Nepotian | |
---|---|
King of Asturias | |
Reign | 842–842 |
Predecessor | Alfonso II |
Successor | Ramiro I |
Dynasty | Astur-Leonese dynasty |
Nepotian (Latin : Nepotianus; Spanish : Nepociano) was briefly the king of Asturias in 842. Prior to that, he served as count of the palace under his predecessor, Alfonso II, to whom he may have been related. Both the nature of this relationship and the legitimacy of his rule are disputed by historians.
When Alfonso II died in 842, his chosen successor, Ramiro I, was in Bardulia, where he was to marry a woman named Paterna. In Ramiro's absence, Nepotian, with the support of some members the nobility, usurped the throne illegitimately. Upon learning of Nepotian's usurpation, Ramiro gathered an army and began his journey back to Asturias. In the midst of Ramiro's return, Nepotian and his army composed of Asturians and Basques ambushed him near a bridge that crossed the Narcea river. However, Nepotian was abandoned by his army and he was forced to flee. He was captured in Pravia by two counts referred to as Escipion and Somnan; as punishment for his transgressions, he was blinded by Ramiro and imprisoned in a monastery. [1]
Nepotian's connection to Alfonso II is not certain. Later sources refer to him as Alfonso's brother-in-law, but this is chronologically implausible, nor is there evidence for such a sister. The earliest chronicle simply calls him Alfonso's kinsman. Likewise, he is sometimes identified as a man also named Nepotian who appears in a charter of King Silo, but if these men were the same, he would have been in his nineties when he usurped the throne. [2]
Alfonso II of Asturias, nicknamed the Chaste, was the king of Asturias during two different periods: first in the year 783 and later from 791 until his death in 842. Upon his death, Nepotian, a family member of undetermined relation, attempted to usurp the crown in place of the future Ramiro I.
Alfonso IV, called the Monk, was King of León from 925 and King of Galicia from 929, until he abdicated in 931.
Ramiro II, called the Monk, was a member of the House of Jiménez who became king of Aragon in 1134. Although a monk, he was elected by the Aragonese nobility to succeed his childless brother Alfonso the Battler. He then had a daughter, Petronilla, whom he had marry Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona, unifying Aragon and Barcelona into the Crown of Aragon. He withdrew to a monastery in 1137, leaving authority to Ramon Berenguer but keeping the royal title until his death.
Fruela I, also referred to as Froila I and nicknamed "the Cruel," was the King of Asturias from 757 until his assassination. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I and continued his father's war against the Moors. Pelayo, the founder of the Kingdom of Asturias, was his maternal grandfather.
Oviedo or Uviéu is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located approximately 24 km (15 mi) southwest of Gijón and 23 km (14 mi) southeast of Avilés, both of which lie on the shoreline of the Bay of Biscay. Oviedo's proximity to the ocean of less than 30 kilometres (19 mi) in combination with its elevated position with areas of the city more than 300 metres above sea level causes the city to have a maritime climate, in spite of its not being located on the shoreline itself.
Mauregatus the Usurper was the king of Asturias from 783 to 788 or 789. He was an illegitimate son of Alfonso I, supposedly by a Moorish serf. He usurped the throne on the death of Silo, the husband of his half sister Adosinda, earning himself the nickname of the Usurper. The nobility had elected Alfonso II at Adosinda's insistence, but Mauregatus assembled a large army of supporters and forced Alfonso into exile in Álava.
Ramiro I was king of Asturias from 842 until his death in 850. Son of King Bermudo I, he became king following a succession struggle after his predecessor, Alfonso II, died without children. During his turbulent reign, he fended off attacks from both Vikings and the forces of al-Andalus. Architecturally, his recreational palace Santa María del Naranco and other buildings used the ramirense style that prefigured Romanesque architecture. He was a contemporary of Abd ar-Rahman II, Umayyad Emir of Córdoba.
Ordoño I was King of Asturias from 850 until his death. He was born in Oviedo, where he spent his early life in the court of Alfonso II. He was probably raised in Lugo, capital of the province of Galicia, where his father, Ramiro I, had been named governor. He received his education and military training there.
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León. The kings of León fought civil wars, wars against neighbouring kingdoms, and campaigns to repel invasions by both the Moors and the Vikings, all in order to protect their kingdom's changing fortunes.
Alfonso Fróilaz, called the Hunchback, was briefly the king of the unified kingdom of Asturias, Galicia and León in 925. He succeeded his father, King Fruela II, in July 925 but was driven from the throne within the year by his cousins Sancho, Alfonso IV and Ramiro II, the sons of his uncle, Ordoño II. He was restored to a royal position in part of the kingdom after Alfonso IV took power in 926, but was violently deposed and forced into a monastery in 932.
BermudoII, called the Gouty, was first a rival king in Galicia (982–984) and then king of the entire Kingdom of León (984–999). His reign is summed up by Justo Pérez de Urbel's description of him as "the poor king tormented in life by the sword of Almanzor and in death by the vengeful pen of a bishop." Pelagius of Oviedo, half of whose Chronicon covers the reign of Bermudo, is highly critical of the king. He accuses Bermudo of imprisoning Bishop Gudesteus of Oviedo in the 990s and blames the attacks of Almanzor on Bermudo's sins.
Ruderick, better known by his Spanish name Rodrigo, was an influential noble of the Kingdom of Asturias, and was probably the first Count of Castile (850/862–873) and Álava (867/868–870). He was an active participant in the Reconquista and a faithful vassal of Ordoño I and Alfonso the Great, kings of Asturias. By conquering land from the Moors, Rodrigo began the southern expansion of the County of Castile.
The Narcea is a river in Asturias. It is a tributary of the Nalón River, starting about 5 km east of the parish of Monasterio de Hermo and meeting the Nalón near the municipality of Pravia. The river spans 123 km and is the second longest in Asturias, following only the Nalón itself. The river is host to multiple salmon preserves, and is additionally inhabited by the endangered Cantabrian brown bear.
Menendo González was a semi-autonomous Duke of Galicia and Count of Portugal (997–1008), a dominant figure in the Kingdom of León. He was the royal alférez, the king's armour-bearer and commander of the royal armies, under Vermudo II, and he continued to hold the position until his death. He became the tutor (1003) and ultimately father-in-law of Vermudo's successor, King Alfonso V. He maintained peaceful diplomatic relations with the Caliphate of Córdoba until 1004, after which there was a state of war.
Diogo Fernandes, was a count in the Kingdom of León whose filiation has not been documented although, from his patronymic, it is known that his father was named Fernando, and that he was possibly from Castile. He is the ancestor of many of the important 10th and 11th century noble families in the County of Portugal and in the Kingdom of León. Although the relationship has not been documented, some authors believe that Diego could have been the brother of Count Ero Fernández and of Gudesteo Fernández.
The Pantheon of Asturian Kings is a chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto in the Cathedral of San Salvador, Oviedo, Spain. It is the burial place of many of the rulers of the medieval kingdoms of Asturias and León.
Ordoño Ramírez, called "the Blind" was the son of King Ramiro III of León and Sancha Gómez, grandson of Sancho I of León and Queen Teresa Ansúrez and, on the maternal side, of Gómez Díaz, Count of Saldaña and Countess Muniadona Fernández.
Hermenegildo Gutiérrez, was a distinguished Galician noble who lived during the 9th and 10th centuries. As the Mayordomo mayor of King Alfonso III, he was an active member of the curia regia. His daughter Elvira, as the first wife of King Ordoño II, was queen consort of León.
Fruela was briefly the king of Asturias in 866 after usurping the throne from Alfonso III.