Froila Ramírez
Encyclopedia
Froila or Fruela Ramírez (fl.
1150–1202) was a Leonese
nobleman and a scion of the Flagínez clan. His power and influence lay chiefly in the heart of the province of León and its west, but it extended into Galicia
and the Asturias
.
and his first wife, Inés (Agnes). He is first mentioned in a document dated 22 September 1150, whereby his father granted to him and his elder brother, Alfonso
, the bridewealth he owed to their late mother.
He took his first wife, Urraca González, daughter of Gonzalo Fernández de Traba
, sometime before 28 September 1171. He had been raised at the court of her grandfather, Fernando Pérez. On 29 June 1170, with no mention of their marriage, Froila granted the abbey of Morás
to Urraca "out of love for your grandfather, Count Don Fernando, who raised me, and because of faithful service when I was accepted by your father, Count Don Gonzalo". Later in 1171, after their marriage, she donated some property at Revello near Villalón to the Order of Santiago
. In 1173 Froila and Urraca granted their property at San Miguel de Camino (Sancti Michaelis de Camino) and at Val de Mazana (Valdemanzanas) to the Hospital of San Marcos
. Urraca supported the Hospitallers with a gift in 1182, and patronised the monasteries of Benevívere and Meira
in 1189. She died on 1 August 1190. By May 1198 Froila had remarried to a woman named Sancha Fernández. She is a very obscure woman, who was still living in 1234, when she donated land at Fresnedo to the monastery of Vega de Espinareda
. Froila's known children, all with Sancha, were Diego, María, Ramiro, Rodrigo, Teresa, Vermudo (Bernardo), and perhaps a Nuño.
Froila's religious patronage was diverse. He made early grants to the Cathedral of Santa María
in León (1174) and the Benedictine
monastery at Sahagún
(1175). He endowed the Hospitallers in 1181 and 1184, by which time his wife had already shown partiality to the military orders. In 1188 he made a grant to the Cistercian house of Peñamayor.
in 1168. In 1171 he was given the government of Astorga
, which his grandfather Froila Díaz had ruled. This tenencia held limited powers in the city of Astorga itself but rather more in the surrounding region (terra). In 1173 he held briefly the tenencia of Villamor. Between 1182 and 1184 he served Ferdinand II
as alférez
, overseeing the royal military entourage, a post usually reserved for young noblemen at court. In 1186 he was appointed to the vast tenencia of Asturias de Oviedo
, where his family's origins lay. He was reappointed to govern it five times: in 1187, 1189, 1192, 1193, and 1195. In the same year (1186) that he first received Oviedo he was also appointed to govern the Bierzo in western León. It was to be the centre of his power after the loss of Astorga and he held it until 1198 with a brief interlude (April 1188–May 1189), when it was held by Velasco Fernández.
Upon losing Astorga in 1188, on the death of Ferdinand II, Froila was recompensed with the tenencias of Mayorga, Montenegro
, and Sarria
. By 11 August 1189 he bore the title count
(Latin comes), the highest in the kingdom. The lands he governed for the crown were rapidly expanded in the early years of Alfonso IX. In 1189 he received the rule of Asturias de Tineo (retained until 1192), Babia, Faro, Lemos
, Monreal, Riba de Esla, and Villafranca
(retained until 1194). Between 1190 and 1192 he was transferred to the tenencias of Ulver
and Valcárcel.
In 1191 Froila was granted the tenencia of León, the royal capital, a post which, though largely honorific, had been held by his grandfather before him. On 9 April 1192 he received Salientes from Alfonso IX pro bono seruicio ("for good service"). In subsequent years he ruled the tenencias of Vexar (1192), Almanza
(1193), Valle (1194), and Toro
(1197). In May 1198 Froila and Sancha ceded a fuero
to the town of Cifuentes de Rueda, which had been in his family for generations.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1150–1202) was a Leonese
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...
nobleman and a scion of the Flagínez clan. His power and influence lay chiefly in the heart of the province of León and its west, but it extended into Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Founded by Suebic king Hermeric in the year 409, the Galician capital was established in Braga, being the first kingdom which...
and the Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
.
