The ''Repoblación'' (, ; pt, Repovoação, ) was the ninth-century repopulating of a large region between the River

Duero The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...

and the

Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...

, which had been depopulated in the early years of the

Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Na ...

. In the reign of

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 Le ...

(739–757), through a series of successful military campaigns against the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct o ...

, the Christians had retaken

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a ...

, and León and brought the population of the northern regions firmly under their control. This left those provinces largely empty of human settlement and created a buffer zone between Moors and Christians. This region was called the ''Desert of the Duero''. This zone was left untouched for almost a century while Alfonso's successors focused their energies on

Vasconia The Duchy of Gascony or Duchy of Vasconia ( eu, Baskoniako dukerria; oc, ducat de Gasconha; french: duché de Gascogne, duché de Vasconie) was a duchy located in present-day southwestern France and northeastern Spain, an area encompassing the m ...

and Galicia. It was during the reign of Ordoño I of Asturias (850–866) that the repopulation of the uninhabited zone began. Ordoño began advancing to the south, repopulating the cities of Tui, Astorga, León, and Amaya. The people who descended the mountains of the north for the uninhabited valleys were called ''foramontanos'', meaning "out of the mountains." Among the routes the ''foramontanos'' took was that between

Cabuérniga Cabuérniga () is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 999 inhabitants. Its capital is Valle Valle may refer to: * Valle (surname) Geography *"Valle" ...

and Campo de Suso, which was followed as early as 824, when the new population of Brañosera received the oldest known ''

fuero (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ; all ...

'' in Spanish history. The desire for newer, more fertile agricultural zones in the river valleys of the

Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

and Duero was the chief driving factor in the emigrations. From this time the kingdom increasingly became known as that of León and in 910, on the death of Ordoño's son, Alfonso III, the kingdom was divided with

Fruela II Fruela II (Froila II) (c. 875–July 925) was the List of Asturian monarchs, King of Asturias from the death of his father, Alfonso III of Asturias, in 910 to his own death. When his father died, the kingdom was divided, with the third son, Fruela ...

continuing to reign in the Asturias while his brothers García and Ordoño ruled in León and Galicia respectively. The ''repoblación'' was then complete. Despite this, ''Desert of the Duero'' was never completely depopulated, since archaeological research has shown a limited continuity of occupation. The Portuguese ''Repovoação'' occurred during the reigns of the

House of Burgundy The House of Burgundy () was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of King Robert II of France. The House ruled the Duchy of Burgundy from 1032–1361 and achieved the recognized title ...

up to the middle of the thirteenth century.

References

*Félix de Aramburu y Zuloaga
"Repoblación de los montes asturianos."
''Revista de Asturias''. 16 June 1879: A traditional account

Concise popular account {{DEFAULTSORT:Repoblacion Reconquista 9th century in Spain Kingdom of Asturias

See also

References