Ramiro I of Aragon

Ramiro I of Aragon
13th century miniature of Ramiro
Born	before 1007
Died	8 May 1063 (aged 55–56) Graus
Spouse	Ermesinda of Bigorre Agnes
Issue	Sancho Ramírez García Ramírez (bishop) Sancha Urraca Theresa
Father	Sancho III of Pamplona
Mother	Sancha de Aybar

Ramiro I (bef. 1007 – 8 May 1063) was the first King of Aragon from 1035 until his death. Apparently born before 1007, he was the illegitimate son of Sancho III of Pamplona by his mistress Sancha de Aybar. Ramiro was reputed to have been adopted by his father's wife Muniadona after he was the only of his father's children to come to her aid when needed, although there is no surviving record of these events and the story is probably apocryphal.

During his father's reign, he appeared as witness of royal charters starting in 1011, and was given numerous properties in the county of Aragon, and by the division of Sancho's realm on the latter's death in 1035, the county of Aragon fell to Ramiro with the title of baiulus or steward. This was part of what would prove to be a larger division: Navarre and the Basque country went to eldest half-brother García, the county of Castile, already held by Ferdinand, reverted to its feudal fealty to the Kingdom of León, while the counties of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza fell to Gonzalo and Ramiro received lands in Aragon to hold under García.

Ramiro's exact status is vague. He was called king by his vassals, neighbors, the church and even his sons, yet he always referred to himself simply as Ranimiro Sancioni regis filio (Ramiro, son of King Sancho). Likewise, in his two wills, he refers to his lands as having been given him in stewardship: in the first by García, and in the second by God. He is called regulus (rather than rex used for García) and quasi pro rege (acting as if king) in charters from Navarre. Due to his growing independence and the small size of his Pyrenean holdings, he is sometimes called a "petty king", Aragon a "pocket kingdom".