Battle of Viadangos

Last updated

The Battle of Viadangos or Fontedangos (Fonte de Angos) was fought in the autumn of 1111 between the forces of Alfonso I of Aragon and the Galician allies of his estranged wife, Urraca of León and Castile, at Villadangos north of Luna, some twenty kilometres from León. Alfonso was victorious in a rout, but Urraca's son and co-ruler, Alfonso Raimúndez, escaped.

Galicia (Spain) Autonomous community of Spain

Galicia is an autonomous community of Spain and historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, it comprises the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra, being bordered by Portugal to the south, the Spanish autonomous communities of Castile and León and Asturias to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Cantabrian Sea to the north. It had a population of 2,718,525 in 2016 and has a total area of 29,574 km2 (11,419 sq mi). Galicia has over 1,660 km (1,030 mi) of coastline, including its offshore islands and islets, among them Cíes Islands, Ons, Sálvora, Cortegada, and—the largest and most populated—A Illa de Arousa.

Villadangos del Páramo is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 1,018 inhabitants.

Contents

Background and preliminary manoeuvres

Shortly after the Battle of Candespina, where Alfonso and his ally, Henry, Count of Portugal, had defeated the Castilian troops of Urraca on 26 October, the queen sought to pull Henry away from his alliance with Alfonso. An agreement was reached between her representatives, led by Fernando Garciaz de Hita, and Henry at Sepúlveda. [1] The queen and her new ally then retreated to Palencia, away from Alfonso's army, to finalise a partition of the realm which would have given Henry a greater share than Alfonso had offered. The fortified southern city of Zamora and the royal castle at Ceia north of Sahagún, both in León, were offered to Henry on top of his Portuguese possessions, as were some territories in Castile. [2]

The Battle of Candespina was fought on 26 October 1111 between the forces of Alfonso I of Aragon and those of his estranged wife, Urraca of León and Castile, in the Campo de la Espina near Sepúlveda. Alfonso was victorious, as he would be again in a few weeks at the Battle of Viadangos.

Henry, Count of Portugal Count of Portucale

Henry, Count of Portugal, was the first member of the Capetian House of Burgundy to rule Portugal and the father of the country's first king, Afonso Henriques.

Kingdom of Castile former country

The Kingdom of Castile was a large and powerful state located on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th century as the County of Castile, an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century its counts increased their autonomy, but it was not until 1065 that it was separated from León and became a kingdom in its own right. Between 1072 and 1157 it was again united with León, and after 1230 this union became permanent. Throughout this period the Castilian kings made extensive conquests in southern Iberia at the expense of the Islamic principalities. Castile and León, with their southern acquisitions, came to be known collectively as the Crown of Castile, a term that also came to encompass overseas expansion.

Henry appears to have demanded more than his assistance to her cause could command, however, for Urraca soon entered into secret negotiations with her husband; before leaving she left orders with her men to surrender Palencia to him. The Crónicas anónimas de Sahagún attribute this to the ambitions of Theresa, Urraca's half-sister, Henry's wife, who coveted a queenship and had joined her husband at Palencia. [2] From there the trio split: Henry turned to Zamora to possess it, while Urraca and Theresa went first to Sahagún before the queen moved on to her capital, León. Alfonso moved rapidly to seize Palencia (as agreed with his wife) and he almost captured Theresa while taking Sahagún, before he moved on to León. [3] Probably fearful of her husband's dominance Urraca retreated into the hills of Galicia, probably cut off from contact with her supporters, who were thus left unaware of the new situation. [4]

The Crónicas anónimas de Sahagún are two short chronicles composed by the monks of Sahagún two centuries apart. They survive only in sixteenth-century Spanish translations.

Theresa, Countess of Portugal Countess-Queen of Portugal

Theresa was Countess and Queen of Portugal. She rebelled against vassalic ties with her half-sister Urraca and was recognised as Queen by Pope Paschal II in 1116. After being captured she was forced to accept Portugal's vassalage to the Kingdom of León in 1121, although she was allowed to keep her royal title. Her political and amorous affairs with Galician nobleman Fernando Pérez de Traba led to her ouster by her son, Afonso Henriques, who with the support of the Portuguese nobility and clergy defeated her at the Battle of São Mamede in 1128.

