Osorio Martínez () (bef. 1108 – March 1160) was a magnate from the

Province of León León (, ; ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the c ...

in the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

of Alfonso VII. He served as the emperor militarily throughout his long career, which peaked in 1138–41. Besides the documentary sources, which are somewhat meagre at times after his fall from royal favour, he is mentioned in two episodes in the '' Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris''. He supported

Ferdinand II of León Ferdinand II ( 1137 – 22 January 1188), was a member of the Castilian House of Burgundy, Castilian cadet branch of the House of Ivrea and List of Leonese monarchs, King of León and kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1157 until his death. Life ...

after Alfonso's death (1157), but he died in a Castilian civil war in 1160.

Early military career (1124–1138)

Osorio was the second son of Martín Flaínez of the Flagínez family and Sancha Fernández.Simon Barton, ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 271–72, contains a ''curriculum vitae''. In 1124 Osorio was granted the ''

tenencia In medieval and early modern Europe, a tenant-in-chief (or vassal-in-chief) was 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 opposed to holding them ...

'' of Melgar de Abajo. In 1126 he joined the other noblemen of the Leonese province in swearing an oath of fealty to the new king Alfonso VII at the capital city of León. Five years later (1129) he received Malgrat. The next year (1130) he received the ''tenencias'' of ''Riba Cetera'' and

Villamayor Villamayor is a municipality located in the Salamanca (province), province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2016 census (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE), the municipality has a population of 7,047 inhabitant ...

, later also that of Ribera, but these he lost sometime between 1135 and 1137. As early as 1131 he was governing Mayorga and by 1135 the

Liébana Liébana is a '' comarca'' of Cantabria (Spain). It covers 575 square kilometres and is located in the far southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León and Palencia. It is made up of the municipalities of: Cabezón de Liébana, Camaleño ...

as well. In 1130 he and his brother

Rodrigo Rodrigo () is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' ( Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the la ...

were dispatched to besiege the rebel Pedro Díaz in a place called ''Valle''. The ''Chronica Adefonsi'' records the campaign:

The King of León ordered Count Rodrigo Martinez and his brother Osorio to go to León. They were to attack Pedro Díaz who was rebelling in Valle. Díaz had with him a large number of knights and soldiers. Rodrigo and Osorio arrived there and encircled the castle. Those inside continued to shout insults at Rodrigo and his brother because they were unable to counterattack them successfully. When this was reported to Alfonso VII, he hurried to the town of Valle. He commanded that mantlets and numerous other war machines be constructed around the castle. The King's forces commenced to hurl rocks and arrows at those inside. Subsequently, the castle walls were completely destroyed.

Rise and fall (1138–1147)

In July 1138 Rodrigo died at the Siege of Coria and the king immediately appointed Osorio

count 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: ...

(''comes'') in his place and granted his ''tenencias'' of León, Aguilar, Campos, and perhaps Zamora.Barton, 117–18. Osorio and his brother's erstwhile vassals carried Rodrigo's body to the city of León for burial in the family mausoleum beside his parents. There they buried him in a church next to the Cathedral of Santa María, possibly the monastery of San Pedro de los Huertos, which his parents had received by a royal grant of

Urraca of Zamora Urraca of Zamora (1033/34 – 1101/03) was a Kingdom of León, Leonese ''infanta'', one of the five children of Ferdinand I of León, Ferdinand I the Great, who received the city of Zamora, Spain, Zamora as her inheritance and exercised palatine ...

and Elvira of Toro in 1099. Osorio held numerous property interests in the city of León. Osorio's succession to his brother and the burial of Rodrigo are recorded in the ''Chronica Adefonsi'':

Alfonso gathered all of his advisors, and in their presence, he appointed Osorio, Rodrigo's brother, to be consul in his place. . . . Count Osorio, the new consul, took the body of his brother to León. He was accompanied by his own military force and by that of his brother. The mourning over the death of Rodrigo Martínez increased in every city. In León they buried him with honors in his father's tomb near the Basilica of Saint Mary. The tomb is located very near the episcopal throne.

Sometime before 28 January 1141, Osorio married Teresa, daughter of

Fernando Fernández de Carrión Fernando Fernández or Fernán Fernándiz de Carrión (''fl.'' 1107–1125) was a count in the Kingdom of León during the reign of Queen Urraca. Family and marriage Fernando's origins are obscure. He probably hailed from the region of León, w ...

and Elvira, a daughter of

Alfonso VI of León 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. ...

