Fruela Díaz
Encyclopedia
Fruela Díaz (died 1119), known in contemporary sources as Froila Didaci or Didaz, was a nobleman in the Kingdom of León
, the dominant figure in the centre of the realm during the late reign of Alfonso VI and the early reign of Urraca. A man of great private wealth who expanded his landholdings through numerous purchases, he was able to marry royalty and maintain good terms with his sovereigns of León as well as the rulers of Galicia
and Portugal
, whose territories lay immediately to the west of his area of influence. He also founded a hospital, a traveller's inn and a settlement that grew into a town. His lands raised some of the most valuable horses in Spain, he was buried in the royal pantheon of the kings of León, and his high rank—highest in the kingdom after the king and the rulers of Galicia and Portugal—is remembered in the most famous of cantares de gesta.
, although his parentage is nowhere explicitly stated in surviving sources. Ramón Menéndez Pidal
believed that Fruela was the brother of Jimena Díaz
, wife of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, but this is unlikely. In fact Fruela's wife was the sister of Ramiro Sánchez
, husband of Rodrigo's daughter Christina. It has been suggested that Fruela was a son of Diego Ansúrez and thus a nephew of Pedro Ansúrez
, but this hypothesis has little to recommend it besides the patronymic
Díaz ("son of Diego"). Fruela's father was probably Diego Pérez, a son of Pedro Flaínez and Bronilde. His mother was Mayor (María) Fróilaz, daughter of Froila Múñoz
. The earliest surviving record of him Fruela dates to 1069. His elder brother, Antonio, died young and Fruela, as the only surviving male child, inherited his father's estates. The archives of Fruela's branch of the Flagínez family were preserved in the monastery of Santa María de Oteros de las Dueñas, the only such case of a noble family's records being preserved from the Spanish high Middle Ages. On top of this is conserved in the tumbo of the Cathedral of Santa María
in León (doc. 11, fol. 83) a brief genealogy of Antonio and Fruela, then children, as part of a diploma whereby their mother donated the monstery of San Pedro de Valdoré to the cathedral in December 1073.
Fruela served Count Raymond of Galicia as majordomo, the highest court official, from 1094 to 1096 at least, and perhaps as late as 1106. He may have held the post throughout Raymond's countship (1090–1107), but insufficient surviving documentation does not allow the case to be proven. An analysis of the charters he confirmed for Count Raymond shows that he "was a regular member ... of the entourage that gathered around [Raymond] during the latter's circuit of Galicia in the late springs and early summers", but not a fixture at Raymond's court. In the count's disputes with the king, Fruela openly took Raymond's side. Fruela was prominent enough at the royal court, however, confirming a third of all royal charters given during the latter part of Alfonso's reign.
s and by 14 May 1087 he also held that rank. Not long thereafter, in 1091, he was granted the fief (tenencia) of Valdeorras
in Galicia, which he held until 1104. Such tenencias were held ad imperandum, to be governed and could be revoked by the monarch at any time. They were distinct from the count's private holdings, lands ad possidendum, which he owned and which the monarch could not alienate. The only other fiefs he held for more than a year or two were Sarria
(1098–1103), Larín
(1102–06), and the important episcopal city of Astorga (1107–17). The rule of Astorga probably carried limited rights in the city itself but extensive powers in the surrounding region. It is with Astorga that Fruela is most commonly associated after 1107. On 10 April 1104, according to a royal charter now lost, Fruela and his wife founded a settlement at the foot of the castle
called castro Dactonio in the fiefdom of Sarria on land owned by the monastery of San Vicente del Pino. This settlement became the town of Monforte de Lemos
, which Fruela held as a tenencia until 1111, when it passed to Rodrigo Vélaz
.
Late in his life Fruela briefly acquired the fiefs of Aguilar (1111–12), Riba de Esla (1113), and Cifuentes de Rueda (1117–19). He also governed the Bierzo for a time, probably in 1115. In 1116 he made a donation of land at Puerto de Pajares to the Augustinian canons
of the collegiate church of Santa María at Arbas del Puerto. This land, in the mountains of the Asturias, was intended for the construction of a hostel for travellers, which operated until as late as 1835. The full text of the diploma has now been lost, and it is suspected that it may have included a fuller will and testament, since Fruela was then in his old age.
, near Calahorra
, but may have sold these in order to purchase land more near to her husbands estates. They were married towards 1085, and on 11 September 1087 Fruela gave his wife arras
. Her royal pedigree was mentioned in a grant of land in Astorga they received from Henry of Portugal
on 1 March 1112, which included the Torre Cornellera and ten sections of the city wall. She outlived her husband by at least ten years: on 18 April 1129 she granted a fuero
to Villarmildo. The couple's children were Constance, Diego, María, and Ramiro
.