Battle and aftermath

It was into this new situation that an army organised by Urraca's allies, the count Pedro Froilaz de Traba and apostolic archbishop Diego Gelmírez, ignorantly marched, with Urraca's young son from a previous marriage, Alfonso Raimúndez, in tow. [5] It is possible that Diego and Pedro were intending to have Alfonso receive the homage of the magnates jointly with his mother at León. [6] Eastern Galicia had been in Alfonso's hands since his campaign of 1110. Urraca's allies now recaptured Lugo and, perhaps diminishing their numbers with a garrison in that place, moved in the direction of León. At Viadangos they were ambushed by Alfonso and his Aragonese. According to the Historia Compostelana they possessed no more than 266 knights while Alfonso had 600 cavalrymen and 2,000 infantrymen with him. [7] Pedro Froilaz was captured and the few who escaped captivity took refuge in Astorga. [8] Among the dead was a certain Fernando, misidentified in the Historia Compostelana with the aforementioned count Fernando Garciaz. [9]

Diego Gelmírez Roman Catholic archbishop

Diego Gelmírez or Xelmírez was the second bishop and first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, modern Spain. He is a prominent figure in the history of Galicia and an important historiographer of the Iberia of his day. Diego involved himself in many quarrels, ecclesiastical and secular, which were recounted in the Historia Compostelana, which covered his episcopacy from 1100 to 1139 and serves as a sort of gesta of the bishop's life.

Lugo City in Galicia, Spain

Lugo also called Lucus Augusti in Latin is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 98,025 in 2018, making it the fourth most populous city in Galicia.

The anonymous Historia Compostelana is based on the relation of events by a writer in the immediate circle of Diego Gelmírez, second bishop (1100–1120) then first archbishop (1120–1140) of Compostela, one of the major figures of the Middle Ages in Galicia. The narrative of the Historia Compostelana spans the years 1100 – 1139, the years of Gelmírez' tenure, in three books. Its twofold central agenda is to extol the Archbishop's doings, while establishing the foundation and rights of Santiago de Compostela, including its founding legend, which provided apostolic connections with Saint James the Great. The bishopric had been transferred from Iria Flavia to Compostela as recently as 1095.

Diego, when defeat was turning into a rout, took the young Alfonso and fled in forti Castello Orzilione (quod Castrum est in Castella) ("in the strong castle of Orzilio [which castle is in Castela]"), uniting the boy with his mother. [10] The place where Urraca was staying and where Diego brought Alfonso was probably Orcellón in the diocese of Orense in a district known as Castela, not in Castile, as the text seems to be saying. [11] [12] After delivering Alfonso to Urraca, Diego returned to Astorga to retrieve the wounded and others and lead them back to Santiago de Compostela, from whence they had set out.

Santiago de Compostela City and Municipality in Galicia, Spain

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain.

Related Research Articles

Alfonso VI of León and Castile 1040-1109, King of Leon, King of Castile, King of Galicia

Alfonso VI, nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was the son of King Ferdinand I of León and Queen Sancha, daughter of Alfonso V and sister of Bermudo III. He became king of León (1065–72) and of Galicia, and then king of the reunited Castile and León.

Urraca of León Spanish queen

Urraca called the Reckless, was Queen of León, Castile, and Galicia from 1109 until her death in childbirth. She claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All the Spains and Empress of All Galicia.

This is a historical timeline of Portugal.

Raymond of Burgundy Lord of Galicia

Raymond of Burgundy was the ruler of Galicia from about 1090 until his death. He was the fourth son of Count William I of Burgundy and Stephanie. He married Urraca, future queen of León, and was the father of the future emperor Alfonso VII.

Sancho Alfónsez was the only son of King Alfonso VI of Castile and León; his mother was the Moorish princess Zaida. Alfonso's heir from May 1107, he eventually co-ruled from Toledo. He predeceased his father, being killed while trying to escape the field of the Battle of Uclés. His death, on his first recorded military expedition, precipitated a succession crisis that ended with the accession of his elder half-sister Urraca and her husband, Alfonso the Battler, already King of Navarre and Aragon, to the throne of Kingdom of Castile-León.

