King Alfonso II ASTURIAS

   Another name for Alfonso was ASTURIAS King.

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King of ASTURIAS.

BOOK
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1981, Micropaedia, Vol I, p232, Alfonso II: "Born Abt 759, Died Abt842, King of Asturias from 791 to 842. He is generally credited with having saved Asturias from extinction by the Moors. During his reign the capital was moved from Pravia to Oviedo, the Visigothic tradition was restored in administrative and ecclesiastical life, and the supposed tomb of St James the Apostle was discovered in Galicia and made into the shrine around which the town of Santiago de Compstela developed."

The Story of Civilization, Will Durant, Vol IV, The Age of Faith, Bk IV, The Dark Ages, Ch XIX, The Decline of the West, Sec II, Spain, p458: "...Alfonso I's grandson Alfonso II (791-842) annexed the province of Leon, and made Oviedo his capital.
"In this reign occurred one of the pivotal events of Spanish history. A shepherd, allegedly guided by a star, found in the mountains a marble coffin whose contents were believed by many to be the remains of the Apostle James, `brother of the Lord'. A chapel was built on the site, and later a splendid cathedral; Santiago de Compostela- `St James of the Field of the Star'- became a goal of Christian pilgrimage only less sought than Jerusalem and Rome; and the sacred bones proved invaluable in stirring morale, and raising funds, for the wars against the Moors. St James was made the patron saint of Spain, and spread the name Santiago over three continents. Beliefs make history, especial- ly when they are wrong; it is for errors that men have most nobly died."

The New Columbia Encyclopedia, 1975, p63, Alfonso II: "`The Chaste', Born 759, Died 842, Spanish king of Asturias (791-842), grandson of Alfonso I. He established his capital at Oviedo, which his father, Fruela I, had founded. Continuing the struggle against the Moors, he sought the support of the Frankish emperors Charlemagne and Louis I. Alfonso II built the first church on the site of Santiago De Compostela."

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1981, Macropaedia, Vol XVII, p407, Spain History of: "While the Catalans tended to be oriented to the north, the Asturians looked southward and under Alfonso II (791-842) cautiously moved their capital to Oviedo where they attempted to restore the institutions of the Visigothic monarchy."

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