Ordoño I ( – 27 May 866) was King of Asturias from 850 until his death. He was born in

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

, where he spent his early life in the court of Alfonso II. He was probably raised in

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

, capital of the province of Galicia, where his father, Ramiro I, had been named governor. He received his education and military training there. Ordoño was named governor of Galicia when his father went to Bardulia to marry his second wife, Paterna. While Ramiro was away, Alfonso II died, and the nobles elected Count Nepocian as king. Ordoño immediately began to raise an army to assist his father, in claiming the throne. He could not leave his post in Galicia to help, however, and his army went unused. When his father finally prevailed, he confirmed Ordoño in his heretofore provisional position. After his father's death in 850, Ordoño succeeded his father as king, becoming the first king of Asturias to ascend the throne without election. His first confrontation was with the

Basques The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...

, who rebelled with the support of the Banu Qasi of

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

. While returning to Oviedo after defeating the rebels, he received news of an impending

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

assault on Bardulia. Before the Moors could attack, he met them near the

Ebro The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...

and defeated them.de Caunedo, Nicolás Castor (28 May 1854).
Un cronicón del siglo IX
. Semanario Pintoresco Español. 22: 172-173 – via Hemeroteca Digital. Ordoño later went to war against Musa ibn Musa, a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Goth who had been consolidating his power and controlled Zaragoza, Albelda, Tudela,

Huesca Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...

, and Toledo. According to the Chronicle of Alfonso III, Musa had placed his army at Monte Laturce, outside of Albelda, which he had recently fortified. Ordoño split his own army into two, with one half to siege Albelda and the other to combat Musa's forces. The result of the ensuing battle was a massacre; it was claimed that Musa's brother-in-law Garcia and over 10,000 of Musa's cavalrymen were killed, and Musa fled after nearly being killed himself.Primera crónica general : Estoria de Espan︢a que mandó componer Alfonso el Sabio y se continuaba bajo Sancho IV en 1289
Ramón Menéndez Pidal. 1906. p. 364-366. Musa's son, referred to as Lupo, supposedly subjugated himself to Ordoño upon learning of the result of the battle; he remained Ordoño's vassal for the rest of his life and fought alongside him against other Moors. Separately, he also defeated and imprisoned Moneror (also called Mazaros), king of Talamanca, as well as Zeth, king of Coria. He sacked both villages and took their inhabitants as slaves. Ordoño additionally led the repopulation of the cities of Tui, Astorga, León, and Amaya, which had been left deserted after being conquered by Alfonso II. He died in Oviedo in 866 after suffering from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

, and was buried in the Cathedral of San Salvador. He was described as a beloved king. He was succeeded by his son, Alfonso III, who would eventually be referred to as the first " Emperor of Spain."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ordono 01 of Asturias 820s births 866 deaths Astur-Leonese dynasty People from Oviedo 9th-century Asturian monarchs Year of birth uncertain