Fruela and Estefanía were most active in acquiring property (gananciales) through private transactions between 1088 and 1113. With twenty-three such exchanges having left records, their case is one of the best preserved of its kind: private land transactions, especially aristocratic purchases from peasants, increased dramatically in Spain between the late tenth and early twelfth century. Some of the couple's early, eleventh-century property gains were of the form of loan repayments, though this type of transaction disappears from the record altogether in the twelfth century.
In 1118 a certain Martín Eitaz, convicted of murdering one of Fruela's servants, was forced to become his servant for life or until released by a payment.
and had long been associated with the Flagínez. On 17 November 1110 he signed a document as comes in terra de legione et in gralare (count in the land of León and in Grajal
), perhaps a special authority associated with the breakdown of relations between Urraca and the King of Aragon, Alfonso the Battler
, who was also her husband. In 1112 Fruela received a royal "gift" of estates at Ulvayo from the queen "for loyal service", and he repaid her generosity with the gift of a horse worth a magnificent 5,000 solidi, equivalent at the time to 5,000 sheep. A horse worth so much could only be destined for the royal stables and royal rider, the queen herself, and it illustrates Fruela's enormous personal wealth. In 1115, when Urraca and Alfonso were fighting for control of the important monastic site of Sahagún
, Fruela was acting as count in Ceia (Ceón) just to the north. On 9 December 1117 Fruela witnessed the second charter issued by Urraca's son Alfonso Raimúndez, whom the Galicians had made co-ruler against her will in 1111. Although the language and the name of the notary may suggest that it has been interpolated, the document, made at Sahagún, refers to Alfonso with the title imperator (emperor).
When Fruela died in the summer of 1119 he passed Cifuentes on to his eldest son, Diego, who became alférez
of Alfonso VII in 1137 and died prematurely in 1040, leaving a daughter, Estefanía Díaz, who was disinherited by her uncle, Ramiro, when she married without his will. Ramiro then received Cifuentes. In 1198 Cifuentes received a fuero from Ramiro's son, Froila Ramírez
, and it remained with their family into the thirteenth century. Fruela's elder daughter Constance died in the flower of youth, while the younger, María, married twice: first to a Galician magante, Melendo Núñez, and second to the count Pedro Alfonso
.
Fruela and Estefanía may have been buried in the Panteón de los Reyes in the church of San Isidoro de León amongst their relatives of the Flagínez clan. Prudencio de Sandoval
claimed to find the sepulchres of "the countess Estefanía who endowed this church, and the count Don Fruela, a great knight in arms" among ten of their family in the third row of burials in either the main chapel or the Panteón (it is unclear which). The identifying inscriptions, however, were already illegible in the time of Manuel Risco
, and today Sandoval's conclusions cannot be verified.
Fruela's posthumous reputation can be gauged from lines 3000–3006 of the Poema del Cid (c.1140), where he is placed in the second tier of nobility, immediately beneath Alfonso VI, Henry of Portugal, and Raymond of Galicia, all of whom he served in his long career. This is the beginning of the "Cortes de Carrión" passage:
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...
, the dominant figure in the centre of the realm during the late reign of Alfonso VI and the early reign of Urraca. A man of great private wealth who expanded his landholdings through numerous purchases, he was able to marry royalty and maintain good terms with his sovereigns of León as well as the rulers of 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 Portugal
County of Portugal
The County of Portugal was the region around Braga and Porto, today corresponding to littoral northern Portugal, from the late ninth to the early twelfth century, during which it was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León.-History:...
, whose territories lay immediately to the west of his area of influence. He also founded a hospital, a traveller's inn and a settlement that grew into a town. His lands raised some of the most valuable horses in Spain, he was buried in the royal pantheon of the kings of León, and his high rank—highest in the kingdom after the king and the rulers of Galicia and Portugal—is remembered in the most famous of cantares de gesta.
Origins and service to Raymond of Galicia
Fruela's origins lay in the AsturiasAsturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, although his parentage is nowhere explicitly stated in surviving sources. Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal was a Spanish philologist and historian. He worked extensively on the history of the Spanish language and Spanish folklore and folk poetry. One of his main topics was the history and legend of The Cid....
believed that Fruela was the brother of Jimena Díaz
Jimena Díaz
Doña Ximena Díaz was the wife of El Cid from 1074 and her husband's successor as ruler of Valencia from 1099 to 1102.-References:*...
, wife of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, but this is unlikely. In fact Fruela's wife was the sister of Ramiro Sánchez
Ramiro Sánchez, Lord of Monzón
Ramiro Sánchez of Monzón was a noble kinsman of the kings of Navarre, and lord of the town of Monzón, Spain.His father was Sancho Garcés, an illegitimate son of king García Sánchez III of Navarre...
