Pedro Ansúrez facts for kids
Pedro Ansúrez was an important nobleman from Castile. He lived from around 1065 to 1118. Pedro was a count in areas like Liébana, Saldaña, and Carrión. He is known as the founder and first lord of the city of Valladolid.
Pedro came from a noble family called the Beni Gómez. His father was Ansur Díaz. Pedro married twice. His first wife was Elo (or Eylo), and they married before 1084. She passed away by 1114. Later, he married Elvira Sánchez. Pedro had five children: Alfonso, Fernando, María, Mayor, and Urraca. Sadly, Alfonso died young. You can still see his sarcophagus, which Pedro had made, in a museum today.
Pedro and King Alfonso VI
Pedro was very close to Alfonso VI of León and Castile, who was the king. Some stories say Pedro was the king's teacher when he was young, but this isn't true because they were about the same age.
Pedro served as the king's chief steward (called a majordomo) for a short time in 1067. The king made him a count by 1070. In 1072, Pedro even went into exile with King Alfonso in Toledo.
Founding Valladolid
When King Alfonso returned to rule the kingdoms of León and Castile, he gave Pedro and his wife Eylo an important job. They were asked to help bring people to live in Valladolid and rebuild it. They brought people from their own lands, Saldaña and Carrión.
Valladolid really started to grow when Pedro became its lord. He was a great builder. He built a large palace for himself and his wife, though it no longer exists. He also built a hospital and a bridge over the Pisuerga river. Pedro also built many important churches, like the Santa María la Antigua and the Colegiata de Santa María. This church later became the main cathedral of the city.
At that time, Valladolid was on the edge of the Kingdom of Castile. Pedro was in charge of settling people in a large area, from Liébana all the way to Cuéllar. His lands even included the important city of Toledo and, by 1095, Madrid.
Later Life and Influence
Around 1087, King Alfonso VI chose Pedro to be the guardian of his eldest daughter, Urraca. She would later become queen. This was probably to make sure that French nobles didn't get too much power. However, as the century ended, Pedro's power became less as the influence of other nobles, like Raymond and Henry of Burgundy, grew.
Pedro also spent some time in exile in Urgell between 1103 and 1108 because King Alfonso VI was displeased with him. While there, he helped in the conquest of Balaguer. Pedro even brought his own knight, Íñigo Pérez, with him. Only very powerful nobles could afford to have such officers. This knight, called an armiger or alférez, was in charge of leading Pedro's personal army into battle.
In 1114, Pedro Ansúrez gave some land to the church of Valladolid.
Years later, in 1143, Pedro's grandson, Sancho Ansúrez, brought a new religious order, the Premonstratensian Order, to Spain. Sancho had studied with Saint Norbert.
Sources
- Barton, Simon F. The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
- Reilly, Bernard F. The Kingdom of León-Castilla under Queen Urraca 1109–1126. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1982.
- Reilly, Bernard F. The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VI 1065–1109. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1988.
- Rodríguez Fernández, J. Pedro Ansúrez. León: 1966.
See also
In Spanish: Pedro Ansúrez para niños
