Adosinda was the queen of

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

during the reign of her husband,

Silo A silo (from the Greek σιρός – ''siros'', "pit for holding grain") is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is use ...

, from 774 to 783. She was a daughter of Alfonso I and

Ermesinda Ermesinda (c. 720 or c. 730 – ?) alternatively Ormisenda, Ermisenda, Ermesinde, Ermessenda) was queen consort of the Kingdom of Asturias, wife of King Alfonso I of Asturias ("Alfonso the Catholic"). She was the daughter of King Pelagius of Ast ...

, daughter of the first Asturian king, Pelayo. She was a sister of Fruela I. Her husband probably succeeded in becoming King because he was related by marriage to both of the previous ruling families. Some scholars have even posited a

matrilineal succession Matrilineal succession is a form of hereditary succession or other inheritance through which the subject's female relatives are traced back in a matrilineal line. Systems *''matrilineal primogeniture'' where the eldest female child of the subje ...

. Since she gave Silo no heir, her nephew Alfonso II was proclaimed king upon his death. He was expelled from the

realm A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire. Et ...

by Mauregatus, and on 26 November 783, Adosinda was put in the monastery of San Juan de Pravia, where she lived out the rest of her life.

Biography

Adosinda was a daughter of King

Alfonso I of Asturias Alfonso I of Asturias, called the Catholic (''el Católico''), (c. 693 – 757) was the third King of Asturias, reigning from 739 to his death in 757. His reign saw an extension of the Christian domain of Asturias, reconquering Galicia and L ...

(the Catholic) and Queen

. Her paternal grandfather was Pedro de Cantabria and her maternal grandparents were King Pelagius (Don Pelayo in Spanish) and Queen Gaudiosa, the first monarchs of Asturias. Adosinda's brother was King Fruela I de Asturias (called The Cruel), who succeeded their father to the throne. After King Fruela I was assassinated in 768, Adosinda feared for the life of her nephew Alfonso, son of her late brother and so sent him to the monastery of San Julián de Samos, in Lugo, in order to give him protection and cultural training. King Aurelius succeeded to the Asturian throne in 768 and Adosinda lived in the Asturian court under his protection. During her stay, she met

, a rich man from the area of Pravia. She chose him as her husband, an unusual move for the time. After the death of Aurelius of Asturias from natural causes in 774, Silo became King of Asturias with Adosinda as Queen consort. They ruled from 774 to 783. Upon the death of her husband without any heirs, Adosinda intervened in the election of his successor to appoint her nephew, Alfonso, the son of King Fruela I. However, King Mauregato, her half brother and the illegitimate son of Alfonso I el Católico, seized the throne, leading to Adosinda and her nephew seeking refuge in Alava. Due to the support she gave her nephew, her position in court became insecure and she was forced to enter the Monastery de San Juan de Santianes de Pravia on either 26 November 783 or 785, according to the chronicle of Ambrosio de Morales. She became a nun in the presence of the Abbot Fidel, De Beato and Eterio. The latter are known for the controversy with Elipando de Toledo, Archbishop of Toledo. It is unknown how long Adosinda spent in the convent. Some authors say she was there until her death.

Burial

After her death, Queen Adosinda's body was interred in a tomb in the

Church of San Juan Apóstol y Evangelista, Santianes de Pravia St. John Apostle and Evangelist ( es, Iglesia de San Juan Apóstol y Evangelista) is a Roman Catholic Asturian pre-Romanesque church situated in Santianes de Pravia, northern Spain. Cultural references The church contains a foundation ston ...

with her husband, King

de Asturias. The tomb is still conserved to this day. King Mauregato is also buried in the same church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adosinda Asturian queens consort 8th-century Spanish women Beni Alfons 8th-century Asturian nobility Daughters of kings