Constable, Olivia Remie

Christian Resistance in the North (c.718) - Chronicle

of Alfonso III (Early 880s)
pp. 47-52

B. Abu Ishaq of Elvira, Qasida, translated by Bernard Lewis et al, (2012) Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian,
Muslim and Jewish Sources, Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania Press

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Course of Study: HIST10692 - The Making of Europe, 400-1500

Title: Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim and Jewish Sources
Name of Author: B. Abu Ishaq of Elvira, Qasida, translated by Bernard Lewis et al
Name of Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
 9. CHRISTIAN RESISTANCE IN T H E N O R TH (CA. 718)

Chronicle o f Alfonso III (early 88os)

Translated from Latin by Kenneth B. W olf

Under Alfonso I I I (r. 866-910), the kingdom o f Asturias achieved a political and
m ilitary stature that expressed itself among other wavs, in the production o f his­
torical literature. The Chronicle o f Alfonso III was designed as a continuation o f
Isidore’s History o f the Goths, Vandals, and Suevi. Its purpose, in narrative terms,
was to show, first, how the Catholic Visigothic kings who had united Spain under
their rule by the late sixth century lost it a ll to the Arabs in the early eighth century
and, second, how the Christians o f Asturias, self-described heirs to the Visigoths, were
able to make good their claims to Spain at the expense o f the Arabs. The chronicle was
apparently written in the early SSos, when the Asturian monarchy under Alfonso I I I
was taking advantage o f a period o f political instability in the Cordoban emirate
an d thinking—prematurely, as it turned out— that the days o f A rab rule in Spain
were numbered. Its author is unknown, although traditionally it has been ascribed
to Alfonso I I I himself.
The selection below describes the A rab invasion o f 711 and Pelayo’s rise as a
leader o f the Christian resistance in Asturias shortly after. The self-confidence an d
sense o f purpose that pervade the text belong more to the late ninth century than to
the early eighth. (K B W )

But let us return to that time when the Saracens entered Spain on the third
day before the Ides o f N ovem ber, era 752 (N ovem ber 11, 7 14 ).
The Arabs, after oppressing the region along with the kingdom , killed
many with the sw ord and subjugated the rest to themselves by m ollifying
them with a covenant o f peace. T he city' o f T o led o , victor over all peoples,
succum bed, vanquished by the victories o f the Ishmaclitcs; subjected, it
served them. T h ey placed prefects throughout all the provinces o f Spain and
paid tribute to the Babylonian king' for many years until they elected their
ow n king and established for themselves a kingdom in the patrician city o f
C o rd o b a.2 A t alm ost the same time, in this region o f the Asturians, there was
in the city o f G ijon a prefect by the name o f M unnuza, a com panion o fT ariq .
While he held the prefecture, a certain Pelayo, the sw ordbearer o f the kings

English text from Conquerors a nd Chroniclers o f Early M edieval Spain, edited and trails
lated by Kenneth R. W olf( I.iverp<x>l: Liverpool University Press, 1990), pp. 16 4 -6 8 . Reprinted
with permission o f the publisher.
1. T hat is, the Umayyad caliph in Damascus.
2. After the Abbasid revolution in 750, one o f the few remaining members o f the Umayyad
family, 'Abd al Rahman, made his way to Spain where he established an independent Umayyad
emirate with its capital in C6rdoba.
+8 M uslim Arrival and C hristian Reaction

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Figure 2. Horseman, possibly a Muslim, depicted in the Gerona Hcatus{tenth

century). Library o f the Cathedral ofGerona. Photo credit: Scala/Art Resource, NY.
 C hristian Resistance in the N o rth 49

Figure v The scriptorium and the tower o f the monastery o f Tavara, depicted
in Beatus o f Liebana’s Commentary on the Apocalypse, Burgos (dated 1220).
Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, MS M. 429, fol. 183. Photo credit:
Pierpont Morgan Library/Art Resource, NY.
5° M uslim Arrival and Christian Reaction

W itiza and Roderic, oppressed by the dom inion o f the Ishm aclitcs, had come
to Asturias along with his sister. O n account o f her, M unnuza sent Pelayo to
C 6rdoba as his envoy. Before Pelayo returned, M unnuza married his sister
through som e stratagem. W hen Pelayo returned he by no means consented
to it. Since he had already been thinking about the salvation o f the church,
he hastened to bring this about with all o f his courage. Then the evil Tariq
sent soldiers to M unnuza, w ho were to apprehend Pelayo and lead him back
to C o rd o b a, bound in chains. W hen they came to Asturias, seeking to appre­
hend him treacherously in a village called B recc,' the plan o f the Chaldeans
was made known to Pelayo by a friend. Seeing that it w ould be impossible
for him to resist the Saracens because they were so num erous, Pelayo escaped
from am ong them , rushed o ff and cam e to the ed ge o f the river Pilona.4 H e
found it overflow ing its banks, but by swim m ing with the help o f the horse
upon which he sat, he crossed to the opposite side and clim bed a mountain.
T h e Saracens stopped pursuing him. As he was heading into the m ountains,
Pelayo joined him self to as many people as he found hastening to assemble.
H e clim bed a high m ountain called Auscva and headed for a cave on the side
o f the mountain which he knew to be very safe.5 From this great cave flows a
stream called the F.nna. A fter Pelayo sent an order to all o f the Asturians, they
gathered together in one group and elected him their leader/’ H earin g this,
the soldiers w h o had com e to apprehend him returned to C o rd o b a and re ­
lated everything to their king, saying that Pelayo, as M unnuza had suggested,
was clearly a rebel. H earing this, the king, m oved by an insane fury, ordered
a very large army from all over Spain to go forth and he placed Alqam ah, his
com panion, in charge o f it. H e ordered O ppa, a certain bishop o f the see o f
T oled o and son o f K ing W itiza— on account o f w hose treachery the G oths
had perished— to g o with Alqamah and the army to Asturias. Alqamah was
advised by his colleague Tariq that if Pelayo refused to com e to terms with
the bishop, he should be taken by force in battle and brought to C ordoba.
C o m in g with an arm y o f almost 18 7 ,0 0 0 soldiers, they entered Asturias.
Pelayo was on M t. Auseva with his allies. T he army advanced to him and
set up countless tents before the m outh o f the cave. Bishop O ppa ascended
the hill in front o f C ovad on ga and spoke to Pelayo, saying, “ Pelayo, Pelayo,
where arc you ?”
Pelayo, responding from an open ing, said, “ I am here.”
The bishop said to him, “ I think that it is not unknown to you, brother

