Favila or Fafila (died 739) was the second

King of Asturias This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Asturias, a kingdom in the Iberian peninsula during the Early Middle Ages. It originated as a refuge for Visigothic nobles following the conquest of Iberia by the Umayyad Caliphate. Following the for ...

from 737 until his death. He was the only son and successor of

Pelagius Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius and his followers abhorred the moral s ...

, the first Asturian monarch. In 737 he founded the Church of Santa Cruz, in his capital of

Cangas de Onís Cangas de Onís ( Asturian: ''Cangues d'Onís'' "valleys of Onís"'' Canga'' (plural ''cangues'') is an Asturian word for "valley, canyon".) is a municipality in the eastern part of the province and autonomous community of Asturias in the nor ...

, but aside from this, nothing else about his reign is known. Favila was killed by a bear while on a hunt in 739. As a result, Asturian chroniclers were critical of him for his excessive levity. However, royal hunts were not just for entertainment, they helped foster political unity within the court. Favila was buried with his wife Froiluba in the Church of

Santa Cruz de Cangas de Onís Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

. He was succeeded by his brother-in-law

Alfonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

, husband of his sister

Ermesinda Ermesinda (c. 720 or c. 730 – ?) alternatively Ormisenda, Ermisenda, Ermesinde, Ermessenda) was queen consort of the Kingdom of Asturias, wife of King Alfonso I of Asturias ("Alfonso the Catholic"). She was the daughter of King Pelagius of Astu ...

Notes

References

* * * 739 deaths 8th-century Visigothic people Deaths due to bear attacks Year of birth unknown 8th-century Asturian monarchs {{Asturias-stub