Rodrigo Vélaz
Encyclopedia
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 monarchs—Alfonso VI, Urraca, and Alfonso VII—and was loyal to all of them. He figures largely in the contemporary Historia compostellana, an important fact considering the complete loss of all of his own charters.
He was a son of Count Vela Ovéquiz and Aldonza Muñoz, daughter of Count Muño Fernández and Elvira. Rodrigo married Urraca Álvarez, daughter of Álvar Fáñez and Mayor Pérez, a daughter of Pedro Ansúrez
. Rodrigo and his wife were descended on all sides from the highest ranks of the nobility of León and Castile. The couple had three daughters—Aldonza, Berenguela, and Elvira—and one son, Álvaro Rodríguez
, who was later a count like his father. On 6 August 1130 Rodrigo and Urraca made a donation to the Cathedral of Lugo, their first recorded act as husband and wife.
by late May 1112. Shortly before, that same month, he had received the tenencia, that is, a fief of the crown governed but not owned by the holder, of Sarria
. By 1 April 1115 he had also been invested with the tenencia of Monteforte de Lemos
, and on 12 September 1118 he was cited as holding Caldelas (although this is the only reference to this tenencia in his hands). The region of Lemos and Sarria was usually governed by a count. It was bounded to the west by the river Minho
and to the south by the Sil. In 1120 a certain Pelayo Garciaz is recorded as merino
serving both the queen and Rodrigo in Sarria. By 7 September 1127 Rodrigo had also received the rule of Rábade
. The last record of his rule there dates from April 1142, although he continued to govern Sarria and Lemos until late September 1143. Royal documents usually refer to him as de or in Sarria (of or in Sarria), while private documents cite him as tenans or tenente (tenant, holder). There is a sole private document from 1137 that refers to Rodrigo's rule in Larín
. There is no record of Rodrigo after 5 October 1143 and he had perhaps become too ill or too weak to take a part in public affairs. He was by that time quite old. His death is mentioned in a document of 22 June 1144 as having happened at that time.
in an attempt to remove the bishop Diego Gelmírez
from power legally. Failing this she attempted to have him captured, which plan was spoiled by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba
. She then opened negotiations with Diego, resulting in her swearing an oath to respect his person and his honor (the secular territory under the bishop's government). A similar oath was extracted from the other Galician magnates, including Pedro Fróilaz and Rodrigo Vélaz. Rodrigo's loyalty to Urraca during the conflict-riddled part of her reign is demonstrated by the fact that he confirmed sixteen royal charters between 1112 and 1120, by far the most by any Galician magnate.
Rodrigo recognised the accession of Alfonso VII at Zamora
, with the other magnates of Galicia, after the new king had taken the capital city of León. On 18 July 1126 Alfonso VII granted land at Seixon to Pedro Ovéquiz and his wife María Fernández through the intervention of Rodrigo. It is a good indicator of his influence at court.
. The other was Fernando Pérez de Traba, who had joined the army by early October at Logroño
. Rodrigo arrived later that month, only after the army had reached the Ebro river. In 1139 Rodrigo participated in the Siege of Oreja
. In 1140 Rodrigo allied himself with Fernando Pérez de Traba, then the lover of Theresa, Countess of Portugal
, which he de facto ruled as her consort. The two were defeated in battle near Cernesa
, an unidentified location, by the forces of Theresa's son and heir, Afonso Henriques, who had grown uncomfortable with his mother's power-sharing, and had invaded Galicia, camping near Limia
. The anonymous author of the Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris, perhaps Arnaldo of Astorga, attributes the counts' defeat to their sins. Rodrigo was captured during the flight, but two of his armourbearers freed him by "some clever stratagem" and he managed to join the rest of the army in taking refuge in Galicia. The Chronica notes that "prior to this, the Portuguese monarch had come to Galicia several times, but always he had been driven back by Fernando Pérez and Rodrigo Vélaz and other Galician leaders. Often he was forced to return to Portugal dishonored."
