PELAGIUS
THE VISIGOTH WHO BEGAN THE RECONQUISTA AND PARTIALLY FOUNDED THE SPANISH MONARCHY C.685-737 ASTURIAS
The Visigothic Kingdom was a Germanic Christian successor state to Roman rule in most of Iberia from 418 until the Umayyad Conquest of Hispania during 711-18. Christian Visigoths held out in the mountain region of Asturias in northwest Spain, including Pelagius, who became their leader. He was a nobleman who survived the Visigothic defeat at the Battle of Guadalete in 711 as well as being captured and imprisoned by the Umayyads.
From c.717-18, Pelagius was elected as the principal leader in Asturias and won the Battle of Covadonga against the Umayyads, which is considered the first engagement of the Reconquista. A king in all but name, Pelagius established the capital of Asturias at Cangas de Onís, with his kingdom surviving until
925. From that time, the expanding Asturias became known as the kingdom of León, which eventually unified with Castile to form a powerful Christian state. Because Castileleón ultimately united with Aragon to form the kingdom of Spain, Pelagius is considered a founding father of the Spanish monarchy.