, husband of Rodrigo's daughter Christina. It has been suggested that Fruela was a son of Diego Ansúrez and thus a nephew of Pedro Ansúrez
Pedro Ansúrez
Pedro Ansúrez was a Castilian count of Liébana, Saldaña and Carrión in the closing decades of the eleventh century and the opening decades of the twelfth. He is considered the founder and first lord of Valladolid....
, but this hypothesis has little to recommend it besides the patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
Díaz ("son of Diego"). Fruela's father was probably Diego Pérez, a son of Pedro Flaínez and Bronilde. His mother was Mayor (María) Fróilaz, daughter of Froila Múñoz
Froila Muñoz
Froila or Fruela Muñoz was a Leonese count. The sixty-seven surviving charters recording his property exchanges between 1007 and 1045 provide "compelling evidence of the active part that was being played by members of the aristocracy in the land markets of eleventh-century León" and that no...
. The earliest surviving record of him Fruela dates to 1069. His elder brother, Antonio, died young and Fruela, as the only surviving male child, inherited his father's estates. The archives of Fruela's branch of the Flagínez family were preserved in the monastery of Santa María de Oteros de las Dueñas, the only such case of a noble family's records being preserved from the Spanish high Middle Ages. On top of this is conserved in the tumbo of 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 (doc. 11, fol. 83) a brief genealogy of Antonio and Fruela, then children, as part of a diploma whereby their mother donated the monstery of San Pedro de Valdoré to the cathedral in December 1073.
Fruela served Count Raymond of Galicia as majordomo, the highest court official, from 1094 to 1096 at least, and perhaps as late as 1106. He may have held the post throughout Raymond's countship (1090–1107), but insufficient surviving documentation does not allow the case to be proven. An analysis of the charters he confirmed for Count Raymond shows that he "was a regular member ... of the entourage that gathered around [Raymond] during the latter's circuit of Galicia in the late springs and early summers", but not a fixture at Raymond's court. In the count's disputes with the king, Fruela openly took Raymond's side. Fruela was prominent enough at the royal court, however, confirming a third of all royal charters given during the latter part of Alfonso's reign.
Fiefs of the crown
Both of Fruela's grandfathers were countCount
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...
s and by 14 May 1087 he also held that rank. Not long thereafter, in 1091, he was granted the fief (tenencia) of Valdeorras
Valdeorras
Valdeorras is a comarca in the Galician Province of Ourense. The overall population of this local region is 28,984 .-Municipalities:*O Barco de Valdeorras, capital of the comarca*O Bolo*Carballeda de Valdeorras*Larouco* Petín* A Rúa* Rubiá...
in Galicia, which he held until 1104. Such tenencias were held ad imperandum, to be governed and could be revoked by the monarch at any time. They were distinct from the count's private holdings, lands ad possidendum, which he owned and which the monarch could not alienate. The only other fiefs he held for more than a year or two were 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...
(1098–1103), Larín
Larin
Larin may refer to:*Liz Larin, Detroit-based singer-songwriter*Rafael Menjívar Larín, Salvadoran economist and politician *Sergei Larin, Kazakh professional footballer*Vladimir Larin, Soviet/Russian geologist*Sergejus Larinas, Latvian-Russian opera singer...
(1102–06), and the important episcopal city of Astorga (1107–17). The rule of Astorga probably carried limited rights in the city itself but extensive powers in the surrounding region. It is with Astorga that Fruela is most commonly associated after 1107. On 10 April 1104, according to a royal charter now lost, Fruela and his wife founded a settlement at the foot of the castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
called castro Dactonio in the fiefdom of Sarria on land owned by the monastery of San Vicente del Pino. This settlement became the town of Monforte de 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...
, which Fruela held as a tenencia until 1111, when it passed to Rodrigo Vélaz
Rodrigo Vélaz
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...
.
Late in his life Fruela briefly acquired the fiefs of Aguilar (1111–12), Riba de Esla (1113), and Cifuentes de Rueda (1117–19). He also governed the Bierzo for a time, probably in 1115. In 1116 he made a donation of land at Puerto de Pajares to the Augustinian canons
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
of the collegiate church of Santa María at Arbas del Puerto. This land, in the mountains of the Asturias, was intended for the construction of a hostel for travellers, which operated until as late as 1835. The full text of the diploma has now been lost, and it is suspected that it may have included a fuller will and testament, since Fruela was then in his old age.
Marriage and private dealings
Fruela married Estefanía Sánchez, daughter of Sancho Garcés, an illegitimate son of García Sánchez III of Navarre, and his wife Constance. She possessed lands in the RiojaRioja
Rioja or La Rioja may refer to:Spain*Rioja, Almería*La Rioja , a province and autonomous community in northern Spain**Rioja , red and white wines from the province**La Rioja **University of La Rioja...
, near Calahorra
Calahorra
Calahorra, , La Rioja, Spain is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as Calagurris.-Location:...
