Peter I (Spanish ''Pedro'') was the
bishop of León from about 1087 until his deposition around 1111.
During his episcopate, the city of
León declined in importance relative to the city of
Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Orur ...
. Peter had to contend with the claim of the
archbishops of Toledo
This is a list of Bishops and Archbishops of Toledo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Toletana). that the diocese of León lay within their province, a claim approved by
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...
in 1099. In 1104, Peter successfully convinced Urban's successor,
Paschal II, to grant León an exemption from metropolitan control on the basis of a forged document, the so-called ''
Division of Wamba''. Significantly, the dioceses of León and Oviedo had common interests at this time. The only copies of the ''Division'' that support the Leonese claims emanate from the scriptorium of the
cathedral of Oviedo under Bishop
Pelagius, a notorious forger. The original of the papal bull of exemption still survives in the
cathedral of León
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
.
When Duke
Raymond of Galicia
Raymond of Burgundy (c. 1070 – 24 May 1107) was the ruler of Galicia as vassal of Alfonso VI of León and Castile, the Emperor of All Spain, from about 1090 until his death. He was the fourth son of Count William I of Burgundy and Stephanie. He ...
died on 20 September 1107 in his castle of
Grajal
Grajal de Campos (), ''Grayal de Campos'' in Leonese language, is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 246 inhabitants. There is a histo ...
in the diocese of León, Bishop Peter gave permission for his body to be brought back to
Santiago de Compostela for burial.
Peter was present at the marriage of Queen
Urraca of León and King
Alfonso I of Aragon in
Monzón in October 1109, for he witnessed the queen's grant of a ''
fuero'' to the men of the land of León and
Carrión on 29 September, while she was on her way to meet her groom. He was with the royal court at
Sahagún
Sahagún () is a town and municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León and the province of León. It is the main populated place in the Leonese part of the Tierra de Campos natural region.
Sahagún contains som ...
when it celebrated Christmas that year, for he signed a private document there on 21 December. Civil war broke out in the new year between the partisans of Urraca and those of Alfonso. After receiving a papal letter condemning her marriage on grounds of consanguinity, the queen sought the advice of some bishops, Peter among them. They advised her to separate from her husband. After the king of Aragon's victory in the
battle of Candespina on 26 October 1111, Peter's advice to Urraca cost him his see; the partisans of Alfonso had him removed from office. The diocese was briefly usurped by Archbishop
Maurice of Braga, before Peter's nephew
Diego was elected bishop. Peter himself went into exile in
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
, where he was still alive as of 13 June 1112.
See also
*
Catholic Church in Spain
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter 01
Bishops of León
11th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Kingdom of León