Munio Vélaz or Vigílaz (died before 931) was the

Count of Álava Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

and probably also of

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

. The exact dates of his countship are unknown. Only one document, dated 18 May 919 in the

cartularies of Valpuesta The cartularies of Valpuesta are two medieval Spanish cartularies which belonged to a monastery in the locality of Valpuesta in what is now the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. The cartularies are called the ''Gótico'' and the ''Galic ...

, names Munio as count in Álava. He ruled between counts

Gonzalo Téllez Gonzalo Téllez (died 915) was a nobleman who was Count of Lantarón and Cerezo de Río Tirón, Cerezo (c. 897–c. 915) and is also mentioned in a document dated 903 as List of Castilian counts, Count of Castile. He and his wife were the founders ...

(last seen as count in 913) and

Fernando Díaz Fernando Díaz (''floruit'' 1071–1106) was a Spanish nobleman and military leader in the Kingdom of León, the most powerful Asturian magnate of the period. He held the highest rank in the kingdom, that of count (Latin ''comes''), from at least ...

(first seen in 923). The counts of Álava are described variously in contemporary documents as ruling "in" Álava,

Lantarón Lantarón (Basque: ''Landaran'') is a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Villages * Alcedo(Altzeta) * Bergüenda(Bergoiandia) * Caicedo de Yuso(Kaitzeo) * Comunión * Fontecha (O ...

or Cerezo. The next count after Munio described as ruling Álava proper is Álvaro Herraméliz in 929. They governed the eastern borderlands 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 ...

on behalf of the crown. Munio's patronymic surname, Vélaz or Vigílaz, indicates that his father was named Vela, but no genealogical information about Munio has survived. Geography, chronology and

onomastics Onomastics (or, in older texts, onomatology) is the study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names. An ''orthonym'' is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onomastic study. Onomastics can be helpful in data mining, w ...

suggest that he may have been a son of

Vela Jiménez Vela Jiménez who appears also as ''Vigila Scemeniz'', is documented on two occasions as Count of Álava between 882 and 883 in the ''Codex Vigilanus'', compiled in 881 with two large paragraphs added subsequently describing the events that took pl ...

, who was the count of Álava during the battles of Cellorigo in 882–83. The document of 18 May 919 shows Munio presiding over a lawsuit between the monastery of Valpuesta (now lost, but possibly located in Álava) and the church of

Santa María del Puerto 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 ...

Santoña Santoña is a town in the eastern coast of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. It is situated by the bay of the same name. It is from the capital Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, an urban plain, and a ...

. The dispute centred around some property in Espejo in Valdegovía in Álava. The dating clause of the charter indicates places it during the reign of "lord Ordoño in León and count Munio Vélaz in Álava". This document has been used to argue that not only Espejo, but Valpuesta itself, along with the castle of

and the valleys of Losa,

Mena MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...

and

Tobalina Valle de Tobalina is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, northern Spain. (data from INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Ins ...

, belonged to Munio's county, if not also

Cellorigo Cellorigo is a village in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)( ...

Grañón Grañón () is a village in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin ...

and Cerezo. The ''

Códice de Roda The ''Códice de Roda'' or ''Códice de Meyá'' (Roda or Meyá codex) is a medieval manuscript that represents a unique source for details of the 9th and early 10th century Kingdom of Navarre and neighbouring principalities. It is currently held ...

'', a document from the neighbouring

kingdom of Pamplona The Kingdom of Navarre (; , , , ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona (), was a Basque kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, alongside the Atlantic Ocean between present-day Spain and France. The medieval state took ...

, states that "Lady Velasquita aughter of King Sancho I of Pamplona">Sancho_I_of_Pamplona.html" ;"title="aughter of King Sancho I of Pamplona">aughter of King Sancho I of Pamplona/nowiki> was the wife of the Biscayne count, Lord Munio, and [by him] she had children [named] Aznar Muñoz, Lope Muñoz, Sancho Muñoz and [like her] Lady Velasquita." Velasquita's sister, Sancha, married Álvaro Herraméliz. It is very likely that this Munio (or Momo) who was count of Biscay is the same person as the count of Álava. Munio Vélaz died before 931, probably shortly after his only appearance in 919. His wife, Velasquita Sánchez, outlived him. She contracted a second marriage with Galindo, son of Count

Bernard I of Ribagorza Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

, and a third with Fortún Galíndez. There is no record of her and Munio's children outside of the ''Genealogies''.

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References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Munio Velaz Counts of Álava