, but may have sold these in order to purchase land more near to her husbands estates. They were married towards 1085, and on 11 September 1087 Fruela gave his wife arras
Bride price
Bride price, also known as bride wealth, is an amount of money or property or wealth paid by the groom or his family to the parents of a woman upon the marriage of their daughter to the groom...
. Her royal pedigree was mentioned in a grant of land in Astorga they received from Henry of Portugal
Henry, Count of Portugal
Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal was Count of Portugal from 1093 to his death. He was brother of Hugh I, Duke of Burgundy, and Odo I, Duke of Burgundy, all sons of Henry, the heir of Robert I, Duke of Burgundy. His name is Henri in modern French, Henricus in Latin, Enrique in modern Spanish...
on 1 March 1112, which included the Torre Cornellera and ten sections of the city wall. She outlived her husband by at least ten years: on 18 April 1129 she granted 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 Villarmildo. The couple's children were Constance, Diego, María, and Ramiro
Ramiro 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...
.
In 1118 a certain Martín Eitaz, convicted of murdering one of Fruela's servants, was forced to become his servant for life or until released by a payment.
Service to Queen Urraca
Fruela was one of the magnates who witnessed the first recorded act of Queen Urraca, on 22 July 1109, and implicitly acknowledged her claim to have been granted "the whole kingdom" (regnum totum) by her father, Alfonso VI, shortly before his death. This important document Fruela signs as legionensium comes (count of León), a high-sounding title that was probably honorificHonorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
and had long been associated with the Flagínez. On 17 November 1110 he signed a document as comes in terra de legione et in gralare (count in the land of León and in Grajal
Grajal de Campos
Grajal de Campos , Grayal de Campos 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 246 inhabitants....
), perhaps a special authority associated with the breakdown of relations between Urraca and the King of Aragon, 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...
, who was also her husband. In 1112 Fruela received a royal "gift" of estates at Ulvayo from the queen "for loyal service", and he repaid her generosity with the gift of a horse worth a magnificent 5,000 solidi, equivalent at the time to 5,000 sheep. A horse worth so much could only be destined for the royal stables and royal rider, the queen herself, and it illustrates Fruela's enormous personal wealth. In 1115, when Urraca and Alfonso were fighting for control of the important monastic site of 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...
, Fruela was acting as count in Ceia (Ceón) just to the north. On 9 December 1117 Fruela witnessed the second charter issued by Urraca's son Alfonso Raimúndez, whom the Galicians had made co-ruler against her will in 1111. Although the language and the name of the notary may suggest that it has been interpolated, the document, made at Sahagún, refers to Alfonso with the title imperator (emperor).
Death, burial and reputation
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...
of Alfonso VII in 1137 and died prematurely in 1040, leaving a daughter, Estefanía Díaz, who was disinherited by her uncle, Ramiro, when she married without his will. Ramiro then received Cifuentes. In 1198 Cifuentes received a fuero from Ramiro's son, Froila Ramírez
Froila Ramírez
Froila or Fruela Ramírez 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.-Private activity:...
, and it remained with their family into the thirteenth century. Fruela's elder daughter Constance died in the flower of youth, while the younger, María, married twice: first to a Galician magante, Melendo Núñez, and second to the count Pedro Alfonso
Pedro Alfonso
Pedro Alfonso or Alfónsez was an Asturian magnate, dominating the region from 1139 until his death. He had vast landholdings in the Asturias, the province of León, and Toledo, including in the cities of León and Toledo, the most important cities of the realm. His commercial dealings, too, were...
.
Fruela and Estefanía may have been buried in the Panteón de los Reyes in the church of San Isidoro de León amongst their relatives of the Flagínez clan. Prudencio de Sandoval
Prudencio de Sandoval
Fray Prudencio de Sandoval was a Spanish historian and Benedictine, the Bishop of Tuy from 1608 to 1612 and Bishop of Pamplona thereafter until his death. He continued the chronicle begun by Florián de Ocampo and Ambrosio de Morales, and rather uncritically compiled a large collection of...
claimed to find the sepulchres of "the countess Estefanía who endowed this church, and the count Don Fruela, a great knight in arms" among ten of their family in the third row of burials in either the main chapel or the Panteón (it is unclear which). The identifying inscriptions, however, were already illegible in the time of Manuel Risco
Manuel Risco
Juan Manuel Martínez Ugarte , known as Manuel Risco or Padre Risco, was a Spanish historian. Born at Haro, he took the Augustinian habit at the Convento de Nuestra Señora del Risco in the Diocese of Ávila...
, and today Sandoval's conclusions cannot be verified.
Fruela's posthumous reputation can be gauged from lines 3000–3006 of the Poema del Cid (c.1140), where he is placed in the second tier of nobility, immediately beneath Alfonso VI, Henry of Portugal, and Raymond of Galicia, all of whom he served in his long career. This is the beginning of the "Cortes de Carrión" passage:
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