An anonymous poet, writing shortly after the conquest of Almería
in 1147, admits the military prestige of Rodrigo, but that of his father-in-law was greater:
monastery of Lorenzana
. Then, on 13 June, Rodrigo made a further donation to Lorenzana. His father had lost a case brought before the king against the Diocese of Lugo
in 1078 and Rodrigo appears to have harboured some ill will towards the see. In 1113 he is said to have "harassed" the church of Lugo over jurisdictions. According to the Historia compostellana, Rodrigo visited the Kingdom of Jerusalem
around 1121. He later had a dispute with the bishop of Mondoñedo, Nuño Alfonso
, concerning their respective jurisdictions. It was solved by an accord of 20 June 1128. Resolution seems to have been forced on them by Alfonso VII when he was holding court at Palencia
.
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...
" 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 monarchs—Alfonso VI, Urraca, and Alfonso VII—and was loyal to all of them. He figures largely in the contemporary Historia compostellana, an important fact considering the complete loss of all of his own charters.
He was a son of Count Vela Ovéquiz and Aldonza Muñoz, daughter of Count Muño Fernández and Elvira. Rodrigo married Urraca Álvarez, daughter of Álvar Fáñez and Mayor Pérez, a daughter 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....
. Rodrigo and his wife were descended on all sides from the highest ranks of the nobility of León and Castile. The couple had three daughters—Aldonza, Berenguela, and Elvira—and one son, Álvaro Rodríguez
Álvaro Rodríguez
Álvaro Rodríguez was a Galician magnate during the reigns of Alfonso VII and Ferdinand II.Álvaro was the son of Rodrigo Vélaz and Urraca Álvarez, perhaps a daughter of Álvar Fáñez and Mayor Pérez, daughter of Pedro Ansúrez. He married Sancha, an illegitimate daughter of Fernando Pérez de Traba and...
, who was later a count like his father. On 6 August 1130 Rodrigo and Urraca made a donation to the Cathedral of Lugo, their first recorded act as husband and wife.
Tenencias
Rodrigo entered public life by 31 July 1092. He had received the rank of a 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...
by late May 1112. Shortly before, that same month, he had received the tenencia, that is, a fief of the crown governed but not owned by the holder, of 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 1 April 1115 he had also been invested with the tenencia of Monteforte 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...
, and on 12 September 1118 he was cited as holding Caldelas (although this is the only reference to this tenencia in his hands). The region of Lemos and Sarria was usually governed by a count. It was bounded to the west by the river Minho
Minho River
The Minho or Miño is the longest river in Galicia, Spain, with an extension of 340 km.Both names come from Latin Minius...
and to the south by the Sil. In 1120 a certain Pelayo Garciaz is recorded as 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...
serving both the queen and Rodrigo in Sarria. By 7 September 1127 Rodrigo had also received the rule of Rábade
Rábade
Rábade or San Vicenzo de Rábade is a town in the northwest of Spain in the province of Lugo. It is the third smallest municipality in Galicia. Rábade has a population of about 1500 and an area of 5.2 km²...
. The last record of his rule there dates from April 1142, although he continued to govern Sarria and Lemos until late September 1143. Royal documents usually refer to him as de or in Sarria (of or in Sarria), while private documents cite him as tenans or tenente (tenant, holder). There is a sole private document from 1137 that refers to Rodrigo's rule in 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...
. There is no record of Rodrigo after 5 October 1143 and he had perhaps become too ill or too weak to take a part in public affairs. He was by that time quite old. His death is mentioned in a document of 22 June 1144 as having happened at that time.
Relationship with the Crown
In July 1114 Urraca went to Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
in an attempt to remove the bishop 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...
from power legally. Failing this she attempted to have him captured, which plan was spoiled by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba
Pedro 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 .....
. She then opened negotiations with Diego, resulting in her swearing an oath to respect his person and his honor (the secular territory under the bishop's government). A similar oath was extracted from the other Galician magnates, including Pedro Fróilaz and Rodrigo Vélaz. Rodrigo's loyalty to Urraca during the conflict-riddled part of her reign is demonstrated by the fact that he confirmed sixteen royal charters between 1112 and 1120, by far the most by any Galician magnate.
