Pedro Manrique de Lara facts for kids
Pedro Manrique de Lara (who died in January 1202), often called Pedro de Molina or Peter of Lara, was a powerful nobleman and military leader from Castile. He belonged to the important House of Lara family.
Pedro spent most of his career serving Alfonso VIII of Castile, a king of Castile. He also worked for Ferdinand II of León for a short time (1185–86). After 1192, he became the Viscount of Narbonne because it was his family's right.
Pedro was one of the strongest and most important nobles in Castile during his time. He helped protect the Kingdom of Toledo and the Extremadura region from the Almohads, a Muslim group. He also fought in the Reconquista (the Christian reconquest of Spain) in Cuenca. He is also known as a "second founder" of the Huerta and Arandilla monasteries.
Pedro was married three times. His first wife was a princess from Navarre. This marriage connected him to the family of the famous hero El Cid. Some experts think that the Lara family might have supported the writing of the epic poem Poema de mio Cid. Pedro's second wife was related to Henry II of England. Pedro's connections across the Pyrenees mountains explain why he started using seals to prove documents were real. He was the first Spanish noble to have a surviving example of a seal. He also used the special title "by the grace of God" to show that he ruled the lordship of Molina independently. He inherited Molina from his father.
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Who Was Pedro Manrique de Lara?
Pedro was the oldest son and heir of Manrique Pérez de Lara and Ermessinde. His mother, Ermessinde, was the daughter of Aimery II of Narbonne. Pedro often called himself "de Lara." This family name came from his grandfather, Pedro González. Pedro's children later used his own first name, Manrique, as part of their family name.
Pedro inherited a lot of land and wealth. However, historians know him for selling or mortgaging much of it for small profits. Some people have said this means he was not a good manager of his money. He owned land in a place called Cogolludo.
Pedro first appears in official records on December 18, 1157. His father died in the Battle of Huete in the summer of 1164. His mother inherited the semi-independent lordship of Molina. She quickly gave half of it to Pedro, her oldest son. By November 1164, Pedro was in charge of the eastern area of Atienza, which his father had held. There is only one document, from March 1, 1165, that shows Pedro actually ruling Lara, the place his family got its name from.
Pedro's First Marriage
Pedro's first wife was the infanta Sancha Garcés. An infanta is a princess. She was the daughter of King García Ramírez of Navarre and his second wife, Urraca. Urraca was the daughter of Alfonso VII of León and Castile. This was a very good marriage for the young nobleman.
Sancha first appears as Pedro's wife in a document from 1165. This document was a gift to a religious group called the Praemonstratensians at La Vid. However, this date is a bit confusing because her first husband, Gaston V of Béarn, did not die until 1170.
In May 1172, Pedro and his brother Manrique gave half of the saltworks (places where salt was made) of Tercegüela to the Santa María de Huerta abbey. In February 1173, Manrique and Sancha gave the other half in exchange for a horse. This document says it was "made in the month of February in the year 1211 when King Sancho of Navarre gave his sister to Count Pedro, son of Manrique." This means the marriage likely happened after February 1172, and probably after May 1172, since Sancha was not mentioned with Pedro in the May 1172 gift.
Sancha and Pedro had three sons: García, Aimerico, and Nuño. Nuño, also known as Nuño Pérez II, was still alive in 1228. He was given the area of Bertabillo to govern.
Sancha was the great-granddaughter of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, who was called the Cid. Some historians believe that the person who wrote the Poema de mio Cid was supported by the Lara family. They think the poem might have been a way to criticize the Laras' enemies, the Castros. The town of San Esteban de Gormaz, where the Cid's daughters were beaten, was also where the Laras hid the young King Alfonso VIII in 1163. The poem also shows Avengalvón, the last Muslim ruler of Molina, in a good light. This might be because of his connection with the later Lara rulers of Molina.
Pedro's Military Role
By September 1, 1166, Pedro was a count. This was the highest title a nobleman in Castile could get from the king. He often called himself Dei gratia, which means "by the grace of God". This was unusual for a nobleman in Spain at that time. He might have borrowed this style from his relatives in Occitan or Catalan regions. He also used the phrase munere divino ("by divine mercy"). In 1168, he was sent to govern the areas of Osma and San Esteban de Gormaz in eastern Castile. On October 4 of that year, he made a gift to the parish church of Molina.
Pedro often supported the military order of the Knights of Calatrava. He made his first gift to them on May 8, 1169. In 1169, Pedro helped settle a disagreement between the people of Molina and the Abbey of Huerta about the borders of the village of Arandilla.
In June 1170, Pedro was the governor of Extremadura, an important border area for the military. On November 5, 1172, he was mentioned as governing Cabezón. By April 3, 1173, Pedro was governing the Kingdom of Toledo. This region was centered around the city of Toledo and bordered al-Andalus to the south. That year, when Alfonso VIII attacked Navarre, Pedro helped make peace between his king and the king of Navarre, Sancho VI, who was his brother-in-law. The war ended with a peace treaty in October.
