Kingdom of Asturias
The Kingdom of Asturias was the earliest
Christian political entity to be established in the
Iberian peninsula after the collapse of the
Visigothic Kingdom. This followed the defeat of
King Rodrigo at the
Battle of Guadalete and the subsequent
Islamic conquest of Iberia.
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Monument in memory of Pelayo in Covadonga |
The kingdom was established by a nobleman,
Pelayo who had returned to his county after the
Battle of Guadalete, and became leader of the
Astures and founded the Kingdom of Asturias. However, Pelayo's kingdom initially was little more than a banner for the existing guerilla forces.
Under his leadership, the attacks on the
Berbers increased. In 722 (or possibly in 724 or as early as 718), the
Emir sent a force led by
Munuza to quell this rebellion and establish Moorish control of the region. This force was defeated in the valley of
Battle of Covadonga. The most commonly accepted hypothesis for this battle (epic as described by Christian chronicles, but a mere skirmish in Muslim texts) is that the Moorish column was attacked from the cliffs and then fell back through the valleys towards present day
Gijón, but was attacked whilst in retreat by the retinue and nearly destroyed. After this first battle, the Astures grew stronger. Once he had expelled the Moors from the eastern valleys of Asturias, Pelayo attacked
León, the main city in north-west Spain and secured the mountain passes, isolating the region from Moorish attack.
Pelayo continued attacking those Berbers which remained north of the Asturian Mountains until they withdrew. He then married his son Favila to Duke Pedro's daughter, a descendant of the former Astur dynasty.
Pelayo founded a dynasty in Asturias that survived for centuries and gradually expanded the kingdom's boundaries until all of northwest Iberia was included by roughly 775. The reign of
Alfonso II from
791–
842 saw further expansion of the kingdom to the south, almost as far as
Lisbon,
Portugal.
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Kingdom of Asturias in year 814 |
It was not until King
Alfonso II of Asturias (791-842), that the kingdom was firmly established with Alfonso's recognition as king of Asturias by
Charlemagne and the
Pope. He conquered
Galicia and the Basques. During his reign, the holy bones of
St. James the Great were declared to be found in Galicia, at
Santiago de Compostela (from Latin campus stellae, literally "the field of the star"). Pilgrims from all over Europe opened a way of communication between the isolated Asturias and the
Carolingian lands and beyond.
The first capital city was
Cangas de Onís. Then, in
Silo´s time, it was moved to
Pravia. Alfonso II choose
Oviedo as the definite capital of the Kingdom. The kingdom was known as Asturias until
924, when it became the
Kingdom of León. It continued under that name until incorporated into the
Kingdom of Castile in
1230, after
Ferdinand III became joint king of the two kingdoms.
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Church of Santa María del Naranco. Eastern façade. This is probably the finest example of Asturian architecture. |
The Kingdom of Asturias was, in its infancy, an indigenous reaction of astures and
cantabri peoples to a foreign invasion. Those people had fought hard against the Romans of the Ancient Ages, and resisted partially to
Romanisation (although it was deep. In fact, the Celtic languages were lost). Thus, they conserved part of its prelatin features, such as matrilineal heritage, and a certain amount of social equality. However, when
Visigothic influence of the people who migrated to the Christian Kingdom of the North grew, Feudalism settled up in Asturias.
This kingdom is the birthplace of one of the most outstanding European Medieval Architectural styles: Asturian
Preromanesque. This style of Architecture was largely founded by
Ramiro I.
This small kingdom was a milestone in the fight against
Adoptionist heresy, with
Beatus of Liébana as a major figure. In the time of Alfonso II, the shrine of
Santiago was "found." The pilgrimage to Santiago,
Camino de Santiago, was a nexus within Europe, and many pilgrims (and their money) passed through Asturias on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
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List of Asturian monarchs*
Asturian art*
Reconquista*
autonomous community of
Asturias.
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History of Spain*
Timeline of the Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula
