Munio Vélaz or Vigílaz (died before 931) was the
Count of Álava and probably also of
Biscay
Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
. The exact dates of his countship are unknown. Only one document, dated 18 May 919 in the
cartularies of Valpuesta, names Munio as count in Álava. He ruled between counts
Gonzalo Téllez (last seen as count in 913) and
Fernando Díaz (first seen in 923). The counts of Álava are described variously in contemporary documents as ruling "in" Álava,
Lantarón or
Cerezo. The next count after Munio described as ruling Álava proper is
Álvaro Herraméliz Álvaro Herraméliz (floruit, fl. 923–931), was a Spanish people, Spanish noble and the count of Lantarón and of Álava in the region that today would be considered the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country in northern Spain.
...
in 929. They governed the eastern borderlands of the
kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias along the Bay of Biscay, northern coast of the peninsula ...
on behalf of the crown.
Munio's
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic.
Patronymics are used, b ...
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 onomatology in older texts) is the study of proper names, including their etymology, history, and use.
An ''alethonym'' ('true name') or an ''orthonym'' ('real name') is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onom ...
suggest that he may have been a son of
Vela Jiménez, 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 in
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, Cantabria, Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, ...
. 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
Lantarón and the valleys of
Losa,
Mena
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together ...
and
Tobalina, belonged to Munio's county, if not also
Cellorigo,
Grañón 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 primary source for details of the 9th- and early 10th-century Kingdom of Navarre and neighbouring principalities. It is current ...
'', a document from the neighbouring
kingdom of Pamplona, 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, and a third with Fortún Galíndez. There is no record of her and Munio's children outside of the ''Genealogies''.
Notes
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Munio Velaz
Counts of Álava