Fruela I ( – 14 January 768), also referred to as Froila I and nicknamed "the Cruel," 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 757 until his assassination. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I and continued his father's war against the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

. Pelayo, the founder of the Kingdom of Asturias, was his maternal grandfather.

History

During his reign, he suppressed uprisings from both the

Basques The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...

and the

Galicians Galicians ( or ''pobo galego''; ) are an ethnic group primarily residing in Galicia, northwest Iberian Peninsula. Historical emigration resulted in populations in other parts of Spain, Europe, and the Americas. Galicians possess distinct cu ...

; following his victory over the Basques, he took a Basque noblewoman from Alava named Munia as his wife. Basque country was relatively untouched following the revolt; on the contrary, Fruela laid waste to Galicia after suppressing the uprising. He also defeated a Cordoban army led by Omar, son of

Abd al-Rahman I Abd al-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya ibn Hisham (; 7 March 731 – 30 September 788), commonly known as Abd al-Rahman I, was the founder and first emir of the Emirate of Córdoba, ruling from 756 to 788. He established the Umayyad dynasty in al-Andalus, ...

; Omar was killed as a result of the battle.de Caunedo, Nicolás Castor (28 May 1854).
Un cronicón del siglo IX". ''Semanario Pintoresco Español''
22: 171 – via Hemeroteca Digital. The city of

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

was also founded during his reign when the abbot Máximo and his uncle Fromestano erected a church in honor of Saint Vincent there in 761. Fruela personally assassinated his brother,

Vimarano Vimarano (–765), sometimes called Vimaranu, was an infante of the Kingdom of Asturias. He was killed by his older brother, King Fruela I. Biography Vimarano was the second son of King Alfonso I and his wife Ermesinda Ermesinda (c. 720 or ...

, leading to him being nicknamed "the Cruel." He had feared that

's popularity would lead to him taking the throne; in an act of repentance, he adopted

's son, Vermudo, as his own. The killing of

outraged the nobility, however, and he in turn was assassinated by his own men in

Cangas de Onís Cangas de Onís ( Asturian: ''Cangues d'Onís'' "valleys of Onís"'' Canga'' (plural ''cangues'') is an Asturian word for "valley, canyon".) is a municipality in the eastern part of the province and autonomous community of Asturias in the north ...

. He was succeeded by his cousin, Aurelius; his son,

Alfonso 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 ...

, would later become King of Asturias. He and his wife Munia are buried together in the

cathedral of Oviedo The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Saviour or Cathedral of San Salvador (, ) is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in the centre of Oviedo, in the Asturias region of northern Spain. The Cathedral of San Salvador of Oviedo to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fruela 01 of Asturias Astur-Leonese dynasty 720s births Year of birth uncertain 768 deaths 8th-century Asturian monarchs