Editing Kingdom of Asturias (section)

== Indigenous background ==
[[File:Map Iberian Peninsula 910-es.svg|thumb|left|Kingdom of Asturias, circa 910&nbsp;AD]]
The kingdom originated in the western and central territory of the [[Cantabrian Mountains]], particularly the [[Picos de Europa]] and the central area of Asturias. The main political and military events during the first decades of the kingdom's existence took place in the region. According to the descriptions of [[Strabo]], [[Cassius Dio]] and other Graeco-Roman geographers, several peoples of [[Celts|Celtic]] origin inhabited the lands of Asturias at the beginning of the Christian era, most notably:

*in the [[Cantabri]], the ''Vadinienses'', who inhabited the Picos de Europa region and whose settlement gradually expanded southward during the first centuries of the modern era
*the ''Orgenomesci'', who dwelled along the Asturian eastern coast
*in the [[Astures]], the ''Saelini'', whose settlement extended through the [[Sella River (Bay of Biscay)|Sella Valley]]
*the ''Luggones'', who had their capital in ''Lucus Asturum'' and whose territories stretched between the Sella and Nalón
*the ''Astures'' (in the strictest sense), who dwelled in inner Asturias, between the current councils of [[Piloña]] and [[Cangas del Narcea]]
*the ''Paesici'', who had settled along the coast of Western Asturias, between the mouth of the Navia river and the modern city of [[Gijón]]

[[File:Somiedo.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Picture of ''ḷḷagu del Vaḷḷe'' ([[Somiedo]]), showing typical Asturian cottages (called ''teitos''), as already in use in the time of the [[Astures]]]]

Classical geographers give conflicting views of the ethnic description of the above-mentioned peoples. [[Ptolemy]] says that the Astures extended along the central area of current Asturias, between the Navia and Sella rivers, fixing the latter river as the boundary with the Cantabrian territory. However, other geographers placed the frontier between the Astures and the Cantabri further to the east: [[Julius Honorius]] stated in his ''Cosmographia'' that the springs of the river [[Ebro]] were located in the land of the Astures (''sub asturibus''). In any case, ethnic borders in the [[Cantabrian Mountains]] were not so important after that time, as the clan divisions that permeated the pre-Roman societies of all the peoples of Northern Iberia faded under similar political administrative culture imposed on them by the Romans.

The situation started to change during the Late [[Roman Empire]] and the early [[Middle Ages]], when an Asturian identity gradually started to develop: the centuries-old fight between [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] and [[Kingdom of the Suebi|Suebian nobles]] may have helped to forge a distinct identity among the peoples of the Cantabrian districts. Several archaeological digs in the ''[[Castros (Spain)|castro]]'' of La Carisa (municipality of Lena) have found remnants of a defensive line whose main purpose was to protect the valleys of central Asturias from invaders who came from [[Geography of Spain#The Inner Plateau and associated mountains|the Meseta]] through the Pajares pass: the construction of these fortifications reveals a high degree of organization and cooperation among the several Asturian communities, in order to defend themselves from the southern invaders. [[Carbon-14]] tests have found that the wall dates from the period 675–725&nbsp;AD, when two armed expeditions against the Asturians took place: one of them headed by Visigothic king [[Wamba (king)|Wamba]] (reigned 672–680); the other by Muslim governor [[Musa bin Nusayr]] during the Umayyad conquest, who settled garrisons over its territory.

The gradual formation of Asturian identity led to the creation of the Kingdom of Asturias after Pelagius' coronation and the victory over the Muslim garrisons in [[Battle of Covadonga|Covadonga]] in the early 8th century. The ''Chronica Albeldense'', in narrating the happenings of Covadonga, stated that "Divine providence brings forth the King of Asturias".