Petronilla of Aragon
| Petronilla | |
|---|---|
Petronilla from the 15th-century Genealogies dels comtes de Barcelona
|
|
| Queen of Aragon | |
| Reign | 1137–1164 |
| Predecessor | Ramiro II |
| Successor | Alfonso II |
| Born |
29 June 1136 Huesca |
| Died | 15 October 1173 (aged 37) Barcelona |
| Burial | Barcelona Cathedral |
| Spouse | Ramon Berenguer IV |
| Issue |
Infante Peter Dulce, Queen of Portugal Alfonso II of Aragon Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Provence Sancho, Count of Provence |
| House | Jiménez |
| Father | Ramiro II of Aragon |
| Mother | Agnes of Aquitaine |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
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.
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).
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