Editing Kingdom of Asturias (section)

== Recognition and later solidification ==
It was not until [[Alfonso II of Asturias|King Alfonso II]] (791–842) that the kingdom was firmly established, after Silo's subjugated [[Gallaecia]] and confirmed territorial gains in western [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]].<ref>{{cite book | author = Collins, Roger| year = 1989 | title = The Arab Conquest of Spain 710–797 | publisher = Blackwell |location = Oxford, UK / Cambridge, US|isbn= 0-631-19405-3|page=165}}</ref> Ties with the Carolingian Franks also got closer and more frequent, with Alfonso II's envoys presenting Charlemagne with spoils of war (campaign of Lisbon, 797). Alfonso II introduced himself as "an Emperor Charlemagne's man",<ref name="Collins, Roger 1983">{{cite book | author = Collins, Roger| year = 1983 | title = Early Medieval Spain | publisher = St. Martin's Press |location = New York|isbn= 0-312-22464-8|page = 132}}</ref> suggesting some kind of suzerainty.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sholod|first1=Barton|title=Charlemagne in Spain: The Cultural Legacy of Roncesvalles|date=1966|publisher=Librairie Droz|isbn=2600034781|page=42}}</ref> During Alfonso II's reign, a probable reaction against indigenous traditions took place in order to strengthen his state and grip on power, by establishing in the Asturian Court the order and ceremonies of the former Visigoth Kingdom.<ref name="Collins, Roger 1983"/> Around this time, the holy bones of [[James, son of Zebedee]] were declared to have been found in Galicia at [[Iria Flavia]]. They were considered authentic by a contemporary pope of Rome. However, during the Asturian period, the final resting place of [[Eulalia of Mérida]], located in Oviedo, became the primary religious site and focus of devotion.

Alfonso II also repopulated parts of [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], [[León (historical region)|León]] and [[Castile (historical region)|Castile]] and incorporated them into the Kingdom of Asturias while establishing influence over parts of the [[Basque Country (historical territory)|Basques]]. The first capital city was [[Cangas de Onís]], near the site of the battle of Cavadonga. Then in [[Silo of Asturias|Silo's]] time, it was moved to [[Pravia]]. Alfonso II chose his birthplace of [[Oviedo]] as the capital of the kingdom (circa 789).

[[File:Ramiro I Rex.jpg|thumb|left|170px|[[Ramiro I of Asturias]]]]
Ramiro I began his reign by capturing several other claimants to the throne, blinding them, and then confining them to monasteries. As a warrior he managed to defeat a Viking invasion after the Vikings had landed at Corunna, and also fought several battles against the Moors.

[[File:Alfonso III Leon.jpg|thumb|170px|[[Alfonso III of Asturias]]]]
When he succeeded his father Ramiro, [[Ordoño I of Asturias|Ordoño I]] (850–66) repressed a major revolt amongst the Basques in the east of the kingdom. In 859, Ordoño besieged the fortress of Albelda, built by [[Musa ibn Musa]] of the [[Banu Qasi]], who had rebelled against Cordoba and became master of Zaragoza, Tudela, Huesca and Toledo. Musa attempted to lift the siege in alliance with his brother-in-law García Iñiguez, the king of Pamplona, whose small realm was threatened by the eastwards expansion of the Asturian monarchy. In the battle that followed, Musa was defeated and lost valuable treasures in the process, some of which were sent as a gift to Charles the Bald of Francia. Seven days after the victory, Albelda fell and, as the chronicler records, "its warriors were killed by the sword and the place itself was destroyed down to its foundations." Musa was wounded in the battle and died in 862/3; soon thereafter, Musa's son Lubb, governor of Toledo, submitted himself to the Asturian king for the rest of Ordoño's reign.

When Alfonso III's sons forced his abdication in 910, the Kingdom of Asturias split into three separate kingdoms: [[Kingdom of León|León]], [[Kingdom of Galicia|Galicia]] and Asturias. The three kingdoms were eventually reunited in 924 (León and Galicia in 914, Asturias later) under the crown of León. It continued under that name until incorporated into the [[Kingdom of Castile]] in 1230, after [[Ferdinand III of Castile|Ferdinand III]] became joint king of the two kingdoms.