Pelayo
Pelayo
(pālä`yō), d. 737, first king (c.718–737) of Asturias. He was elected king by the tribespeople of Asturias and by Visigothic leaders who had escaped Tariq. His victory over the Moors at Covadonga sometime between 718 and 725 marked the beginning of Christian resistance to the Moorish conquerors. Accounts of Pelayo are largely legendary.The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™ Copyright © 2013, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Pelayo
Year of birth unknown; died Sept. 18, 737, in Cangas. The first king of Asturias (from 718).
Pelayo led an uprising of the Asturians against Arab rule. In 718 he routed an Arab army at Covadonga and thus began the Reconquista. After Pelayo’s victory, Asturias became an independent kingdom.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.