Rodrigo recognised the accession of Alfonso VII at Zamora
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
, with the other magnates of Galicia, after the new king had taken the capital city of León. On 18 July 1126 Alfonso VII granted land at Seixon to Pedro Ovéquiz and his wife María Fernández through the intervention of Rodrigo. It is a good indicator of his influence at court.
Military activities
In the autumn of 1137, Rodrigo was one of only two Galician nobles to join the royal army then marching on NavarreKingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
. The other was Fernando Pérez de Traba, who had joined the army by early October at Logroño
Logroño
Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants...
. Rodrigo arrived later that month, only after the army had reached the Ebro river. In 1139 Rodrigo participated in the Siege of Oreja
Siege of Oreja
The Siege of Oreja by the forces of Alfonso VII, Emperor of Spain, lasted from April to October 1139, when the Almoravid garrison surrendered. It was the first major victory of the renewed Reconquista that characterised the last two decades of Alfonso's reign.-Principal sources:The main source for...
. In 1140 Rodrigo allied himself with Fernando Pérez de Traba, then the lover of Theresa, Countess of Portugal
Theresa, Countess of Portugal
Theresa of Portugal was the first ruler of independent Portugal...
, which he de facto ruled as her consort. The two were defeated in battle near Cernesa
Battle of Cerneja
The Battle of Cerneja took place at Cernesa , an unidentified site in Galicia, in 1139/40, between the County of Portugal and the Kingdom of León....
, an unidentified location, by the forces of Theresa's son and heir, Afonso Henriques, who had grown uncomfortable with his mother's power-sharing, and had invaded Galicia, camping near Limia
A Limia
A Limia is a comarca in the Galician Province of Ourense. The overall population of this local region is 24,266 .-Municipalities:Baltar, Os Blancos, Calvos de Randín, Porqueira, Rairiz de Veiga, Sandiás, Sarreaus, Trasmiras, Vilar de Barrio, Vilar de Santos and Xinzo de Limia....
. The anonymous author of the Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris, perhaps Arnaldo of Astorga, attributes the counts' defeat to their sins. Rodrigo was captured during the flight, but two of his armourbearers freed him by "some clever stratagem" and he managed to join the rest of the army in taking refuge in Galicia. The Chronica notes that "prior to this, the Portuguese monarch had come to Galicia several times, but always he had been driven back by Fernando Pérez and Rodrigo Vélaz and other Galician leaders. Often he was forced to return to Portugal dishonored."
An anonymous poet, writing shortly after the conquest of Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
in 1147, admits the military prestige of Rodrigo, but that of his father-in-law was greater:
Relationship with the Church
On 27 May 1112 Queen Urraca donated some estates that had been illegally usurped by a certain Ermesinda Núñez and granted to the Diocese of Mondoñedo to Rodrigo and to the BenedictineBenedictine
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 of Lorenzana
Lourenzá
Lourenzá is a municipality in Lugo province in Galicia in northwest Spain....
. Then, on 13 June, Rodrigo made a further donation to Lorenzana. His father had lost a case brought before the king against the Diocese of Lugo
Diocese of Lugo
The Diocese of Lugo is one of the five Roman Catholic sees within Galicia, in north-western Spain. The bishop has cathedra in the Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Lugo; his jurisdiction covers 1,138 parishes in three provinces:* Province of A Coruña; one district with 56 parishes*...
in 1078 and Rodrigo appears to have harboured some ill will towards the see. In 1113 he is said to have "harassed" the church of Lugo over jurisdictions. According to the Historia compostellana, Rodrigo visited the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
around 1121. He later had a dispute with the bishop of Mondoñedo, Nuño Alfonso
Nuño Alfonso
- External links :...
, concerning their respective jurisdictions. It was solved by an accord of 20 June 1128. Resolution seems to have been forced on them by Alfonso VII when he was holding court at Palencia
Palencia
Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
.