Gonzalo Salvadórez

Gonzalo Salvadórez (or Salvadores) (died 6 January 1083), "called Cuatro Manos (‘four hands’) on account of his great valour", was one of the most powerful Castilian noblemen of his era, a kinsman of the Lara family, and by tradition, descendant of the Counts of Castile. He was a son of Salvador González and brother of Álvaro Salvadórez, with whom he often figures in contemporary documentation. His family's area of influence was Bureba.

Gonzalo is first recorded as an adult when he witnessed a charter with his father and uncle, Munio (Muño) González, in 1056, at the court of Ferdinand I. In the next reign, he was a frequent subscriber to the charters of—and attendee at the court of—Sancho II. He was ruling Lara in 1072, when Sancho granted the citizens of Lara the right to pilgrimage to San Millán de Cogolla. He witnessed donations to San Millán in 1070 and 1082 (twice). He and his uncle Munio were one of the first Castilian magnates to support Alfonso VI after the death of Sancho (1072), and Gonzalo attained the rank of count (comes) in 1074. Gonzalo, Munio, and Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid) were the only Castilian magnates to figure prominently in royal actions outside of Castile. In total, Gonzalo confirmed some nine charters of Sancho II and eleven by Alfonso. Gonzalo negotiated with King Sancho IV of Navarre the safe passage of the pilgrims of Lara to the shrine of San Millán in 1073, while Sancho and Alfonso were at war.

In December 1082 Albofalac, the governor of Rueda de Jalón, made a pronunciamiento in a favour of Yusuf al-Muzaffar, the imprisoned brother of al-Muqtadir, recently deceased ruler of Zaragoza, and rebelled against al-Mu'tamin, al-Muqtadir's son and successor. At the same time Ibn al-Royolo, who had brought Denia to al-Muqtadir in 1076, was now suspected of intriguing with Alfonso VI against al-Mu'tamin. Further, a recently failed embassy led by Sisnando Davidiz to the court of Zaragoza may have warmed Alfonso to the invitation of Albofalac to take part in his revolt, which he eventually requested. Alfonso sent an army under Gonzalo and Ramiro Garcés, the younger brother of Sancho IV of Navarre. Gonzalo and Ramiro held talks with Yusuf, now free (Albofalac had been his jailer), who may have urged them to request the king's presence. Alfonso did appear, but only for a short while.

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