HISTORIAS Manuel Espejo
The Bell of Huesca
Legend has it that Ramiro II of Aragon, known as "the Monk," made a solemn promise to his noble vassals: he would bestow upon them a bell whose resonant chime would echo throughout his kingdom. This is the intriguing tale of how he ingeniously fulfilled this remarkable pledge.
Ramiro's destiny seemed far removed from the throne. He was the youngest of three brothers, with the bellicose Pedro and Alfonso preceding him in line for succession. Ramiro's path led him to the Church, where he first served as an abbot and later ascended to the role of bishop. However, fate had other designs for the Kingdom of Aragon. Both Pedro and Alfonso, renowned as Alfonso I the Battler for his conquests against the Moors, perished without leaving heirs. By 1135, the kingdom found itself in a precarious predicament.
As per King Alfonso I's will, the line of succession remained muddled. The king had bequeathed his kingdom to the military orders of the Templars, Hospitallers, and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, perhaps as a token of their unwavering support during his wars against the Moors. Nonetheless, the Aragonese nobility vehemently opposed this disposition. In accordance with Aragonese laws, the king could freely dispense with his conquests, but not with inherited territories. In response, the nobles convened in Jaca, seizing upon this legal pretext to decree the coronation of Ramiro, the sole remaining relative of Alfonso eligible for the throne. Ramiro was thus extracted from his ecclesiastical calling to be anointed as King Ramiro II. He was further compelled to swiftly find a wife and father an heir to preempt any future succession crises. This stipulation appeared prudent at the time, as in the Middle Ages, the absence of a king often precipitated civil strife or conflicts with neighbouring kingdoms seeking to capitalize on the realm's vulnerability in the absence of a monarch.
Indeed, this is precisely what transpired in Aragon's case. The Kingdom of Navarre declared its independence from Aragon, while Castile asserted its claim over part of Aragon's territory, including the city of Zaragoza, citing supposed inheritance rights. Meanwhile, the Aragonese nobility, having installed Ramiro II on the throne, began to question his leadership due to their perception of his weakness. Their loyalty waned, and many were swayed by the allure of Castile, prompting Ramiro to flee to Catalonia in 1135 amidst a palace rebellion. His rule had abruptly plunged into turmoil.
With his kingdom in disarray, King Ramiro sought counsel from the abbot of a monastery with whom he shared a deep friendship. The abbot's response to Ramiro's emissary was cryptic; he silently ushered the envoy into a garden and, to illustrate his point, deliberately trimmed cabbages to ensure none exceeded the others in height. The abbot then instructed the emissary to convey this observation to the king.
Understanding the implied message, King Ramiro II summoned his nobles to Huesca, announcing his intention to reveal the bell he had commissioned to be constructed—a bell that would resound throughout his realm. The nobles received this invitation with a mix of astonishment and mockery but decided to attend nonetheless.
On the appointed day, King Ramiro regaled the nobility with sumptuous feasts and fine wine. Subsequently, he invited the principal nobles individually into a private chamber to unveil the bell. However, their initial surprise quickly turned to horror as, one by one, they met a grisly fate—beheading. The last to enter was the Bishop of Zaragoza, who encountered a room adorned with a macabre circle comprising 15 heads on the floor. King Ramiro queried if this was not the most exquisite bell ever crafted and whether the bishop sensed anything amiss. Overwhelmed with terror, the bishop replied that nothing was lacking. In response, King Ramiro quipped, "Indeed, something is amiss—the clapper is absent, which I have left you to provide." With that, he ordered the bishop's execution.
When the remaining guests were, in unison, invited to view King Ramiro II's grand bell, their shock knew no bounds. In that very chamber, which still exists to this day, lay 15 severed heads arranged in a circle, with the bishop's head suspended from the ceiling at its center. Never again did anyone dare mock or question the king's wisdom. Ramiro II ruled until his death in 1157, free from further conspiracies by nobles or clerics, having carved out a reign as cunning as it was unassailable.