Toda | |
---|---|
Toda's tomb's inscription | |
Queen consort of Pamplona | |
Tenure | 905 – 925 |
Queen regent of Pamplona | |
Regency | 931–934 |
Monarch | García Sánchez I |
Queen ofDeio andLizarrara | |
Reign | c. 958 |
Died | 958 |
Burial | Monastery of San Millán de Suso |
Spouse | Sancho I of Pamplona |
Issue | |
Father | Aznar Sánchez of Larraun |
Mother | Onneca Fortúnez |
Toda Aznárez (Basque:Tota Aznar; died 15 October 958), known asToda of Pamplona, wasqueen of Pamplona by her marriage toSancho I. She ruled the kingdom asregent during the minority of her sonGarcía Sánchez I from 931. She was herself descended from the previous royal dynasty, Aritza.
Toda was daughter ofAznar Sánchez of Larraun, paternal grandson of KingGarcía Íñiguez of Pamplona, while her motherOnneca Fortúnez was a daughter of KingFortún Garcés. Thus, Toda was a descendant of theÍñigo Arista dynasty of Navarrese monarchs. Toda was an aunt or cousin of CaliphAbd-al-Rahman III.[a] Toda was married to KingSancho I of Pamplona, with whom she had the following children:
Having died while their son was still underage, Toda's husband was succeeded by his brotherJimeno Garcés, who was married to Toda's sisterSancha.
With the death of her brother-in-law King Jimeno in 931, Queen Toda became regent and guardian for her young son,García Sánchez I. In 934 Toda signed a treaty pledging allegiance to her nephew Abd-ar-Rahman III, and released hostages of the Banu Di n-Nun clan, the caliph confirming the rule of her son García (this has sometimes been interpreted as an act of the Caliph to liberate García from his mother's direct control). This led to the rebellion inFalces by a count Fortún Garcés, an "irascible man who hated Muslims", the uprising being suppressed with Cordoban arms. Toda violated her treaty in 937, forcing a punitive campaign.
During several stretches she appears in the royal charters of the kingdom to the exclusion of her daughter-in-law, the queen, from 947 to 955, and again in 959. In 958 she was ruling her own subkingdom, in the area of "Deio" and "Lizarrara".[2][3]
The same year, she took an interest in the health of herLeonese grandsonSancho I, whose obesity was largely responsible for his dethronement.[4][5] Toda requested the assistance of Abd-ar-Rahman III, theCaliphate of Córdoba being renowned for its physicians. The caliph sent her his Jewish physicianHasdai ibn Shaprut, who promised to cure Sancho on condition that Toda visit the city ofCórdoba.[6] Therefore, Toda, her son García Sánchez I of Pamplona and grandson Sancho I of León, nobles and clergymen arrived in Córdoba, where they were received with full honors and amid much pomp.[4][7][8] The arrival of this Christian queen in the capital of an Islamic caliphate enhanced Abd-ar-Rahman III's prestige among his subjects,[9] and is considered a landmark in the history of medievaldiplomacy.[10] Sancho's medical treatment was successful, and he was "relieved from his excessive corpulence."[11][12]
Toda was an energetic diplomat, arranging political marriages for her daughters among the competing royalty and nobility of ChristianIberia. She died in 958.
Royal titles | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by | Queen consort of Pamplona 905–925 | Succeeded by |