Alfonso I of Asturias

Alfonso I
An 18th-century statue of Alfonso I, by Juan Porcel in Madrid
King of Asturias
Reign	739-757
Coronation	739
Predecessor	Favila
Successor	Fruela I
Born	693 Cantabria
Died	757 Cangas de Onís, Asturias
Burial	Santa Cueva de Covadonga
Consort	Ermesinda
Issue	Fruela I of Asturias Vimarano Adosinda Mauregatus of Asturias
House	Astur-Leonese
Father	Peter of Cantabria
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Alfonso I of Asturias, called the Catholic (el Católico), (c. 693 – 757) was the third King of Asturias, reigning from 739 to his death in 757. His reign saw an extension of the Christian domain of Asturias, reconquering Galicia and León.

He succeeded his brother-in-law Favila, and was succeeded by his son, Fruela I. Alfonso's youngest son, Mauregatus, also became king, and his daughter Adosinda was consort to king Silo of Asturias. The dynasty started by Alfonso is known by its contemporary Arabic name, the Beni Alfons (Sons of Alfonso).

As the son of Duke Peter of Cantabria, Alfonso held many lands in that region. He is said to have married Ermesinda, daughter of Pelagius, who founded Asturias after the Battle of Covadonga in which he reversed the Moorish conquest of the region. He succeeded Pelagius' son, his brother-in-law, Favila, on the throne after the latter's premature death.

Whether Pelagius or Favila were ever considered kings in their own lifetime is debatable, but Alfonso certainly was. He began a lifelong war against the Moors. In 740, he conquered Galicia and in 754, León. He went as far as La Rioja. However, the few urban populations of these frontier regions fled to his northern dominions, leaving a depopulated buffer between the Christian and Muslim states.