Page "Reconquista" Paragraph 60

Throughout the early history of the Navarrese kingdom, there were frequent skirmishes with the Carolingian Empire, from which it maintained its independence, a key feature of its history until 1513.

The reign of Sancho the Great not only expanded the Navarese territories when they absorbed Castile, Leon, and what was to be Aragon in addition to other small counties which would also unite and become the Principality of Catalonia, but it also helped form the Galician independence as well as getting overlordship on Gascony.

The conquest of Leon did not consume Galicia, as the Leonese king retreated and was left to temporary independence.

Galicia was conquered soon after ( it was conquered by Sancho's son Ferdinand around 1038 ).

However, this small period of independence meant that it was fashioned as its own kingdom and the subsequent kings named their titles as king of Galicia and León, instead of merely king of León, even though Galicia was never to be independent again.