In 1177, Pedro helped in the Siege of Cuenca. During the siege, on August 19, Cerebruno, the Archbishop of Toledo, bought Pedro's lands at Añover and Barcilés for 100 maravedíes (a type of money). Pedro Manrique had his own court and private army (called a mesnada). This shows how large and organized his group was, as he even had his own majordomo (a chief servant), Pedro Vidas, in 1177.
How Pedro Used Seals
The oldest surviving wax seal from a Spanish nobleman is from a document of Pedro's dated January 22, 1179. Using seals was already common in France. It probably came to Spain through the Lara family's connections with Narbonne. The seal may have been made as early as 1164, when Pedro took over from his father in Molina.
This is the only surviving example of Pedro's seal. Even though it is very worn, we can still see what it looked like: It shows a knight wearing a cone-shaped helmet and holding a long, kite-shaped shield. He is riding a galloping horse and holding a lance. This image shows how Count Pedro wanted people to see him: as a strong, powerful, and unstoppable warrior nobleman.
The seal has two sides, and both show Pedro on horseback. One side has the words "seal of count Pedro," which are hard to read. The other side has words that seem to be a sentence or motto. This would be one of the earliest examples of a personal seal from medieval Spain with a motto. The document with the seal placed the village of Torralba de Ribota under the protection of Pedro, who was called Dei gratia comes ("by the grace of God count"). This document was confirmed in the city of Calatayud on Saint Vincent's Day in the year 1217 of the Spanish era. We are sure this seal belongs to Pedro Manrique because there was no other count named Pedro in Castile at that time who used the title Dei gratia. Pedro was at Torralba in March 1179. On March 20, Pedro helped King Alfonso VIII lay the first stone for the Abbey of Huerta.
Pedro's Support for Religious Groups
On February 11, 1172, Pedro received half of the village of Beteta from the Cathedral of Santa María in Sigüenza. In exchange, he gave them the monastery of Santa María de Molina. On May 2, Pedro made a gift to the Cistercian monastery at Sacramenia. On May 17, he made another gift to a Cistercian house, this time the Abbey of Huerta. Even though he also gave gifts to the Praemonstratensians and the Benedictines (like the monastery of Arlanza), the Cistercians were his favorite religious order. A Cistercian historian named Ángel Manrique called Pedro and his family, the Manriques de Lara, the "second founders" of Huerta because they gave so many gifts to it.
On June 26, 1176, Pedro made a gift to the regular clergy of Alcalech. In October 1176, he made a religious gift to the cathedral of Sigüenza without getting anything in return. On January 16, 1178, he made his second gift to the parish of Molina.
On January 1, 1181, Pedro and his sister María gave the village of Carabanchel, near Madrid, to Gonzalo Díaz and his wife Melisenda. This village had been mortgaged by Ermessinde of Narbonne for 100 maravedíes. Later that year (June 28), Pedro promised 2,000 maravedíes to build a monastery at Arandilla. This area had been under his control since at least 1169. Besides the money, Pedro also offered land for the abbey and gave the monks of Huerta (who were to build it) about four hundred sheep, forty cows, and ten mares. Pedro also said he wanted to be buried at Arandilla if the monastery wasn't finished by the time he died. He also said his successor should give another 3,000 maravedíes.
As early as March 14, 1167, Pedro's mother had tried to build a monastery there. She gave the right to use her lands at Arandilla to the monks of Huerta for two years. She also promised them some properties at Molina. Ermessinde also promised 200 gold pieces each year to build a monastery at Arandilla. She even offered to pay the master builder. However, no monastery was ever built at Arandilla, and Pedro was not buried there. We don't know why the project failed.
On March 11, 1183, Pedro and his oldest son, García, made a gift to the Order of Calatrava for the good of his first wife's soul, the infanta Sancha. Pedro, with his sister María, made another gift to Calatrava that same month, giving up the castle of Alcozar. On April 23, he made another religious gift (of two houses) to the Cathedral of Santa María in Burgos. Around 1183, Pedro and María mortgaged their shared property of the village and castle of Los Ausines to the monastery of La Vid for 1,000 maravedíes.
Pedro's Time in León and Second Marriage
Pedro was last seen ruling Toledo in May 1179. On May 8, 1181, Pedro was governing Hita. On June 28 of that year, he made his third gift to Huerta. Also in June 1179, Pedro rewarded one of his loyal followers, García de Alberit, and his daughter Toda and brother Pascasio with land at Valtablado.
