rey monje (1134–1137). Gijón: Trea. p. 298. ISBN 978-84-9704-392-2 B. F. Reilly, The Kingdom of León-Castilla Under King Alfonso VII, 1126–1157 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998), 61. Reilly, The Kingdom of León-Castilla Under King Alfonso VII, 109. Reilly, The Kingdom of León-Castilla Under King Alfonso VII, 118. T. N. Bisson, Fiscal Accounts of Catalonia under the Early Count-Kings (1151–1213) (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984), 50. Bisson, Fiscal Accounts, 179. Bisson, Fiscal Accounts, 185. Cristina Segura Graió, "Derechos sucesorios al trono de las mujeres en la Corona de Aragón" Mayurqa 22 (1989): 591–99.
   
3. Title: Find a Grave -Petronila De Aragon
   Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV9-1X6D : 14 June 2022), Petronila of Aragon, ; Burial, Barcelona, Provincia de Barcelona, Cataluna, Spain, Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia; citing record ID 8058083, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
   Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV9-1X6D;
   
4. Title: https://www.geni.com/people/Petronila-Ram%C3%ADrez-reina-de-Arag%C3%B3n/6000000003660469168
   
5. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Petronella of Aragon - birth-name: Petronella of Aragon
   Author: Dictionary of royal lineage of Europe and other countries from the earliest period to the present date, v. 1, Ancestry.com, Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.Original data - Carl Magnus Allström. Dictionary of royal lineage of Europe and other countries from the earliest period to the present date, v. 1. Chicago, Illinois: S. Th. Almberg, 19;, Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, null
   Note: birth-name: Petronella of Aragon http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=flhusa2006a_01573094_6&h=1974477 &ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:3243992615