Galicia has about 2,795,422 inhabitants which mainly combines the coastal strip between Ferrol and A Coruña in the northwest and between Vilagarcía de Arousa and Vigo in the southwest.
The medieval and modern Kingdom of Galicia derived of the kingdom of the Suebi, founded by king Hermeric in 409. By the 6th century the kingdom of the Suebi was already known as the Kingdom of Galicia, Gregory of Tours being the first chronicler to use this denomination.[1]
Suebic Kings (409–585)
A silver half-siliqua coin of a Suevic king of Galicia from c. 410–500.
The Visigoth kings took control of Galicia in 585, which became the sixth province of the Kingdom of Toledo. Galicia maintained a distinguishable administrative and legal identity up to the collapse of the Visigothic monarchy.
In 910, Alfonso III the Great was forced to abdicate in favor of his sons, Ordoño, Fruela and Garcia, who partitioned the kingdom amongst them. Ordoño was the first to adopt the title "King of Galicia".
Ordoñez dynasty (910-1037)
Ordoño I (910–924). In 914, Ordoño succeeded Garcia on the thrones of León.
Fruela I (924-925). Brother of the former. Upon succeeding Ordoño on the thrones of León and Galicia he reunited his father's realm.
Alfonso I (925). Son of the former. Briefly ruled as king before being ousted by his three cousins.
Sancho I (925–929). First-born of Ordoño, cousin of the former.
Bermudo I (982–999). Crowned as anti-king by the Galician nobility in Santiago de Compostela. Routed Ramiro III of León in the battle of Portela de Areas, after which he acceded to the throne of Leon.
Ferdinand I (1037-1065). Upon his death, Castile, León and Galicia were divided amongst his sons.
García II (1065–1071) - reigned in Galicia and in the County of Portugal until he was deposed by his brothers Alfonso and Sancho in 1071, after which he was made prisoner until his death in 1090.
Sancho II (1071-1072) - briefly co-reigned as king of Galicia with his brother Alfonso until he was assassinated in 1072.
Alfonso IV (1071-1109) - co-ruled Galicia until his brother Sancho was assassinated in 1072, whereupon he acceded the throne of Castille as well.
13th century depiction of the coat-of-arms of Galicia
Alfonso V (1111–1157). Son of the former. In 1111, he was crowned king of Galicia in Santiago de Compostela as his mother's heir apparent. In 1126, he succeeded Urraca as king of León, Castile and Toledo. During his reign, Afonso I of Portugal rebelled against León, of which he was a vassal. From 1152 on, Alfonso VII associated his sons to the throne, Ferdinand receiving the title of King of Galicia.
Ferdinand II (1157–1188). Son of the former. Acceded to the throne of León upon his father's death in 1157.
Alfonso VI (1188–1230). Son of the former. On his death, his kingdom was divided between his daughters, who reigned a few months de jure.
Dulce and Sancha, queens of Galicia (1230) de jure
Ferdinand III (1230–1252). King of Castile who became King of Galicia after Dulce and Sancha's renunciation of their titles.
Ferdinand IV (1369-1371). Following Peter I of Castile's death, a succession crisis occurred. During this time, the throne of Galiza was offered to Ferdinand I of Portugal, a member of the Portuguese House of Burgundy, and he was acclaimed in Galicia as King. His reign would see the opening of trade between the two nations and economic benefits for both. This reign, however, would be short, as Ferdinand relinquished the throne of Galicia in favour of Henry II of Castile after the first of the Fernandine Wars.
John I (1379–1390) - Son of the former. In 1386, John of Gaunt pressed the claim for his wife (and himself), to the throne of Castile. He successfully invaded Galicia and held most of the country until he was defeated in 1387.
^"Quo defuncto, filius eius Eurichus Leuvichildi regis amicitias expetiit, dataque, ut pater fecerat, sacramenta, regnum Galliciensim suscepit. Hoc vero anno cognatus eius Audica, qui sororem illius disponsatam habebat, cum exercitu venit; adpraehensumque clericum facit ac diaconatus sibi praesbiterii ei inponi honorem iobet. Ipse quoque acceptam soceri sui uxorem, Galliciensim regnum obtenuit." Gregory of Tours, Historiarum, VI.43.
Bibliography
Carballeira Debasa, Ana María (2007). Galicia y los gallegos en las fuentes árabes medievales. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifícas. ISBN978-84-00-08576-6. (in Spanish)
García Oro, José (1987): Galicia en los siglos XIV y XV. Fundación "Pedro Barrie de la Maza, Conde de Fenosa", A Coruña. ISBN84-85728-59-9. (in Spanish)
González López, Emilio (1978): Grandeza e Decadencia do Reino de Galicia. Galaxia, Vigo. ISBN84-7154-303-6. (in Galician)
López Carreira, Anselmo (2005): O Reino medieval de Galicia. A Nosa Terra, Vigo. ISBN978-84-8341-293-0(in Galician)
Portela Silva, Ermelindo (2001): "García II de Galicia, el rey y el reino (1065-1090)". La Olmeda, Burgos. ISBN84-89915-16-4. (in Spanish)
Rodríguez Fernández, Justianiano (1997): García I, Ordoño II, Fruela II, Alfonso IV. Editorial La Olmeda, Burgos. ISBN84-920046-8-1. (in Spanish)
Sepulcher of count Raymond of Burgundy, lord of Galicia, and father of Alfonso VII (d. 1107)
Sepulcher of king Ferdinand II (d. 1187)
Sepulcher of king Alfonso IX (d. 1230)
Sepulcher of count Pedro Fróilaz de Traba, protector of king Alfonso VII (d. 1128),_16th_Century.svg)
.jpg)
