Bermudo I (also Vermudo or Veremund), called the Deacon or the Monk ( 750 – 797), was the

King of Asturias This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Asturias, a kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula during the Early Middle Ages. It originated as a refuge for Visigothic Kingdom, Visigothic nobles following the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, conquest of I ...

from 788 or 789 until his

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...

in 791. He was a son of Fruela of Cantabria, a nephew of Alfonso I, and a brother of

Aurelius The gens Aurelia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome, which flourished from the third century BC to the latest period of the Empire. The first of the Aurelian gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Aurelius Cotta in 252 BC. From then to the ...

. The nature of the end of his reign ushered in a new period in Asturian-Arab relations. Bermudo was elected by the palatine officials (the nobility of the royal palace) to replace

Mauregatus Mauregatus the Usurper () was the king of Asturias from 783 to 788 or 789. He was an illegitimate son of Alfonso I, supposedly by a Moorish serf. He usurped the throne on the death of Silo, the husband of his half sister Adosinda, earning himse ...

, who had died of natural causes in 788. Since Mauregatus had ascended the throne in a ''

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

'' with regional support in 783 and the succession of Bermudo proceeded without incident, it is probable that Mauregatus had procured a change in the ranks of the palatine nobility and that Bermudo was thus put forward as the candidate to, like Mauregatus, prevent the succession of Alfonso II, the son and heir of Fruela I. Though the '' Chronicle of Alfonso III'' in both its extant versions makes Bermudo out to be a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

at his succession, this fact would only reinforce the notion that his election was a determined move to oppose Alfonso. In any case, he did not reign long. He was forced to defend against an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

invasion of

Álava Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...

and Galicia and was defeated at the Battle of the Burbia River, probably the Bierzo, in 791. Though the closest Christian sources do not name his opponents, the battle can be linked with the first major engagement of a series of aggressive campaigns launched against the

Asturian kingdom The Kingdom of Asturias was a kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula founded by the nobleman Pelagius who traditionally has been described as being of Visigothic stock. Modern research is leaning towards the view that Pelagius was of Hispano-Roman ...

in the 790s. The Muslim commander at Burbia is named in Ibn al-Athir as Yūsuf ibn Bukht and the battle is likewise recorded in al-Maqqarī. Bermudo abdicated his throne after his defeat, though whether volitionally (as the ''Chronicle of Alfonso III'' states, "because he was r remembered he wasa deacon") or under duress is unknown. Historically in Spain under the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

, a king of proven military inadequacy was often forced to abdicate. Nevertheless, he was considered a generous and illustrious man in his time, "merciful and pious" in the words of the '' Chronicle of Albelda''. Bermudo was succeeded by Alfonso II and he left behind a son, who later reigned as Ramiro I, by an anonymous wife. He reportedly lived for a long time after his abdication, perhaps as a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

, and on good terms with his successor.

References

*Collins, Roger (1989). ''The Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–97''. London: Blackwell, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Bermudo 01 Of Asturias Astur-Leonese dynasty 750s births 790s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 8th-century Asturian monarchs 8th-century Visigothic people