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Primary sourceDocumentc. 990

Roda Codex

Anonymous · c. 990

A medieval manuscript containing Pamplona genealogies that record Abd ar-Rahman III's Navarrese royal ancestors.

Its Pamplona genealogies record Abd ar-Rahman III's Navarrese royal ancestors, including his grandmother and aunt.

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Folio 1r of a medieval manuscript on aged parchment in brown ink, with dense Visigothic-script Latin text. Below, a red heading reads 'Incipit Storie Pauli Orosii' beside a decorated red and blue initial letter.
Roda Codex, folio 1r, c. 990. Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid.

About this source

What it is

The Roda Codex, also called the Codex of Meyá, is a manuscript compiled in Navarre, thought to date from the late 10th century with later additions. It contains copies of ancient and medieval texts along with unique genealogies of the ruling dynasties of Pamplona, Aragon and neighbouring territories, and is held in Madrid.

Why it matters

Among its genealogies are the royal lines of Pamplona, which record Abd ar-Rahman III's Navarrese relatives, including his grandmother Onneca and his aunt Queen Toda. This shows that the caliph had Christian royal ancestry through his family's ties to the Kingdom of Navarre, linking the Muslim and Christian ruling houses of Iberia.

Look closer

  • What does it tell you that a Muslim caliph's family tree appears in a Christian Navarrese manuscript?
  • Why might genealogies like these have been important to record at the time?
  • What questions remain unanswered by a family tree alone about a person's life and reign?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Abd al-Rahman III on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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