Fernando Bermúdez (died 978), the second Count of Cea, was the son of
Bermudo Núñez Bermudo Núñez (died 955) was a magnate from León and the first Count of Cea. He appears for the first time in 921 confirming a donation to the Monastery of San Benito in Sahagún from which it can be assumed that he was probably born near the e ...
and his wife Argilo. As the father of a queen of Navarre, and therefore, ancestor of many royal houses, Fernando was a distinguished member of the highest ranks of the nobility of the
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León; es, Reino de León; gl, Reino de León; pt, Reino de Leão; la, Regnum Legionense; mwl, Reino de Lhion was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when t ...
.
Biographical sketch
The firstborn of count Bermudo Núñez, he inherited many properties from his father and also from his uncle
Oveco Núñez
Oveco Núñez (died 951) was the Bishop of León from 927 until his death. His episcopate coincides with the reign of King Ramiro II (931–51), whose faithful supporter he was.
Oveco is sometimes confused with his contemporary bishop of the sam ...
,
Bishop of León, and appears as ''Fredenando Vermudiz'' in a donation made on 28 August 945 by the bishop to the
Monastery of Sahagún. The relationship is also confirmed in a charter dated 984 when it mentions that this monastery had acquired a certain property from count Fernando Bermúdez that had previously belonged to the bishop.
He spent his first years in
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...
where he had vast holdings, some of which had been donated by Queen Urraca, the widow of King
Fruela II of Asturias
Fruela II (Froila II) (c. 875–July 925) was the King of Asturias from the death of his father, Alfonso III of Asturias, in 910 to his own death. When his father died, the kingdom was divided, with the third son, Fruela, taking the original porti ...
, and by the ''
Infante
''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to t ...
s'' Ramiro and Ordoño Froilaz, as attested in an inventory of various properties in Naptavlio that were probably given as compensation for his support of King Fruela and for having participated in the rebellion in 932 against King
Ramiro II who forced Fernando to return two churches to the
Cathedral of Oviedo
The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Saviour or Cathedral of San Salvador ( es, Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Salvador, la, Sancta Ovetensis) is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in the centre of Oviedo, in the Astur ...
. His relations with the crown improved during the reign of King
Ordoño III. He was the ''
mayordomo mayor {{short description, High Steward of Spain
The Mayordomo mayor (High Steward) was the Officer of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain in charge of the person and rooms of the King of Spain. The Office of “Mayordomo mayor” wa ...
'' of this king, confirmed many of his royal charters as an active member of the ''
curia regis'', and appears for the first time in 960 with the title of "Count". His last appearance in medieval charters was in 978.
Marriage and issue
He married Elvira Díaz, daughter of
Diego Muñoz
Diego Muñoz Erenchun (Santiago de Chile, February 11, 1976) is a Chilean actor of film, television and theatre. He is also creative director of the fiction area of ''Centro Mori''.
Biography
He studied at Saint George's College until II ° M ...
, count of
Saldaña, and his wife Tregidia. They were the parents of:
* Pedro Fernández (died ca. 1028), the third Count of Cea and lacking a male heir, the agnate line of the counts of Cea was extinguished. With his wife, Sancha Muñoz, he had only one daughter named Elvira Pérez.
* Gómez Fernández (died before 978), was the husband of Onecca and father of Countess Onecca Gómez, wife of Count Fortún who was most likely a member of the royal house of Pamplona. He was probably the father of Fernando and Rodrigo Gómez.
* Gotina Fernández, the wife of Count
Pelayo Rodríguez.
*
Jimena Fernández Jimena Fernández (970-1045) was queen of León and Navarre as the wife of García Sánchez II of Pamplona.Martín Duque, Ángel J; Pavón Benito, Julia (2014). Reinas de Navarra - Jimena Fernández (c. 970-c. 1045) esposa de García Sánchez. Madri ...
, Queen consort as the wife of King
García Sánchez II and mother of King
Sancho III of Navarre
Sancho Garcés III ( 992-996 – 18 October 1035), also known as Sancho the Great ( es, Sancho el Mayor, eu, Antso Gartzez Nagusia), was the King of Pamplona from 1004 until his death in 1035. He also ruled the County of Aragon and by marriage t ...
.
* Justa Fernández, the first wife of Count
Flaín Muñoz.
* Elvira Fernández.
Notes
References
Bibliography
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*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bermudez de Cea, Fernando
Counts of Spain
10th-century births
970s deaths
Year of birth unknown
Year of death uncertain
10th-century nobility from the Kingdom of León