Private activity
Froila was the second son of Ramiro FróilazRamiro Fróilaz
Ramiro Fróilaz was a Leonese magnate, statesman, and military leader. He was a dominant figure in the kingdom during the reigns of Alfonso VII and Ferdinand II. He was primarily a territorial governor, but also a court figure, connected to royalty both by blood and by marriage...
and his first wife, Inés (Agnes). He is first mentioned in a document dated 22 September 1150, whereby his father granted to him and his elder brother, Alfonso
Alfonso Ramírez (count)
Alfonso Ramírez was a Spanish nobleman of the Kingdom of León, who ruled the Bierzo intermittently between 1167 and his death....
, the bridewealth he owed to their late mother.
He took his first wife, Urraca González, daughter of Gonzalo Fernández de Traba
Gonzalo Fernández de Traba
Gonzalo Fernández de Traba was a Galician nobleman and the leader of the House of Traba. He was the eldest son and successor of Fernando Pérez de Traba by his wife Sancha González...
, sometime before 28 September 1171. He had been raised at the court of her grandfather, Fernando Pérez. On 29 June 1170, with no mention of their marriage, Froila granted the abbey of Morás
Moras
Moras is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France....
to Urraca "out of love for your grandfather, Count Don Fernando, who raised me, and because of faithful service when I was accepted by your father, Count Don Gonzalo". Later in 1171, after their marriage, she donated some property at Revello near Villalón to the Order of Santiago
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
. In 1173 Froila and Urraca granted their property at San Miguel de Camino (Sancti Michaelis de Camino) and at Val de Mazana (Valdemanzanas) to the Hospital of San Marcos
Convent of San Marcos, León
The convent of San Marcos in León, Spain is today an operating luxury parador hotel. It also contains a consecrated church and museum, and is one of the most important monuments of the Renaissance in Spain. It is one of the greatest architectural jewels of León, together with the Cathedral, the...
. Urraca supported the Hospitallers with a gift in 1182, and patronised the monasteries of Benevívere and Meira
Meira
Meira, is a municipality in the Spanish province of Lugo and a parish of the municipality of Moaña....
in 1189. She died on 1 August 1190. By May 1198 Froila had remarried to a woman named Sancha Fernández. She is a very obscure woman, who was still living in 1234, when she donated land at Fresnedo to the monastery of Vega de Espinareda
Vega de Espinareda
Vega de Espinareda is a village and municipality located in the region of El Bierzo . According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,705 inhabitants.- External links :* * *...
. Froila's known children, all with Sancha, were Diego, María, Ramiro, Rodrigo, Teresa, Vermudo (Bernardo), and perhaps a Nuño.
Froila's religious patronage was diverse. He made early grants to the Cathedral of Santa María
León Cathedral
Santa María de León Cathedral, also called The House of Light or the Pulchra Leonina is situated in the city of León in north-western Spain. It was built on the site of previous Roman baths of the 2nd century which, 800 years later, king Ordoño II converted into a palace.The León Cathedral,...
in León (1174) and the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery at Sahagún
Sahagún
Sahagún can refer to:*Sahagún, Spain, a town and monastery in Léon, Spain. Cradle of the Mudéjar architecture*Sahagún, Córdoba, the second town in population in Córdoba Department, Colombia, also called "The Cultural City of Cordoba"People...
(1175). He endowed the Hospitallers in 1181 and 1184, by which time his wife had already shown partiality to the military orders. In 1188 he made a grant to the Cistercian house of Peñamayor.
Public activity
The first tenencia (fief from the crown) which Froila received was CastrotierraCastrotierra de Valmadrigal
Castrotierra de Valmadrigal , Castrutierra de Valmadrigal in Leonese language, is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 124 inhabitants....
in 1168. In 1171 he was given the government of Astorga
Astorga, Spain
Astorga is a town in the province of León, northern Spain. It lies southwest of the provincial capital of León, and is the head of the council of La Maragatería. The river Tuerto flows through it. , its population was about 12,100 people....
