Sancho VII was the King of Navarre from 1194 until his death in 1234. The son of Sancho VI and Sancha, he was the last member of the Jiménez dynasty to rule the kingdom. He was the first to use the chains of Navarre as his blazon, a symbol that would later become the main one of the kingdom. This emblem commemorates a deed in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, where Sancho led a charge that broke through the bodyguard of the Almohad Caliph Muhammad al-Nasir.
Sancho's reign was marked by significant military actions and complex diplomacy. He made expeditions against Murcia and Andalusia and campaigned in Africa between 1198 and 1200. While his relations with Castile were often strained - notably after arriving late to the Battle of Alarcos in 1195 - he maintained better relations with the countries north of the Pyrenees. He concluded treaties with several Pyrenean counties and even signed a treaty with James I of Aragon in 1231.
In his later years, Sancho took part in a crusade against Requena before retiring to Tudela due to a prolonged and painful illness. During his retirement, his sister Blanche took administration of the kingdom until she died in 1229. When Sancho died in his castle at Tudela, his only nephew, Theobald IV of Champagne, was recognized as his successor.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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