King Don Pelayo. The fight against Muslim advance.

King Don Pelayo. The fight against Muslim advance.

Chronicles[edit]

Pelayo, Pelagius in Latin and Belai al-Rumi in Arabic (f. Cangas deOnis, 737)was the first monarch of the kingdom ofAsturias,who ruled for 19 years until his death. Modern historiography harbors no doubt about its real historical existence and although its origin still remains most controversial is inclined to assign a Asturorigin.1

Brake expansion of Muslim north, thebegan Reconquista and has traditionally regarded him as the founder of RegnumAsturorum,although recent archaeological research suggests it may have done on a local political organization prior.2

Monument to Don Pelayo in Cangas deOnis,Asturias

are two main written sources of the Asturian monarchy that speak of the existence of Pelayo. The largest of these chronicles is thecall, Albeldensetext written around 880 in the court of Alfonso III. Contemporaneous to the above, and born in the same medium, is commonly referredas Chronicle of Alfonso III, in its two versions, Rotense. and CultaHowever,is a great agreement among the authors who have dealt with them pollution introduced by their authors mozárabes. The overall purpose of these stories wassettle a fiction of continuity between the Visigoth Kingdom of Toledo and primitive kingdom AsturApril3.Chronicles state that the Asturian kings are descendants of Leovigildo and Recaredo and try to create a false institutional continuity betweentwo political realities. Modern historiography agrees that the ultimate cause of this phenomenon lies in whatshall be neogoticismo responding to a network of political interests and the strengthening of the personal prestige of Alfonso III5called.

• In theversion Rotense of the Chronicle of AlfonsoIII,Pelayo appears as an old espatario of Witiza and Rodrigo who flees with his sister of Muslim domination. Despite his flight, Pelayo, and in Asturias, comes into close contact with Munuza,the Muslim governor of Gijon.This,love with the sister of Pelayo, sent the nobleman godo to Cordoba where Pelayo get out at 717 and after a dramatic comeback managesreach safety between the Asturians, who little later get sublevar after taking appoint her prince.

• in theversion cultured of the Chronicle of Alfonso III is dispensednovelistic background, but does not contradict fundamentally, and Pelayo, along with other Goths royal blood, took refuge in Asturias after 711 and is elected prince. This chronicle attributed a pedigree: Pelayo isson of Fáfila or Favila,Duke of royal blood.

• Chronicle Albeldense proposes a different version of events: Pelayo, expelled from Toledo by Witiza, he takes refuge in Asturias. When the Muslim invasion occurs revolting to astures and ends with Islamic garrisons quartered region in Gijon, including his chief Munuza.

The three texts agreedraw a legendary character who responds to the ideals of the members of the Mozarabic community refugees in the court of Alfonso III, namely: being godo (non-Muslim), have migrated (non-collaborationist) and practice Christian uncompromised (non-renegade) and are mostly literary works6.This is creating a "NeoGothic political archetype" that contributes little or nothing tostudy of the historical figure7.

The most unusual, however, is in thecalled Chroniclemozárabe written by Bishop Isidoro in 754, and therefore very temporarily close to the facts and intendsbe a continuation of the history of the Goths(Historyof regibus Gothorum, Vandalorum etSuevorum)of Isidore.would be logicalsee detailed in this chronicle the events for which a noble Goth, supposed son of an alleged dux Godo, reinstates in northern Visigothic monarchy of Toledo, becoming the lineal successor of Rodrigo,but despite all this name Pelayo does not appear even mentioned, which implies that for the bishop Isidoro formation of the new kingdom of astures and Prínceps Pelayo had little or no relevance to the history of the Gothic kings.