3. Location unknow n.
4. Near Cangas dc Onis.
5. Covadonga, a spot a few miles to the east o f Cangas dc Onis.
6. Pelavo (r. 718 -757).
 Christian Resistance in the N o rth 51

and son, how all of Spain a short time ago was organized according to one
order under the rule o f the G oths, and that it outshone all other lands in learn­
ing and knowledge. I f when the entire army o f the Goths was assembled, it was
unable to sustain the attack o f the Ishmaelites, how much better will you be
able to defend yourself on this mountain top.5 To me it seems difficult. Rather,
heed my warning and recall your soul from this decision, so that you may take
advantage o f many good things and enjoy the partnership o f the Chaldeans.”
To this Pelayo responded, “ H ave you not read in the divine scriptures
that the church o f G od is com pared to a mustard seed and that it will be
raised up again through divine mercy?” (M att. 17 :2 0 ).
T h e bishop responded, “ It is indeed written thus.”
Pelayo said, “ Christ is our hope that through this little m ountain, which
you see, the w ell-being o f Spain and the army o f the G othic people will be
restored. I have faith that the promise o f the Lord which was spoken through
D avid will be fulfilled in us: ‘ I will visit their iniquities with the rod and their
sins with scourges; but I will not rem ove m y mercy' from them’ (I’ s. 89:32-33).
N ow , therefore, trusting in the mercy o f Jesus C hrist, I despise this multitude
and am not afraid o f it. As for the battle with which you threaten us, we have
fo r ourselves an advocate in the presence o f the Father, that is, die Lord Jesus
C hrist, w ho is capable o f liberating us from these few.”
And the bishop turned to die army and said, “ G o forth and fight. You
heard how he responded to me. I can see by his determ ination that you will
never have a covenant of peace with him unless it be achieved through the
vengeance o f the sword.”
Then Alqamah ordered his men to engage in battle. Th ey took up arms.
T he catapults were set up. T he slings were prepared. Sw ords flashed. Spears
were brandished. Arrow s were shot incessantly. But on this occasion the
pow er o f the L ord was not absent. F o r w hen stones were launched from
the catapults and they neared the shrine o f the holy virgin M ary, which is
inside the cave, they turned back on those w ho shot diem and violently cut
down the Chaldeans. A nd because the L o rd does not count spears, but o f­
fers die palm o f victory to w hom soever he will, when the Asturians came out
o f die cave to fight, the Chaldeans turned in flight and were divided into
tw o groups. T h ere Bishop Oppa was im m ediately captured and Alqamah
was killed. In that same place 12 4 ,0 0 0 o f the Chaldeans were killed. Bur
the 6 3 ,0 0 0 w ho were left alive ascended to the sum m it o f M t. Auseva and
cam e dow n to Liebana through A m ucsa.7 B ut they could not escape the

7. The Muslims apparently tied through the heart o f the mountainous Picos dc Kuropa
region o f eastern Asturias and western Cantabria.
52 M uslim Arrival and C hristian Reaction

vengeance o f the Lord. F o r when they had reached the sum m it o f the m ou n ­
tain, which is over the bank o f a river called the D eva, next to a village called
C osgaya, it happened, by a judgm ent o f G o d , that the m ountain, quaking
from its very base, hurled the 6 3 ,0 0 0 men into the river and crushed them
all. There even now, when this river fills beyond its limit, it reveals many vis­
ible signs o f these events. D o not think this to be unfounded or fictitious.
Rem em ber that he w ho parted the waters o f the Red Sea so that the children
o f Israel m ight cross (E xo d . 1 4 :2 1 - 2 2 ) , also crushed, with an immense mass
o f m ountain, the Arabs w ho were persecuting the church o f G od.
When M unnuza learned what had happened, he sprang from the same
coastal city o f G ijon and fled. In a certain village called O lalies he was cap­
tured and killed along with his men. Then the cou n try was populated, the
church restored, and everyone together gave thanks to G o d , saying, “ Blessed
be the name o f the Lord w ho strengthens those w ho believe in him and d e ­
stroys wicked peoples.” W ithin a short time, A lfonso, the son o f Peter, w ho
w as the leader o f the Cantabrians and was from the royal line, came to A s­
turias. H e received in m arriage the daughter o f Pelayo named Erm esinda and
he brought about many victories with his father-in-law and also afterward.
Finally peace was restored to the land. T o the extent that the dignity o f the
name o f C hrist grew, die derisive calamity o f the Chaldeans wasted away.
Pelayo lived as king for nineteen years. H is life came to an end with a natural
death at C angas de O nis in the era 775 (737).