Arias Pérez
Encyclopedia
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" (non fuit tamen magnae nobilitatis).
of Deza
" (miles de Deza) in a document of 1115. Arias first met Diego Gelmírez
, future Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, in childhood. Diego's father Gelmirio was also a Galician knight. At some point Pedro granted an estate, a portion of a certain Villa nova, probably Vilanova de Arousa
in Deza, to the church of nearby Compostela. His brother Luzo (Lucius) Arias made a similar donation. On 11 January 1096 Pedro and his brother subscribed a charter whereby Raymond of Galicia gave the village of Pastoriza in the parish of Brandariz in Deza to the monastery of Carboeiro
(or Deza); they also signed side by side a document of 24 October 1102. Arias's origins among the lesser nobility is further confirmed by the description of his uncle in the Historia compostellan as of the milites (knights) and not the consules et comites ("consuls and counts", synonymous titles). Arias had a cousin named Leovigildo Luz, mentioned in the Historia, who was the son of his uncle. Arias's paternal grandfather, after whom he was named, was most likely the Arias Luzu who undersigned certain royal documents between 1066 and 1075, including a grant to Carboeiro. In 1062 he witnessed and possibly conducted the survey of an estate at Pastoriza later included in Raymond's 1096 grant to Carboeiro. Between 1095 and 1101 he became villicus terrae
of Deza. His wife, Mayor, held land in the Salnés, as did Arias Pérez, who tried several times to acquire more.
, the guardian of the heir, Alfonso Raimúndez, rebelled against Queen Urraca and her new husband, Alfonso the Battler
. According to the Historia, he was opposed by a "brotherhood" (germanitas) led by Arias Pérez (from 1110). It is possible that Pedro's rebellion represented a "Galician separatism" and Arias's brotherhood a "Leonese loyalism", but it is more probable that Pedro simply had the support of northwestern Galicia and Arias of the south. Arias got Diego Gelmírez, the most powerful churchman in Galicia, to accept the leadership of the brotherhood late in 1109 or early in 1110. In 1110 a truce between Pedro and the brotherhood was broken when the former took over the south Galician fortress of Castrelo de Miño
and installed a garrison there under his wife Urraca and the young Alfonso. Arias promptly besieged it, and Pedro came to defend it. The besieged called on Diego to negotiate terms of surrender, which he did, but the brotherhood had grown suspicious of him and when a deal was struck Arias had Diego, Pedro, and Alfonso all arrested. In exchange for the castles of Oeste
and Lanzada, they were all soon released and Diego went over to the separatists. After the coronation of Alfonso and reconciliation of the Galicians with the queen in 1111, Arias was besieged in Lobeira with the aid of royal forces, and there he was captured in April 1112.
(hominium) to Diego Gelmírez as "their lord, their patron, their king and their prince, saving their fealty to the queen" and recognise his rule (dominio). In 1121, however, after Diego had renewed his alliance with the Pedro Fróilaz de Traba, his power appeared to threaten that of the queen. In the summer of 1121 she had him arrested at Castrelo by Arias in collaboration with Fernando Yáñez and the former merino
Juan Ramírez. Diego was imprisoned in Juan Díaz's castle at Orcellón. Around this time (1121/2) Arias patched up his feud with Pedro by marrying the latter's daughter Ildaria.
In the spring of 1126, shortly after Urraca's death and the accession of Alfonso, Arias led a rebellion in Galicia. Diego Gelmírez and Gómez Núñez of Toroño or perhaps Gutierre Vermúdez
were charged per litteras ("by letter") with putting it down. Diego besieged Arias in Lobeiro and, with siege engines, in Tabeirós, forcing him to surrender. In 1128 or 1129, at the funeral of Arias's mother-in-law, Mayor Rodríguez de Bárcena, Diego persuaded Arias to surrender his half of the church/monastery at Arcos da Condesa in the Salnés. Diego's opinion of Arias was such that he said to him: "I fear, therefore, that if such that you are you leave this world, you will lose eternal life and incur the perpetual condemnation of your soul."
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
. According to modern scholar Richard Fletcher
Richard A. Fletcher
Richard A. Fletcher was a historian who specialized in the medieval period. He was Professor of History at the University of York and one of the outstanding talents in English and Spanish medieval scholarship....
, 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" (non fuit tamen magnae nobilitatis).
Family
Arias's father, Pedro Arias, was described as a "knightKnight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of Deza
O Deza
O Deza is a comarca in the Galician Province of Pontevedra. The overall population of this local region is 45,328 .-Municipalities:Silleda, Vila de Cruces, Agolada, Rodeiro, Dozón and Lalín....
" (miles de Deza) in a document of 1115. Arias first met Diego Gelmírez
Diego Gelmírez
Diego Gelmírez was the second bishop and first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. He is a prominent figure in the history of Galicia and an important historiographer of the Spain of his day...
, future Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, in childhood. Diego's father Gelmirio was also a Galician knight. At some point Pedro granted an estate, a portion of a certain Villa nova, probably Vilanova de Arousa
Vilanova de Arousa
Vilanova de Arousa is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra....
in Deza, to the church of nearby Compostela. His brother Luzo (Lucius) Arias made a similar donation. On 11 January 1096 Pedro and his brother subscribed a charter whereby Raymond of Galicia gave the village of Pastoriza in the parish of Brandariz in Deza to the monastery of Carboeiro
Monastery of Carboeiro
The Monastery of San Lourenzo de Carboeiro is one of the architectural works of the late Romanesque, the transition to the Gothic, most outstanding of Galicia....
