Gonzalo Fernández de Lara Conde de Castilla y Burgos

  Noted events in his life were:

• Web Reference: ¹

Charles Cawley's Medieval Lands - Gonzalo Fernández de Lara

Gonzalo's letter dated 912 to the town of Brañosera confirmed the rights granted by his paternal grandparents whom he names. ~Pérez de Urbel, Vol. I, p. 251, and Vol. II, pp. 28-9

He is referred to as "comes in Burgos" in 899. ~Becerro de Cardeña ["BC"], doc. CXII, cited in Torres (1999), p. 208

He built the castle of Lara in 902, and populated Aza, Clunia and San Estebán in 912. He is last mentioned in Castile in 916. He may have been banished to Navarre from 920 to 930, a "Gundisalvus comes" witnessing royal Navarrese documents during this period, although if this is correct it is surprising that his wife did not accompany him, established as she was in the castle of Lara during that time. A "Gundisalvus Fredinandiz comes" witnessed a 932 donation, signing immediately after King Ramiro II and before "Fredenandus comes" (presumed to be Fernando González), Pérez de Urbel suggesting that this is the same person as Gonzalo Fernández de Lara.
~Pérez de Urbel, Vol. I, p. 245.
~Pérez de Urbel, Vol. II, p. 22.
~Pérez de Urbel, Vol. I, p. 263.
~Pérez de Urbel, Vol. II, pp. 88-9.

He married, before 912, Muniadomna (-after 5 Aug 935/38, bur Santa María de Lara).

• Web Reference:
Wikipedia en español: Gonzalo Fernández was a conde de Castile y Burgos. In 912, he confirmed the Puebla de Brañosera Charter in which he names his grandparents as the original grantors, Munio Núñez de Brañosera and Argilo.

Mentioned for the first time in 899, Gonzalo soon makes Lara his home base, extending his government from the area of Espinosa de los Monteros and Escalada to the Arlanza river. This town was to be the starting point of the Lara family.

His name appears for the first time on 1 Mar 899 confirming as a Gundissalbo Fernandiz in Uurgus committee in the founding letter of the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, 1 that will be one of the most influential Castilian monastic institutions together with the monastery of San Sebastián of Silos (then Santo Domingo de Silos).

Gonzalo Fernández appears as conde de Burgos in a document dated 1 Aug 914 and as count of Castile on1 May 915. His remains had to rest in the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza, according to Fray Antonio de Yepes in his General Chronicle of the Order of San Benito.

He married Muniadona with whom he had two children:

• Fernán González, conde de Castilla y Álava.
• Ramiro González, died in 936 in combat against Muslims

Gonzalo married Muñia Ramírez, daughter of Ramiro Rey de León and Urraca, before 912. (Muñia Ramírez died after 5 Aug 935 ⁴⁹³ and was buried in Santa María de Lara ⁴⁹³.)