. They had five daughters and three sons: Aldonza, Constanza, Elvira, Fernando, Gonzalo, Jimena (second wife of Rodrigo Gutiérrez Girón), Rodrigo, and Sancha. (Calderón Medina and Ferreira suggest an additional child, Portuguese nobleman Monio Osores of Cabreira and Ribeira.) From January 1139 to the summer of 1141 Osorio was regularly at court. On 22 February 1140 he was at

Carrión de los Condes Carrión de los Condes () is a municipality in the province of Palencia, part of the Autonomous Community of Castile and León, Spain. Situated on the River Carrión, it is 40 kilometers upstream from the provincial capital of Palencia, on the F ...

to witness the treaty between Alfonso VII and

Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona Ramon Berenguer IV (; c. 1114 – 6 August 1162, Anglicized Raymond Berengar IV), sometimes called ''the Saint'', was the count of Barcelona and the consort of Aragon who brought about the union of the County of Barcelona with the Kingdom of Arag ...

. But in the summer of 1141 he fell from favour and his ''tenencias'' were confiscated (Melgar, Malgrat, Mayorga, Liébana, León, Aguilar, Campos, Zamora). Among the few ''tenencias'' he was left with were Peñafiel (1146), Villafrechós (1147–59), Villalobos (1147–59), Becilla de Valderaduey (1151–57), Cotanes (1155), and Arales (1157). After June 1142 Osorio rarely visited the royal court. In May 1146 he visited the court of Alfonso I of Portugal, perhaps as an exile.

Later life (1147–1160)

By 1147 Osorio was back in favour. He granted ''

fuero (), (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ...

s'' to the villages of Benafarces and Villalonso with the approval of the king. The villages in turn were required to make an annual payment in kind of half a

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

, ten loaves of

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

, some

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

, and some

must Must is freshly crushed Juice, fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must ...

. Later that year he accompanied Alfonso VII on expeditions to Calatrava and

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

. On 22 October 1148 he granted the village of

Mansilla Mayor Mansilla Mayor () is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating ...

to Juan Juliánez and his wife Sol in recognition of their faithful service to him. That same year Osorio and his wife made a donation to the monastery of

Gradefes Gradefes () is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. , the municipality has a population of 1,076 inhabitants. Sights include the all-female Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Ciste ...

and received in return a

greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

. In 1159 Osorio and Teresa granted a third of the tithes of the churches of Villalonso, Benafarces, Carvajosa, ''Grallarejos'' and Pozoantiguo, which they claimed to own by hereditary right, to the

Cathedral of Zamora The Cathedral of Zamora is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral in Zamora, Spain, Zamora, in Castile and León, Spain, located above the right bank of the Duero It remains surrounded by its old walls and gates. Built between 1151 and 1174, ...

.Barton, 188, cf. also his text of the document on pp. 318–19. They also patronised the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monasteries at Aguilar (1141) and

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 centre of population in the Leonese part of the Tierra de Campos natural region. Sahagún contains ...

(1123) and the monastery of Vega, which belonged to the Order of Fontevraud (1147). Osorio died at the hands of his son-in-law,

Fernando Rodríguez de Castro Fernando Rodríguez de Castro (1125–1185) was a Kingdom of Castile, Castilian nobleman, statesman and military leader who made his career in Kingdom of León, León. He was the leader of the House of Castro during the civil wars that followed t ...

, husband of his daughter Constanza, at the

Battle of Lobregal The Battle of Lobregal took place in March 1160 between the House of Lara and its allies and the forces of the House of Castro under Fernando Rodríguez de Castro.Simon Barton (1997), ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and Castile'' (Camb ...

in March 1160, fighting on the side of the

House of Lara The House of Lara (Spanish: ''Casa de Lara'') is a noble family from the medieval Kingdom of Castile. Two of its branches, one of the Dukes of Nájera and one of the Marquises of Aguilar de Campoo were considered Grandees of Spain. The Lara fami ...

in the civil war for control of the

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the young

Alfonso VIII Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (El Noble) or the one of Las Navas (el de las Navas), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at Alarc ...

. Osorio's widow continued to rule Villalobos, at least until 3 November 1167. She also made property grants to the

Hospitallers The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

in 1161 and 1163.

Early military career (1124–1138)

Rise and fall (1138–1147)

Later life (1147–1160)

Notes

Further reading