Arias Pérez

Arias Pérez or Peres was a Galician knight and military leader in the Kingdom of León. According to modern scholar Richard Fletcher, he was "active, resourceful, spirited and persuasive", and the contemporary Historia compostellana says that he was "so eloquent that he could turn black into white and white into black", although he "was not of the great nobility".

Gómez González Caatilian noble

Gómez González, called de Lara or de Candespina, was a Castilian nobleman and military leader who had some claim to being Count of Castile. He was the eldest son and successor of Gonzalo Salvadórez and his wife Sancha, and thus kinsman of the Lara family. Like his father, he perished in battle.

Gómez Núñez Portuguese military leader

Gómez Núñez was a Galician and Portuguese political and military leader in the Kingdom of León. His power lay in the valley of the Minho, mainly on the north side, bounded by the Atlantic on the west and corresponding approximately with the Diocese of Tui. There, according to a contemporary source, he had "a strong site, a fence of castles and a multitude of knights and infantry."

Pedro Fróilaz de Traba Count of Traba

Pedro Fróilaz de Traba was the most powerful secular magnate in the Kingdom of Galicia during the first quarter of the twelfth century. According to the Historia compostelana, he was "spirited ... warlike ... of great power ... a man who feared God and hated iniquity," for Diego Gelmírez himself had "fed him, like a spiritual son, with the nutriment of holy teaching." Brought up at the court of the Emperor Alfonso VI, Pedro raised the future Emperor Alfonso VII in his household. Around the latter he and Diego formed a "Galician party" that dominated that region during the turbulent reign of Urraca (1109–26). In September 1111 they even had the child Alfonso crowned king at Santiago de Compostela, but it was Pedro who was imperator in orbe Galletiae.

Rodrigo Vélaz Galician noble

Rodrigo Vélaz was the "count of Galicia, who held Sarria" according to the near-contemporary Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris. During his long public career he was the dominant figure in mountainous eastern Galicia while the House of Traba dominated its western seaboard. He served under three monarchs—Alfonso VI, Urraca, and Alfonso VII—and was loyal to all of them, never figuring in any rebellion. The contemporary Historia compostellana is a valuable source for his life, since there are no aristocratic archives surviving in Spain from this period. Rodrigo's career must be pieced together from the few references in the chronicles and the charters preserved in various ecclesiastical archives.

Beltrán de Risnel Aragonese statesman and general

Beltránde Risnel, also called Bertrand de Laon, was a French-born Aragonese political and military leader during the reign of Alfonso the Battler, who was his cousin. Beltrán was mainly active in the kingdoms of León and Castile, which Alfonso co-ruled for a time with his wife, Queen Urraca. He received Leonese titles and governed territories in León and Castile on behalf of the crown. He only sporadically attended the court of either King Alfonso or Queen Urraca, but he sometimes acted as a go-between. He became progressively more involved to Leonese court politics, eventually serving Alfonso VII as a count and having a marriage arranged to the king's half-sister. In 1130, he joined his father-in-law in revolt and ended up much reduced in status. He eventually rejoined Alfonso the Battler and died in battle alongside him.

Suero Vermúdez Asturian noble

Suero Vermúdez was an Asturian nobleman, extensive landowner, patron of churches, territorial governor, and military leader. He was an important man in León and Castile during the reigns of three monarchs—Alfonso VI, Urraca, and Alfonso VII—all of whom he served with notable loyalty, never taking part in any revolt, but aiding his sovereigns in wars against rebels, against rivals, and against the Moors. The primary sources for the life of Suero are the contemporary narratives the Historia compostellana and the Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris and some 150 surviving charters which make mention of, were drawn up by, or confirmed by Suero. Suero held extensive interests in ecclesiastical properties. Out of his enormous wealth he was a generous patron of monasteries, and appears to have favoured the Benedictines and the Cluniac reform. The Chronica describes Suero, one of the few noblemen it praises, as "a man strong in counsel and a seeker of truth" and "a lover of peace and truth and a faithful friend of the king".

Fernando García de Hita was a Castilian nobleman, traditionally considered the founder of the noble House of Castro. He governed the lordships of Hita and Guadalajara, and frequently attended the royal court under King Alfonso VI and Queen Urraca.

Gutierre Fernández

GutierreFernández was a Leonese nobleman who served as the majordomo (1110–17) of Queen Urraca until he was removed after imprisoning the queen's lover.

