Ermengildo Gutierrez

Origin

Ermengildo Gutierrez came from a noble Galician family, the first reliably known representative of which was his father, Count Gutierre Ermengildes. It is assumed that the ancestors of Ermengildo were representatives of a noble family from Coimbra , the origin of which some genealogies originate from the Visigoth king of Aegica .

Under Muslim rule, family members held the title “Count of Christians of Coimbra” ^[1] , but in 805 one of the ancestors of Ermengildo fled from the Moors to the kingdom of Asturias and settled with his family in Galicia. His descendants, Ermengildo and his brothers Aloito and Osorio, became the ancestors of the three branches of the clan, which in the next two centuries gave rise to many well-known people, acting mainly in Galicia and Portugal.

The early years

The first dated evidence of Ermengildo Gutierrez in his contemporary documents dates back to April 15, 869 , when he is mentioned in a donation charter to the convent of Santa Maria de Tignana. His marriage, possibly around 865, to Ermesinda, daughter of Count El Bierzo and Astorga Gaton , made him close to the court of King Asturias Alfonso III the Great .

As the royal military leader, Ermengildo Gutierrez took an active part in the Reconquista , which became more active with the beginning of the reign of this monarch. Ermengildo is believed to have assisted Vimarano Peres in expanding Portuguese county . Probably by order of King Alfonso III, Ermengildo in 878 made a campaign in the possession of the Cordoba emirate , during which he stormed Coimbra. Having strengthened himself in the fortress, he successfully repelled the attempt of Emir Muhammad I to regain control of the city and was awarded Alfonso III the first Earl of Coimbra as a reward.

Count of Coimbra

In subsequent years, Ermengildo Gutierrez significantly expanded his possessions, pursuing a policy of settling the lands bordering the Muslim lands with immigrants from Asturias and Galicia, as well as Mosarabs who fled from the power of the emir of Cordoba. It is assumed that soon, under the rule of Ermengildo, in addition to Coimbra, Viseu and Lamego also found themselves. This made him one of the largest owners of the Kingdom of Asturias and one of the closest individuals to King Alfonso III.

Since the beginning of the 880s, the name Ermengildo Gutierrez began to appear regularly in royal charters. In 881, the Count of Coimbra is mentioned as the ambassador of the King of Asturias, who visited Merida . Ermengildo's influence was further strengthened by his appointment to the highest court post of Asturias - the post of mayordom (count of the royal palace), as evidenced by the charter dated September 25, 883 .

In 887, in Galicia, against the rule of Alfonso III the Great, a great uprising began, led by the Duke of Galicia, Vitica. Ermengildo Gutierrez was one of the few Galician counts who fully remained faithful to the king for all seven years that this rebellion lasted. He successfully resisted Vititsa’s attempts to seize the lands that belonged to him and in 894 he was able to capture the head of the rebels and deliver him to Alfonso III in fetters. After the execution of Vitica, all his possessions as a reward for loyalty were transferred by the king to Count Ermengildo. It is assumed that together with them in 895 he received from Alfonso III and the counties of Portugal and Tui, confiscated from Count Lucidio Vimaranes , which Ermengildo Gutierrez ruled at least until 899 ^{[2] [3]} . Perhaps the supreme power over Galicia was transferred to him, since in one of the charters of this time the title “Duke of Galicia” was applied to Ermengildo. Thus, under his authority, probably, were all the western regions of the Kingdom of Asturias.

The ties of Count Ermengildo Gutierrez with the royal family of Asturias were further strengthened thanks to the marriage of his daughter Elvira with Prince Ordogno , the second son of King Alfonso III, concluded in about 892 . Subsequently, this marriage had a significant impact on the support that Ordogno had enjoyed throughout the life of the Galician nobility.

It is not known exactly how Ermengildo Gutierrez reacted to the rebellion of Prince Garcia , which he raised against his father in Galicia in 910 and led to the abdication of Alfonso III the Great. After the division of the possessions of King Alfonso, the county of Coimbra became part of the Kingdom of Galicia , whose ruler became the son-in-law of Ermengildo Gutierrez, King Ordogno II.

It is assumed that in 911 Ermengildo Gutierrez transferred power over his possessions to his son Arias Mendes , as evidenced by the acts of the local cathedral in Oviedo held in that year, in which Arias was named Count of Coimbra. However, in some other historical sources, Ermengildo continued to be mentioned with the title of count until his death.

Recent years

Not much is known about the last years of Ermengildo Gutierrez's life: in the 910s he witnessed several documents, of which the last is dated January 21, 919 .

According to the legends associated with the grandson of Ermengildo, Saint Rosendo , in 920 the Earl defended the city of Porto from the attack of the Emir of Cordoba Abd ar-Rahman III : having strengthened himself on the bridge over the Rio Tinta River , he did not allow Muslims to cross to the opposite bank and capture the city.

Ermengildo Gutierrez is believed to have passed away later that year.

Family

Count Ermengildo Gutierrez from about 865 was married to Ermesinda Gatones, daughter of Count El Bierzo Gaton . Children from this marriage were:

• Arias Mendes (died no earlier than 924) - Count of Coimbra (911/920 — not earlier than 924)
• Gutierre Mendes (died 933) - possibly the Duke of Galicia around 930
• Elvira (about 880–8 September / 8 October 921) - wife (from about 892) of King Leon Ordogno II (about 873–924)
• Aldonsa (died after September 26, 942) - wife of Count Lorensana Guterre Osoresa; their daughter, Adosinda Guterres (died 931) since 925, was the first wife of King Leon Ramiro II (died 951)
• Enderkina “Pala” (died before 947) - wife of Count Lugo Gundesindo Eris (died after 947)
• Goodilona (died earlier September 26, 942) - wife of Count of Portugal Lucidio Vimaranes (died after 922)

• Alarcão J de. Coimbra: a montagen de cenário urbano . - Coimbra: Imprensa da Univ. de Coimbra, 2008 .-- P. 51-56. - 308 p. - ISBN 978-9898074300 .

• Asturias, Galicia, Leon, nobility (English) (unavailable link) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment March 21, 2010. Archived March 17, 2010.
• As famílias condas Portugalenses (port.) (Inaccessible link) . Date of treatment March 21, 2010. Archived July 31, 2013.
• Os Ribadouro. Proposta de reconstituição genealógica (port.) (Unavailable link) . Manuel Abranches de Soveral . Date of treatment March 21, 2010. Archived September 11, 2010.