Vela Ovéquiz or Ovéquez (died after June 1085) was a count in the

Kingdom of Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. In the early 10th century, the Kingdom of Galicia was formed following the div ...

during the reigns of García II (1065–71) and

Alfonso VI 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. I ...

(1071–1109). He and his family owned properties around

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

, which controlled the entrance to Galicia from western

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 ...

, where he was also a landholder. He was married to Aldonza Muñoz, daughter of Count

Muño Fernández Munio or Muño is a masculine given name of uncertain origin, possibly GermanicJaime de Salazar Acha (1985), "Una familia de la Alta Edad Media: Los Vela y su realedad histórica", ''Estudios Genealógicos y Heráldicos'' (Madrid: Asociación Espa ...

and Elvira. They had a son, Rodrigo Vélaz, who was also a count. On 28 February 1068, during the reign of García, Count Vela witnessed a royal charter issued to the monastery of San Antolín de Toques on the occasion of the consecration of Bishop Gudesteus of Iria Flavia. In the fall of 1071, after Alfonso VI had conquered the kingdom, Vela and his brothers

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 ...

and Bermudo attended his court and appear as counts and witnesses in several charters of the new king of Galicia. Vela may have been killed in the great defeat at Zalaca on 23 October 1086. There is no full record of those slain in the battle, but several prominent Galicians disappear from the historical record around that time and they may have been part of a contingent known to have been particularly hard hit by the enemy. Vela's last recorded action was to witness a charter of 25 June 1085. After the defeat, a rebellion broke out in Galicia in favour of the deposed king García. The forces of the Ovéquiz family seized the fortress of Lugo—with whose bishop they had long been in conflict—and killed the royal ''

merino The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monop ...

'' who was defending the town. It is possible that Vela took part in these events if he was not killed at Zalaca. The see of Lugo was definitely vacant at the time, and the previous bishop, Vistruaro, had probably died at Zalaca.Reilly (1988), 197.

Notes

Sources

*Barton, Simon. ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. *Reilly, Bernard F. ''The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VI, 1065–1109''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1988. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ovequiz, Vela 1080s deaths Year of birth unknown 11th-century people from the Kingdom of León 11th-century births