Fruela II of Asturias

Fruela II (Froila II) (c. 875–July 925) was the 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, taking the original portion (Asturias); the second, Ordoño, taking Galicia; and the eldest, García, taking León. As king of Asturias, he had the job of consolidating the region later called Castile and keeping its counts in check.

Fruela II
King of Asturias
Reign910925
PredecessorAlfonso III
SuccessorAlfonso IV
King of León
Reign924925
PredecessorOrdoño II
SuccessorAlfonso IV
King of Galicia
Reign924925
PredecessorOrdoño II
SuccessorAlfonso Fróilaz
Bornc. 875
DiedJuly 925
ConsortNunilo
Urraca bint Abd Allah
IssueAlfonso Fróilaz
Ramiro Froilaz
Ordoño Froilaz
DynastyAstur-Leonese dynasty
FatherAlfonso III of Asturias
MotherJimena of Pamplona
ReligionRoman Catholicism

Fruela's mother was Jimena of Pamplona. He himself married twice, first to a woman of unknown origin named Nunila or Nunilona (late sources make her a member of the Basque Jimenez dynasty, but this is unsupported). His second wife, Urraca, according to Ibn Khaldun and Ibn Hazm, was the daughter of the Banu Qasi governor of Tudela. They were married by 917.

Fruela maintained good relations with his brother Ordoño, who had the hegemony. They cooperated in the Reconquista and Fruela undersigned Ordoño's diplomas as Froila rex with his second wife, Urraca regina. When Ordoño died in 924, the magnates ignored his heirs and elected Fruela king. Fruela had never been popular with the nobles and his subjects and his election has been doubted by some, who see it as a likely usurpation. He assassinated Gebuldo and Aresindo, sons of Olmundo, who claimed descent from King Witiza and thus further alienated the nobility. For this, one chronicler relates, he was condemned to a reign of only fourteen months. According to Ramón Menéndez Pidal, he exiled the bishop Frunimio of León, a relation of Olmundo. Whatever the case, he did reign for a mere fourteen more months and died in early summer 925, some say after having contracted leprosy. Following Fruela's death, there were several competing claimants to his lands, including his younger brother Ramiro (who appears to have married the widowed queen Urraca bint Qasi and used the royal title but was eventually unsuccessful), and the sons of his brother Ordoño II, along with his own young sons. There is some debate as to the immediate succession, although eventually, his family lost out to that of brother Ordoño.

According to Bishop Pelayo, he left three sons by Nunila: Alfonso, Ordoño, and Ramiro. Ibn Khaldun gives Ordoño and Ramiro to Urraca and leaves open the possibility of other children by either wife.

References

Fruela II of Asturias
Born: c. 875 Died: July 925
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Alfonso III
King of Asturias
910–925
Succeeded by
Alfonso IV
Preceded by
Ordoño II
King of León
924–925
King of Galicia
924–925
Succeeded by
Alfonso Fróilaz


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