, which his grandfather Froila Díaz had ruled. This tenencia held limited powers in the city of Astorga itself but rather more in the surrounding region (terra). In 1173 he held briefly the tenencia of Villamor. Between 1182 and 1184 he served Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II of Leon
Ferdinand II was King of León and Galicia from 1157 to his death.-Life:Born in Toledo, Castile, he was the son of King Alfonso VII of León and Castile and of Berenguela, of the House of Barcelona. At his father's death, he received León and Galicia, while his brother Sancho received Castile and...
as alférez
Alférez
Alférez is a junior officer rank also used in Spain, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The variant Alferes is used in Portugal and was formerly also used in Brazil. A naval variant, Frigate Alférez, is used in Spain, Dominican Republic and Peru. "Alférez" is often translated as ensign...
, overseeing the royal military entourage, a post usually reserved for young noblemen at court. In 1186 he was appointed to the vast tenencia of Asturias de Oviedo
Asturias de Oviedo
Asturias de Oviedo is one of the historical comarcas in the Kingdom of Asturias. It extended from the Eo River in the west to the Deva River in the east, and from the Bay of Biscay in the north to the Cordillera Cantábrica in the south...
, where his family's origins lay. He was reappointed to govern it five times: in 1187, 1189, 1192, 1193, and 1195. In the same year (1186) that he first received Oviedo he was also appointed to govern the Bierzo in western León. It was to be the centre of his power after the loss of Astorga and he held it until 1198 with a brief interlude (April 1188–May 1189), when it was held by Velasco Fernández.
Upon losing Astorga in 1188, on the death of Ferdinand II, Froila was recompensed with the tenencias of Mayorga, Montenegro
Montenegro, Spain
Montenegro is located at in Andalucía, Spain; and currently has only 5 adult inhabitants. It is part of the municipality of Alpujarra de la Sierra.It is on the old GR 7 trading route that runs from Algeciras to Greece....
, and Sarria
Sarria
Sarria is a municipality in the province of Lugo, northwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Sarria is the most densely populate town on the French Way in Galicia, with 13 700 inhabitants...
. By 11 August 1189 he bore the title count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
(Latin comes), the highest in the kingdom. The lands he governed for the crown were rapidly expanded in the early years of Alfonso IX. In 1189 he received the rule of Asturias de Tineo (retained until 1192), Babia, Faro, Lemos
Monforte de Lemos
Monforte de Lemos is a city and municipality in northwestern Spain, in the province of Lugo, Galicia. It covers an area of 200 km² and lies 62 km from Lugo. As of 2005 it had a population of 19,472. It is located in a valley between the shores of Sil River and Miño River, in the area...
, Monreal, Riba de Esla, and Villafranca
Villafranca de Duero
Villafranca de Duero is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 374 inhabitants....
(retained until 1194). Between 1190 and 1192 he was transferred to the tenencias of Ulver
Cornatel
Cornăţel may refer to several villages in Romania:* Cornăţel, a village in Buzoeşti Commune, Argeş County* Cornăţel, a village in Urecheşti Commune, Bacău County* Cornăţel, a village in Roşia Commune, Sibiu County...
and Valcárcel.
In 1191 Froila was granted the tenencia of León, the royal capital, a post which, though largely honorific, had been held by his grandfather before him. On 9 April 1192 he received Salientes from Alfonso IX pro bono seruicio ("for good service"). In subsequent years he ruled the tenencias of Vexar (1192), Almanza
Almanza
Almanza is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2009 census , the municipality has a population of 609 inhabitants.-Villages:*Almanza*Cabrera de Almanza* Calaveras de Abajo...
(1193), Valle (1194), and Toro
Toro, Zamora
Toro is a town and municipality in the province of Zamora, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located on a fertile high plain, northwest of Madrid at an elevation of 740 meters....
(1197). In May 1198 Froila and Sancha ceded a fuero
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
to the town of Cifuentes de Rueda, which had been in his family for generations.