Rodrigo Gómez (died 1146) was a
Castilian nobleman and military leader under
Alfonso VII
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. ...
. He governed large parts of
Asturias
Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...
and northern Castile, was involved in the politics with neighbouring
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
, to whose royal family he was related by marriage, and took part in the ''
Reconquista
The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...
''. Although he was rewarded for loyalty by his sovereign on more than one occasion, he did take part in one brief rebellion, led by a relative. His was a branch of the
Lara family.
Biography
Rodrigo was a son of
Gómez González and Urraca Muñoz.
[Barton, 291.] He married Elvira, a daughter of the Navarrese ''
infante
Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...
''
Ramiro Sánchez, sometime before 1137, when they made a joint donation of their villa (''palacio'' in contemporary records) at
Villaverde to the monastery of
San Salvador de Oña. In this donation Rodrigo expressed the wish that his gift would purchase eternal life for his lord, Alfonso VII.
[Barton, 207.] Elvira outlived her husband by several years, making another donation to Oña on 18 February, 1161 just before her departure on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
[ The couple produced three sons, each of whom became counts: Álvaro, Gómez, and Gonzalo.][Reilly, 168.]
According to one historian, Rodrigo first appears in royal documents in 1119, eight years after his father's death at the Battle of Candespina (1111).[ Another historian cites a document of 13 February, 1121 in the archives of the monastery of ]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 ...
, a favoured royal residence, as his first public appearance.[ After the death of Queen Urraca on 8 March 1126, Rodrigo and his brother Diego were among the first to do homage to her successor, Alfonso VII. In this connexion, they are the first Castilians listed by the '' Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris'', which says of Rodrigo ''postea ab eo factus est consul'' ("later made count by him ]he king
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads
* He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English
* He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana)
* Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
).
On 17 June 1126, Rodrigo made a donation to 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 ...
monastery of San Pedro de las Dueñas. He made many other donations to the Benedictine monastery at Oña, both before and after his marriage (e.g. 1142).[
Early in Alfonso's reign Rodrigo began to accrue positions in Castile. On 13 September 1129, he was holding ]Cervera
Cervera () is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. The title Comte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Leonor ...
and Mudá from the king.[ On 16 November 1129, he was recorded as holding ]Briviesca
Briviesca is a municipality and a Spanish city located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, head of the judicial district of Briviesca, capital of the comarca of La Bureba and province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. Acc ...
.[ After the rebellion of ]Rodrigo González de Lara
Rodrigo González de Lara (''floruit'' 1078–1143) was a Kingdom of Castile, Castilian nobleman of the House of Lara. Early in his career he ruled that half of Asturias allocated to Castile. He was faithful to the crown throughout the reign of U ...
in 1130, Rodrigo Gómez was his replacement as governor of Asturias de Santillana
Asturias de Santillana is a historical ''comarca'' whose territory in large part corresponded to the central and western part of today's autonomous community of Cantabria, as well as the extreme east of Asturias. Most of the province of Asturias ...
, although the first charter that records him as such dates to 2 December, 1131. He continued to govern that region for the rest of his life.[ He was also the recipient of royal largesse in October 1130.
By 1 June 1131, Rodrigo had been given the title ]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'' or ''consul''), the highest dignity in the realm. At the same time he is first mentioned ruling Bureba
La Bureba is a ''Comarcas of Castile and León, comarca'' located in the northeast of the Province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is bounded on the north by Las Merindades, east by the Comarca del Ebro, south- ...
, which he held onto until at least 25 February 1144.[ His son Gonzalo would also rule Bureba for most of his career. A private charter from the abbey of San Salvador de Oña, dated to November 1129, shows Rodrigo as lord in that region. At about the same time, a royal charter of Alfonso I of Aragon and Navarre enacted at Briviesca on 10 October 1129, names ]Fortún Garcés Cajal
Fortún Garcés Cajal (died 1146) was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarro-Kingdom of Aragon, Aragonese nobleman and statesman, perhaps "the greatest noble of Alfonso the Battler's reign". He was very wealthy in both land and money, and could raise two t ...
as holding the tenancy of Bureba. These two charters indicate the contested nature of this frontier district. At a local level the king of León's man was recognised and active as tenant, but when the king of Aragon was present, his choice of tenant, in this case his most powerful magnate, was enforced.
In 1132, Rodrigo supported his kinsman, Gonzalo Peláez, then in revolt in western Asturias, and rapidly fell from favour.[ The king was assembling an army at ]Atienza
Atienza () is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. According to the 2023 census ( INE), the municipality had a population of 434 inhabitants.
The Castle of Atienza is situated here.
