Editing Kingdom of Asturias (section)

== Initial expansion ==
Favila was succeeded by [[Alfonso I of Asturias|Alfonso I]], who inherited the throne of Asturias thanks to his marriage to Pelayo's daughter, Ermesinda. The ''Albeldensian Chronicle'' narrated how Alfonso arrived in the kingdom some time after the battle of Covadonga to marry Ermesinda. Favila's death made his access to the throne possible as well as the rise of one of the most powerful families in the Kingdom of Asturias, the House of [[Cantabria]]. Initially, only Alfonso moved to the court in [[Cangas de Onís]], but, after the progressive depopulation of the plateau and the Middle Valley of the [[Ebro]], where the main strongholds of the Duchy of Cantabria (e.g., Amaya, Tricio and the City of Cantabria) were located, the descendants of Duke Peter withdrew from [[Rioja, Almería|Rioja]] towards the Cantabrian area and in time controlled the destiny of the Kingdom of Asturias.

Alfonso began the territorial expansion of the small Christian kingdom from its first seat in the [[Picos de Europa]], advancing toward the west to [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] and toward the south with continuous incursions in the [[Douro]] valley, taking cities and towns and moving their inhabitants to the safer northern zones. It eventually led to the strategic depopulation of the plateau, creating the [[Desert of the Duero]] as a protection against future Moorish attacks.<ref name="Glick"/>

The depopulation, defended by [[Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz]], is doubted today, at least concerning its magnitude.<ref name="Glick">{{Harvnb|Glick|2005|p=35}}</ref> Two main arguments are used to refute it: first, the minor toponymy was preserved in multiple districts; second, there are biological and cultural differences between the inhabitants of the Cantabrian zone and those of the central Plateau. What is true is that in the first half of the eighth century there was a process of rural growth that led to the abandonment of urban life and the organization of the population in small communities of shepherds. Several causes explain this process: the definitive collapse of the Roman Mediterranean economic system from the time of the late [[Roman Empire]] due to Arab conquests, the continuous propagation of epidemics in the area, and the abandonment of [[al-Andalus]] by the Berber regiments after the revolt of 740–741. All this made possible the emergence of a sparsely populated and ill-organized area that insulated the Asturian kingdom from the Moorish assaults and allowed its progressive strengthening.

The campaigns of kings Alfonso I and Fruela in the Duero valley were probably not very different from the raids that the [[Astures]] made in the same area in the pre-Roman era. The initial Asturian expansion was carried out mainly through Cantabrian territory (from Galicia to [[Biscay|Vizcaya]]) and it was not until the reigns of [[Ordoño I of Asturias|Ordoño I]] and [[Alfonso III of Asturias|Alfonso III]] that the Kingdom of Asturias could take effective possession of the territories located south of the [[Cantabrian Mountains]].

Fruela I, Alfonso I's son, consolidated and expanded his father's domains. He was assassinated by members of the nobility associated with the House of Cantabria.