Ponce Vela de Cabrera, also known as Ponce Vélaz de Cabrera (died 24 September 1202), was a noble from 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 ...

who played an important role during the reign of

Alfonso IX 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. ...

. Through one of his sons descends the Ponce de León, "one of the most illustrious aristocratic houses of the later Middle Ages".

Biography

He was the son of Vela Gutiérrez, son of count

Gutierre Vermúdez Gutierre Vermúdez (or Gutier Bermúdez) (died 1130) was a nobleman of the Kingdom of León, with interests primarily in Galicia, mainly in the northeast, around Lugo. He was a strong and loyal supporter of both Queen Urraca (1109–26) and the ...

and countess Toda, daughter of count

Pedro Fróilaz de Traba Pedro Fróilaz de Traba ('' fl.'' 1086–1126) was the most powerful secular magnate in the Kingdom of Galicia during the first quarter of the twelfth century. According to the ''Historia compostelana'', he was "spirited ... warlike ... of great p ...

, and of

Sancha Ponce de Cabrera Sancha Ponce de Cabrera (died in 1176) was a daughter of Ponce Giraldo de Cabrera, and his first wife, Sancha Núñez.Even though she appears in some genealogies as the daughter of Ponce's second wife, María Fernández de Traba, years later, her c ...

, daughter of

Ponce Giraldo de Cabrera Ponce Giraldo de Cabrera (''floruit'' 1105–1162), called Ponç Guerau (or Grau) in Catalan or Pons in Occitan, was a Catalan nobleman, courtier and military leader in the kingdoms of León and Castile. Ponce came to León in the entourage of ...

and Sancha Núñez. Ponce had several brothers and sisters: Fernando, Pedro, María, and Juan Vela. He starts to appear in royal charters in 1176, and served as the ''

alférez In medieval Iberia, an ''alférez'' (, ) or ''alferes'' (, ) was a high-ranking official in the household of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the Arabic ('' al-fāris''), meaning "horseman" or "cavalier", and it was commonly Latinised ...

'' of King Alfonso IX in 1185 and in the following year, in which he was also appointed

tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, the term ''tenant-in-chief'' (or ''vassal-in-chief'') denoted a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as op ...

of Mansilla and other villages and regions that had been governed by his relatives count

Suero Vermúdez Suero Vermúdez (or Bermúdez) (died 12 August 1138) was an Asturian nobleman, territorial governor, and military leader. His career was marked by loyalty to the crown of León-Castile during the reigns of Alfonso VI, Urraca, and Alfonso VII. He ...

and Pedro Alfonso, including Tineo and Babia,

Gozón Gozón is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. Its capital is the town of Luanco (also called Lluanco). The Cantabrian Sea lies on its northern edge, and it is bordered to the south by Corvera de Ast ...

, and Cabezón. He also governed Mayorga, Zamora, and El Bierzo. 20100501 S Esteban Nogales

He died on 24 September 1202 and was buried in the Monastery of Santa María de Nogales in

San Esteban de Nogales San Esteban de Nogales is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research ce ...

that had been founded by his parents.

Marriage and issue

Count Ponce Vela married Teresa Rodríguez Giron, daughter of

Rodrigo Gutiérrez Girón Rodrigo Gutiérrez Girón (died 1193) was a magnate and ''ricohombre'' from Palencia who played a key role in the Medieval history of the Iberian Peninsula. He was the first one of his lineage to add ''Girón'' to his patronymic.As reflected in Cha ...

and his first wife, María de Guzmán. In 1195, ''Pontius Velez una cum uxore mea, Tharesia Rodrigues'' (Ponce Vela with my wife, Teresa Rodríguez) donated one-third of Granucillo that he had inherited from his parents to the Monastery of Nogales. The offspring of this marriage were: * Juan Ponce de Cabrera * Fernando Ponce de Cabrera *

Pedro Ponce de Cabrera Pedro Ponce de Cabrera (died 1248/1254), was a magnate from the Kingdom of León, son of Ponce Vela de Cabrera and his wife Teresa Rodríguez Girón, daughter of Rodrigo Gutiérrez Girón and his first wife María de Guzmán. From his marriag ...

(died between 1248 and 1254), married

Aldonza Alfonso Aldonza is the name of: *Aldonza Alfonso de León (c. 1215–1266), illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso IX of León and his mistress Aldonza Martínez de Silva *Aldonza Lorenzo, the real name of Dulcinea del Toboso Dulcinea del Toboso is a f ...

, illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso IX and his mistress

Aldonza Martínez de Silva Aldonza Martínez de Silva ( Portuguese: Aldonça Martins da Silva; died after 1236) a Portuguese noblewoman, daughter of Martim Gomes da Silva and his wife Urraca Rodríguez, was one of the mistresses of King Alfonso IX of León and afterward, t ...

This marriage gave rise to the powerful house of the Ponce de León which held titles in the late Middle Ages of the dukedoms of Arcos and

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vela de Cabrera, Ponce 12th-century births 1202 deaths 12th-century nobility from León and Castile