(or Deza); they also signed side by side a document of 24 October 1102. Arias's origins among the lesser nobility is further confirmed by the description of his uncle in the Historia compostellan as of the milites (knights) and not the consules et comites ("consuls and counts", synonymous titles). Arias had a cousin named Leovigildo Luz, mentioned in the Historia, who was the son of his uncle. Arias's paternal grandfather, after whom he was named, was most likely the Arias Luzu who undersigned certain royal documents between 1066 and 1075, including a grant to Carboeiro. In 1062 he witnessed and possibly conducted the survey of an estate at Pastoriza later included in Raymond's 1096 grant to Carboeiro. Between 1095 and 1101 he became villicus terrae
Villicus
Vilicus , was a slave who had the superintendence of the villa rustica, and of all the business of the farm, except the cattle, which were under the care of the magister pecoris...
of Deza. His wife, Mayor, held land in the Salnés, as did Arias Pérez, who tried several times to acquire more.
The Brotherhood
In 1107 Pedro Fróilaz de TrabaPedro Fróilaz de 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 .....
, the guardian of the heir, Alfonso Raimúndez, rebelled against Queen Urraca and her new husband, Alfonso the Battler
Alfonso the Battler
Alfonso I , called the Battler or the Warrior , was the king of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Peter I...
. According to the Historia, he was opposed by a "brotherhood" (germanitas) led by Arias Pérez (from 1110). It is possible that Pedro's rebellion represented a "Galician separatism" and Arias's brotherhood a "Leonese loyalism", but it is more probable that Pedro simply had the support of northwestern Galicia and Arias of the south. Arias got Diego Gelmírez, the most powerful churchman in Galicia, to accept the leadership of the brotherhood late in 1109 or early in 1110. In 1110 a truce between Pedro and the brotherhood was broken when the former took over the south Galician fortress of Castrelo de Miño
Castrelo de Miño
Castrelo de Miño is a municipality in Ourense in the Galicia region of north-west Spain. It is a small area and lies in the western part of the province....
and installed a garrison there under his wife Urraca and the young Alfonso. Arias promptly besieged it, and Pedro came to defend it. The besieged called on Diego to negotiate terms of surrender, which he did, but the brotherhood had grown suspicious of him and when a deal was struck Arias had Diego, Pedro, and Alfonso all arrested. In exchange for the castles of Oeste
Oeste
Oeste, is a NUTS 3 sub-region of the NUTS 2 Centro Region of Portugal. The sub-region is coterminous with the Comunidade Intermunicipal do Oeste of the same name...
and Lanzada, they were all soon released and Diego went over to the separatists. After the coronation of Alfonso and reconciliation of the Galicians with the queen in 1111, Arias was besieged in Lobeira with the aid of royal forces, and there he was captured in April 1112.
Conflict with Diego Gelmírez
Late in 1113, when the royal court was in Galicia, Arias was inciting Urraca against Diego. She tried to confiscate the property of the three Bodán brothers from Deza, including the monastery of Bodaño or Budiño in Arias's area of interest. In 1120, according to the Historia, Urraca ordered the leading men (principes) of Galicia, including Arias Pérez, Fernando Yáñez, Bermudo Suárez, Juan Díaz, and others, to do homageHomage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
(hominium) to Diego Gelmírez as "their lord, their patron, their king and their prince, saving their fealty to the queen" and recognise his rule (dominio). In 1121, however, after Diego had renewed his alliance with the Pedro Fróilaz de Traba, his power appeared to threaten that of the queen. In the summer of 1121 she had him arrested at Castrelo by Arias in collaboration with Fernando Yáñez and the former merino
Merindad
Merindad is a Mediaeval Spanish administrative term that refers to a country subdivision smaller than a province but larger than a municipality. It was roughly approximate to the English count or bailiff...
Juan Ramírez. Diego was imprisoned in Juan Díaz's castle at Orcellón. Around this time (1121/2) Arias patched up his feud with Pedro by marrying the latter's daughter Ildaria.
In the spring of 1126, shortly after Urraca's death and the accession of Alfonso, Arias led a rebellion in Galicia. Diego Gelmírez and Gómez Núñez of Toroño or perhaps Gutierre Vermúdez
Gutierre Vermúdez
Gutierre Vermúdez was a nobleman of the Kingdom of León, with interests primarily in Galicia, mainly in the northeast, around Lugo. He was a strong and loyal supporter of both Queen Urraca and the Emperor Alfonso VII .Gutierre was a son of Vermudo Ovéquiz, a son of Count Oveco Vermúdez...
were charged per litteras ("by letter") with putting it down. Diego besieged Arias in Lobeiro and, with siege engines, in Tabeirós, forcing him to surrender. In 1128 or 1129, at the funeral of Arias's mother-in-law, Mayor Rodríguez de Bárcena, Diego persuaded Arias to surrender his half of the church/monastery at Arcos da Condesa in the Salnés. Diego's opinion of Arias was such that he said to him: "I fear, therefore, that if such that you are you leave this world, you will lose eternal life and incur the perpetual condemnation of your soul."