numerals, among many other texts. Upon the death of the Caliph of Cordoba, Al-Hakam II, in 976, and the succession of his son Hisham II, who had been taught by Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, the prospects of the Christian kingdoms seemed dim. The troops of Al-Mansur defeated the Christians at Torrevicente, south of Soria. Afterwards, the Muslims returned to triumph at Taracueña, near Osma. In 975, Sancho was defeated by the Moors at San Esteban de Gormaz and it has been suggested that he was captured at the Battle of Estercuel that year. In 981 at the Battle of Rueda, a dozen kilometers from Tordesillas, the Christians suffered another humiliating defeat. Because he could not defeat Al-Mansur by arms, Sancho went to Córdoba as an ambassador for his own kingdom, bringing many gifts for the victorious Al-Mansur, making a pact with him and agreeing to give the Muslim his daughter. From this union was born Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo, the second successor of Al-Mansur who tried to usurp the Caliphate of Córdoba from the Umayyad heir. He faced further incursions from Almanzor in 989, 991 and 992, the last of which resulted in a second submission at Córdoba, and the next year he sent his son Gonzalo on an embassy to the Caliphate to consolidate the rapprochement. In 994, the year of his death, the kingdom saw yet another incursion by a caliphate army. After his death in 994, he was buried in San Estebán de Monjardín and later, he was interred in the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña. Marriage and children Sancho Garcés was married to Urraca Fernández, daughter of the Count of Castile Fernán González. They had four children. García Sánchez, King of Pamplona and Count of Aragon from 994 until his death in 1000, and married to Jimena Fernández, daughter of Fernando Bermúdez de Cea, a member of very high rank among the Leonese nobility. Ramiro Sánchez, died in 992, when his parents made a donation to San Millán de la Cogolla for the sake of his soul. Gonzalo Sánchez, he was given some lands in the Aragon by his brother. Urraca or Sancha Sanchez, known in Arabic as Abda and nicknamed "the Basque", having been given by her father to Almanzor, whom she married after converting to Islam. Abda and Almanzor had a single son, named Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo. Ancestry Notes References Bibliography 930s births