Ramiro I of Asturias
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Bermudo I of Asturias
Bermudo I , called the Deacon or the Monk, was the King of Asturias from 788 or 789 until his abdication in 791. He was a son of Fruela, brother of Alfonso I, and a brother of Aurelius...
, he succeeded Alfonso II
Alfonso II of Asturias
Alfonso II , called the Chaste, was the king of Asturias from 791 to his death, the son of Fruela I and the Basque Munia.He was born in Oviedo in 759 or 760. He was put under the guardianship of his aunt Adosinda after his father's death, but one tradition relates his being put in the monastery of...
.
First, he had to deal with the usurper Nepocian, defeating him at the Battle of the Bridge of Cornellana
Battle of the Bridge of Cornellana
The Battle of the Bridge of Cornellana occurred in 840 between the forces of Nepocian, who had been elected by the nobility to succeed Alfonso II of Asturias, and Ramiro, a kinsman of the dead king...
, by the river Narcea
Narcea
The Narcea is a river of Asturias. It is a tributary of the Nalón River....
. Ramiro then removed the system of election which allowed his family to be displaced by a faction of nobles. Shortly after his succession, he went to Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
, where he took a wife, presumably the Paterna who was his widow (not Paterna Urraca, the latter being the name of the queen of a later Ramiro). Given the age of his son Ordoño I
Ordoño I of Asturias
Ordoño I was King of Asturias from 850 until his death.-Biography:He was born in Oviedo, where he spent his early life in the court of Alfonso II. He was probably associated with the crown from an early age. He was probably raised in Lugo, capital of the province of Galicia, of which his father,...
, this must have been a second marriage.
During his turbulent reign, the chronicles relate that he had to fend off attacks from both the Vikings and the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
. He drove out a Viking expedition in 844. The latter, the old chronicles assert, he defeated in the legendary Battle of Clavijo
Battle of Clavijo
The Battle of Clavijo was a legendary battle, supposedly fought in 844 near Clavijo between the Christians led by Ramiro I of Asturias and the Muslims led by the Emir of Córdoba. Saint James the Great, known to Spaniards as Santiago Matamoros , is reputed to have aided the vastly outnumbered...
. At this battle, Saint James the Greater, the Moor-Slayer, is claimed to have appeared on a white horse, giving rise to his cult in Iberia
Iberia
The name Iberia refers to three historical regions of the old world:* Iberian Peninsula, in Southwest Europe, location of modern-day Portugal and Spain** Prehistoric Iberia...
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In 846, the Christian population of León fled before a Moorish attack. It was not reoccupied until 856, under Ordoño I.
The art and architecture of his reign forms the Ramirense phase of Asturian art
Asturian art
Pre-Romanesque architecture in Asturias is framed between the years 711 and 910, the period of the rise, extension and disappearance of the kingdom of Asturias.-Historical introduction:...
. His court was the center of great splendor, of which the palace and church of Santa María del Naranco
Santa María del Naranco
The church of St Mary at Mount Naranco is a Roman Catholic Asturian pre-Romanesque Asturian architecture church on the slope of Mount Naranco situated 3 km from Oviedo, northern Spain. Ramiro I of Asturias ordered it to be built as a royal palace as part of a larger complex that also...
and San Miguel de Lillo
San Miguel de Lillo
-External links:* * http://www.360cities.net/business/san-miguel-de-lillo-oviedo-world-heritage* http://www.santamariadelnaranco.es/...
are testimony.
Ramiro died at Liño
Lino
Lino may refer to:*Lino, short for linoleum, a common flooring material*Lino, slang for linesman, the former name for an assistant referee in football*Lino, slang for an habitual user of the narcotic cocaine...
and was succeeded by his son, the aforementioned Ordoño.