Fernando Ansúrez II (died 978, shortly after 23 April) was the

Count of Monzón 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.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

, Peñafiel, and Campos from 950 and one of the most powerful noblemen of his generation in the

Kingdom of León The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias along the Bay of Biscay, northern coast of the peninsula ...

. He was the eldest son of Ansur Fernández and namesake of his grandfather,

Fernando Ansúrez I Fernando Ansúrez I (died in or shortly after 929) was the Count of Castile in 929 and the earliest known member of the Beni Ansúrez family; his father, Ansur, is known only through his patronymic. He was also count of the Tierra de Campos, which ...

. His sister

Teresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; ) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Classical Greek, Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

was the queen of Sancho I and later regent for her son, Ramiro III. Fernando had six brothers (Oveco, Gonzalo, Osorio, Muño, Gutier and Nuño) at the time of his first appearance in contemporary records (943), but shortly after being appointed to the county of Monzón (951) only two, Gonzalo and Muño, were still living, and they were recorded as counts along with him.Gonzalo Martínez Díez, "El obispado de Palencia en el siglo X," ''Liber amicorum: profesor don Ignacio de la Concha'' (University of Oviedo: 1986), 344–46. The first record of Fernando as count is his confirmation of a diploma of 17 June 950, where he signs as ''Fredinandus Assurez comes''. Fernando probably succeeded his father, with royal approval, but there is a lapse in the documentation concerning the county of Monzón between 947 and 950.

Relations with the Caliphate

On 12 August 971, according to the '' al-Muqtabis'', the

Caliph of Córdoba A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

al-Hakam II Al-Hakam II, also known as Abū al-ʿĀṣ al-Mustanṣir bi-Llāh al-Hakam b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (; 13 January 915 – 1 October 976), was the Caliph of Córdoba. He was the second Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba in Al-Andalus, and son of Abd-al-R ...

, received six separate Christian embassies in his palace of al-Zahra. The second to last embassy he received was led by a certain Esimeno (Jimeno) and his companion Elgas, sent by Fernando Ansúrez. On 24 June 974 al-Hakam received four more Christian embassies in a single day. The first ambassador, Guitart, came bearing a letter from

Borrell Súñer Borrell II (died 993) was the count of Barcelona, Girona and Ausona from 945 and count of Urgell from 948. Borrell was first seen acting as count during the reign of his father Sunyer II in 945 at the consecration of the nunnery church of Sant P ...

, the

Count of Barcelona The count of Barcelona (, , , ) was the ruler of the County of Barcelona and also, by extension and according with the Usages of Barcelona, Usages and Catalan constitutions, of the Principality of Catalonia as Prince#Prince as generic for ruler, p ...

, making submission anew and requesting a renewal of the existing treaty between the Caliphate and the county. The second came from

Emperor Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...

, called "

king of the Franks The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...

" by

Isa al-Razi ʿĪsā ibn Aḥmad al-Rāzī (died 980) was a Muslim historian who wrote a continuation of the chronicle ''Akhbār mulūk al-Andalus'', the first narrative history of Islamic rule in Spain, which was written by his father, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ...

. His ambassador was a count named Asraka Ibn Umar Dawud, who sought renewed guarantees of friendship. The third embassy, led by a bishop of "Y.r.n.s." (perhaps

Iruña Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the 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 plain of ...

) and Nuño González, was seeking the extension of a treaty whose terms were coming to an end for Castile. The final embassy of the day came from Fernando Ansúrez and sought the prolongation of peaceful relations. All were received with hospitality. Fernando also sent embassies to Córdoba in October 971. On 23 September 973 al-Hakam received ambassadors from the

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...

, Fernando Ansúrez, the Beni Gómez clan, and Rodrigo Velázquez. The Caliph bestowed on them gifts in exchange for reports from the ones who sent them.

Death and succession

On 25 August 976 Fernando, in a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

by which he donated the villages of Tello Barba, Coresce, Sarracino, and Gallegos to 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 ...

, boasted that his father had remained always faithful to his monarch, Ramiro II, and had served him with valour in a thousand battles. At the time of his death Fernando had no living sons. He was succeeded by his sister Teresa and her son, Ramiro III, as recorded during the reign of Sancho III of Navarre: ''transitus est illo comite Ferdinando Anxurez; venit sua germana domina Tarassia et rex Ramiro, qui erat in Legione, venit a Monteson'' ("this count Fernando Ansúrez died; his sister Lady Teresa came and king Ramiro, who was in León, came to Monzón"). This is notice is preserved in the abbey of Husillos, to which Teresa and her son granted the villages of San Julián and Abandella for the sake of Fernando's soul. Also on account of Fernando's childlessness, his widow, Toda, was allowed to rule Dueñas in the county of

Monzón Monzón () is a small city and municipality in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. Its population was 17,176 as of 2014. It is located at the confluence of the Cinca and Sosa rivers, in the Cinca Media comarca of the province of Huesca. ...

. In 980 she was referred to as ''domna Tota cometissa iudicante ciui Domnas'' ("the countess Doña Toda judging in the city of Dueñas"). A document from Husillos during the reign of Sancho García of Castile, who was also count of Monzón, stressed that he "came after" Fernando Ansúrez, though two counts intervened (Ramiro III and García Fernández).Martínez Díez 2005, 543.

Relations with the Caliphate

Death and succession

Notes

Further reading