Pedro's second wife was Margaret (also called Margarita or Margerina). They first appear as married in a document from Angers. This document recorded a gift of money and property (called bridewealth) to Margaret, who was a relative of Henry II of England, from her husband, Petrus Dei gratia comes de Lara (Pedro, by the grace of God, Count of Lara). The properties given were Molmera (maybe Molina), Andaluz, Agusino, Eles, and Polvoranca. This document is dated January 23, 1183, or possibly 1184, 1185, or 1186. This document is the only clue about where Margaret came from. They made another gift to the Order of Calatrava where she was called "countess Margaret" on December 30, 1187 (or 1186). The couple was still married on November 17, 1189, when they made another gift to Calatrava. She did not have any known children with Pedro.
On January 27, 1185, Pedro signed his first document as a member of the court of King Ferdinand II of León. By February 11, he had been made majordomo, the highest official in the court. This job probably lasted only about a week, because Ferdinand gave the job back to the previous official, Rodrigo López, by February 16. However, by that time, Pedro had been given a new job away from the court: governing the large and important area of Asturias de Oviedo. His areas of control grew steadily throughout the year. By February 22, he was governing the "towers of León" (the royal fortress that controlled the capital city). By July 6, he held Salamanca and Toro (Toro only for a short time). By September 26, he was holding Ciudad Rodrigo, an important city in the south of the kingdom. On March 4, 1186, Pedro was called a "vassal of king Ferdinand" (meaning he was a loyal noble serving the king). There are also mentions of him governing Babia on March 16 and Luna from March 31 to April 1. He continued to govern Asturias de Oviedo, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Salamanca until at least May 5 of that year. He kept control of León a bit longer, as he was still in charge of the fortress there on May 21.
On January 29, 1187, Pedro made a second gift to Alcalech (his first was in 1176). From 1188 until 1200, Pedro was ruling the region of Cuenca. After 1190, Pedro no longer held Atienza. Starting in that year, he ruled Huete, where his father had been killed in battle. His rule there lasted until at least March 21, 1198. On June 13, 1195, Pedro made a second gift to the cathedral of Sigüenza.
Pedro Becomes Viscount of Narbonne
Pedro seemed to be next in line to become the viscount of Narbonne, because his aunt, the viscountess Ermengarde, had no children. Pedro's brother Aimerico Manrique de Lara was asked to rule with Ermengarde. But when Aimerico died in 1177, the viscountess ruled alone again, at least until 1184. In that year, the abbot of Fontfroide, the abbey where Aimerico was buried, gave the small village of Terrail to the Archbishop of Narbonne, Bernard Gaucelin. The archbishop asked for a confirmation of this land within the viscounty from "Ermengarde, viscountess of Narbonne, and from you, Count Pedro, and from your successors." This suggests that Pedro Manrique was north of the Pyrenees mountains and that his aunt had recognized him as her heir. Ermengarde confirmed this, saying she was "by the grace of God, viscountess of Narbonne, and my relative Pedro, by the same grace count." This shows that in that region, Pedro continued to be called a count, as in "Count Pedro, Viscount of Narbonne."
In 1192, after his aunt stepped down (she died in 1197), Pedro became the viscount of Narbonne. On April 28, 1194, he named his second son, Aimerico, as his heir there. He might have given him control of the viscounty at that time. Aimerico stayed in Narbonne and did not return to Castile until after Pedro died in 1202. Besides the viscounty, Pedro also inherited control over the viscounts of Béziers. He included this in the land he gave to his son in 1194. The only exception was the castle of Montpesat, which Pedro kept for himself.
Pedro's Final Years and Death
In April 1199, Pedro was at Huerta when King Alfonso VIII visited. This might have been the occasion when the Poem de mio Cid was first read in public. On October 30, 1199, he made his second gift to La Vid. In September 1200, he might have been at Ariza when Peter II of Aragon received the local castle from his mother, Sancha.
Pedro's last appearance at court was on December 11, 1201. He died early in 1202 and was buried in the abbey of Huerta, next to his first wife, on January 14. This is according to the Anales toledanos primeros, which were early records from Toledo. On July 29, 1203, the Cistercian monastery at Piedra received properties that Pedro had promised in his will.
There is no mention of Pedro's second wife, Margaret, after their joint gift to Calatrava on November 17, 1189. His third and final wife (and widow), Mafalda, is not mentioned until after his death. On February 3, 1202, she and her oldest son with Pedro, Gonzalo, sold their estate at Tragacete to the city council of Cuenca for 4,000 maravedíes. Mafalda and Pedro also had a son named Rodrigo or Ruy. In the 1190s, Rodrigo joined his father at the royal court and became a merino mayor (a high official). He also became the lord of Montpesat.
Images for kids
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An inscription on the wall of the Pantheon of the Counts of Molina at the cloister of the Monastery of Santa María de Huerta.
See also
In Spanish: Pedro Manrique de Lara (II señor de Molina) para niños