Peter I was the bishop of León from about 1087 until his deposition around 1111.

Banu Gómez noble family

The Banu Gómez were a powerful but fractious noble family living on the Castilian marches of the Kingdom of León from the 10th to the 12th centuries. They rose to prominence in the 10th century as counts in Saldaña, Carrión and Liébana, and reached their apogee when, allied with Córdoba warlord, Almanzor, their head, García Gómez, expelled king Vermudo II of León and briefly ruled there. He would reconcile with the royal family, but launched two subsequent rebellions. On his death, the senior line of the family was eclipsed, but a younger branch would return to prominence, producing Pedro Ansúrez, one of the premier noblemen under king Alfonso VI and queen Urraca in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The family would be portrayed in the Cantar de Mio Cid as rivals and antagonists of the hero, El Cid, and their rebellions would serve as a basis for the legend of Bernardo del Carpio.

References

  1. ↑ According to Bernard F. Reilly (1988), The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VI, 1065–1109, (Princeton: Princeton University Press), 76 n101, citing Julio Puyol y Alonso (1920), "Las crónicas anónimas," Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia, 76:247–249, the name of Urraca's chief envoy, supplied by the Crónicas anónimas, inspires confidence in the source.
  2. 1 2 Reilly, 75.
  3. ↑ Reilly, 76.
  4. ↑ Reilly, 77.
  5. ↑ Diego had crowned Alfonso in the cathedral of Saint James on 19 September, cf. Reilly, 77.
  6. ↑ R. A. Fletcher (1984), Saint James's Catapult: The Life and Times of Diego Gelmírez of Santiago de Compostela (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 135.
  7. ↑ Simon Barton (1997), The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and Castile (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 165.
  8. ↑ Reilly, 78.
  9. ↑ José María Canal Sánchez-Pagín (1984), "Don Pedro Fernández, primer maestre de la Orden Militar de Santiago: Su familia, su vida," Anuario de estudios medievales, 14, 45–46.
  10. ↑ Reilly, 78, writes: "Whether the prelate acted out of pure panic, the direst necessity, basic loyalty to his queen, or a combination of all three, the result was the same. For the first time during her reign Urraca had the priceless advantage of physical custody of her son, who constituted the most potent rallying point for any opposition to her own rule."
  11. ↑ Barton, 169.
  12. ↑ Reilly, 77 n102, adds that a castle named Orzilio mentioned in the Historia under the year 1121 is clearly in Oriense. He argues that the confusion caused by certain lines concerning Urraca's subsequent movements after leaving her son—ad Gallaetiam proficisci disposuit. Ad asperos itaque Astures montesque lapidosos iter aggrediens, per Ovetum transitum fecit ("she was disposed to depart for Galicia. Through violent and rocky Asturian mountains, to Oviedo the crossing was made")—results because Oriense was not then considered a part of Galicia (Gallaetia). For contrast he cites José Campelo, ed. (1950), Historia Compostelana, trans. Manuel Suárez (Santiago de Compostela), 126 n1, who believed Urraca and Alfonso were in the province of Burgos. Historian José María Lacarra believed the castle where Urraca was staying to be Monzón de Campos, perhaps relying on Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, who, in his De rebus Hispaniae , writes, as quoted in Reyna Pastor (2003), "Mujeres y la guerra feudal: reinas, señoras y villanas. León, Galicia, Castilla, (siglos XII y XIII)", Las Mujeres y las guerras: el papel de las mujeres en las guerras de la Edad Antigua a la contemporánea, ed. Mary nash (Icaria Editorial), 56, who wrongly dates the battle to May 1111:
    . . . su regreso por la zona de Castilla destrozó a los partidarios del conde Pedro y, saliendo tras ellos los copó en Monzón, cerca de Palencia, donde huidos se habían refugiado con la reina, y logró capturar a algunos de ellos; de esta manera regresó a León distinguido por dos triunfos.
    ". . . [Alfonso's] return through the zone of Castile destroyed the partisans of the count Pedro and, trailing them, he cornered them in Monzón, near Palencia, where they had taken refuge with the queen, and he succeeded in capturing some of them; in this manner he returned to León distinguished by two triumphs."

Coordinates: 42°57′N5°45′W / 42.95°N 5.75°W / 42.95; -5.75

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.