Apparently born before 1007, he was the illegitimate son of
Sancho III of Pamplona by his mistress Sancha of Aybar. Ramiro was reputed to have been adopted by his father's wife
Muniadona after he was the only one 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 was held by
Ferdinand, 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". Ramiro sought to enlarge his lands at the expense of both the
Moors and his brother, García, the King of
Navarre. Shortly after the death of his father (the date variously placed from 1036 to 1043), he supported the emir of
Tudela in an invasion of the Navarre. While he was defeated in the
Battle of Tafalla, he still was able to gain territory, including
Sanguesa, and established a state of semi-autonomy. In 1043, apparently with the approval of García, he annexed Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, previously held by his youngest legitimate half-brother, Gonzalo. This union created a pseudo-independent Aragonese state, with its capital at
Jaca, that would give rise to the
Kingdom of Aragon. After annexation of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe, Ramiro began the advance from Aragon toward Huesca and Zaragoza. The first charter for the royal town of Jaca is attributed to him. It included well defined laws of protection even to non-residents, and would set an example for urban rights until late in the Middle Ages. Ramiro died at the
Battle of Graus in 1063 while trying to take the city. He was buried at the monastery of
San Juan de la Peña, in
Santa Cruz de la Serós. ==Marriage and children==