There were ancient Celtiberian se ...
for a war with Alfonso of Aragon and Navarre when he learned of the insurrection. He changed plans and led his army into Asturias, where he "seized odrigo Gómez and he stripped him of his honor and sent him away," according to the ''Chronica Adefonsi'' (I, §30). There is some dispute whether the Rodrigo of the rebellion was the same as the count, but if he was the latter he was soon restored.[ He was still at court on 28 May 1132 and had already returned to favour by January 1133.
On 19 December 1135, Rodrigo and his sisters, Sancha and Estefanía, made a donation to Oña for the sake of their late brother Diego's soul.][ On 21 November 1137, Alfonso VII granted Rodrigo a series of estates in gratitude for his loyal service, the events of 1132 apparently notwithstanding.][ By 14 September 1138, Rodrigo had been appointed governor of Belorado, a post which he held until 1144, at which time he also appeared briefly ruling Cerezo.][ In 1139, he participated in the ]Siege of Oreja
The siege of Oreja was a siege by the forces of Alfonso VII, Emperor of Spain, that lasted from April until October 1139 when the Almoravid garrison surrendered. It was the first major victory of the renewed ''Reconquista'' that characterised t ...
throughout the summer and into the autumn.
On 22 February 1140, Rodrigo was witness to a 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 ...
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 ...
. Later that year, Rodrigo, with Gutierre Fernández de Castro
Gutierre Fernández de Castro ( Alfonso VII of León and Castile">Alfonso VII (1126–57) and his son Sancho III of Castile">Sancho III (1157–58). He served Alfonso as a courtier after 1134 and as majordomo (1135–38). He was the guardian and tu ...
and a certain Lope López, waged war on García Ramírez of Navarre
García Ramírez (), sometimes García IV, V, VI or VII ( 1112 – 21 November 1150), called the Restorer (, ), was the King of Navarre (Pamplona) from 1134. The election of García Ramírez restored the independence of the Navarrese kingdom af ...
on behalf of Alfonso VII. García of Navarre was in fact Rodrigo's brother-in-law.
By 27 January 1141, Rodrigo was recorded as ruling Castile, a reference to '' Castella Vetula'' (Old Castile) in the north of the kingdom, territory which bordered Asturias de Santillana. He continued to hold it until his death.[ In 1142, he was appointed tutor or guardian of García, the youngest son of Alfonso VII.][ That same year Rodrigo confirmed the donation he and Elvira had made in 1137 of their villa at Villaverde to Oña, this time extending his hopes to include the eternal life of his ward García.][ The young García died in 1145.][
In 1144, Rodrigo and Gutierre Fernández escorted the king of Navarre, against whom they had been fighting four years previous, from León to ]Pamplona
Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain.
Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
with his new bride, Urraca, the daughter of Alfonso VII. The escorts were rewarded by García, as recounted in the ''Chronica Adefonsi'' (I, §94):
t PamplonaKing García prepared a royal feast for the Castilians and for all the knights and officers of his kingdom. The celebration lasted several days. When it was over, the King gave magnificent gifts to the Castilian nobles, and each of them returned to his land.
The last document citing Rodrigo as ruling Asturias and Castile dates from 19 September, 1146. Shortly afterwards he made his last donation to Oña, on 21 September.[ The last reference to Rodrigo as still living dates to November 1146. According to the '' Chronicon Burgense'' he died that year.][ Surviving royal documents reveal that he spent most of his last year at court.][Barton, 131.]
Notes
Works cited
;Primary
''The Chronicle of Alfonso the Emperor: A Translation of the ''Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris.
Glenn Edward Lipskey, PhD dissertation, Northwestern University, 1972.
''Chronicon Burgense''.
''España Sagrada'', XXIII, 307–10. Enrique Flórez
Enrique or Henrique Flórez de Setién y Huidobro (July 21, 1702August 20, 1773) was a Spanish historian.
Biography
Flórez was born in Villadiego. At 15 years old, he entered the order of St Augustine. He subsequently became professor of theol ...
, ed. Madrid: 1767.
;Secondary
*Simon Barton. ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
*Carlos Estepa Díez
"Frontera, nobleza y señoríos en Castilla: el señorío de Molina (siglos XII–XIII)"
''Studia historica: Historia medieval'', 24 (2006), 15–86.
*Bernard F. Reilly. ''The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VII, 1126–1157''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998.
Further reading
*F. Sagredo Fernández. "La tenencia de Bureba en la primera mitad del siglo XII." ''Homenaje a Fray Justo Pérez de Urbel, OSB'', I, 197–217. Santo Domingo de Silos, 1977.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Rodrigo
1146 deaths
People of the Reconquista
Year of birth unknown