Pelayo Rodríguez (bishop)

Pelayo Rodríguez (fl. 948–1007) was the Bishop of Iria Flavia (977–985). He was a son of the powerful magnate Rodrigo Velázquez and his wife Adosinda and is usually associated with the conflicts surrounding the accession of Vermudo II after a Galician rebellion in 982.

There is disagreement in the primary sources (narrative and documentary) over when and how Pelayo came into the see of Iria, though both the Historia Compostelana and the Chronicon Iriense agree that he was elevated immediately after the death of Sisnando Menéndez (29 May 968) by an aristocratic party, but was afterwards forcibly expelled from the see by Vermudo II (982). According to the Chronicon:

Mortuo Sisnando, Pelagius, Lucensis episcopus, Ruderici comitis filius, in Locum Sanctum nonus a dominis et senioribus rogatus adducitur. Qui secularis et non plene scientie conscius, maiores ab honoribus deiciens, iuvenes et pastores honoribus cepit sublimare; spreta senum sapientium societate, et honores et dignitates Ecclesie cepit destruere et a nichilum deducere. Sed cum comites et potestates Galletie patrem non bene rectum nec filium, flores iuventutis adultum, ergo se amicos non senserunt, tunc accepto consilio, Ueremudum iuvenem Ordonii regis filium quondam, apud inclitam beati Iacobi urbem educatum, in regiminis excellentis sublimare conantur, in era M^a XX^a. . . Qui Ueremudus rex, accepto maiorum consilio, predictum Pelagium, Ruderici comitis filium, a sede prolecti.

According to the Historia:

Después de Sisnando, obtuvo la mitra de este obispado mediante el poder secular, un hijo del conde Rodrigo Velázquez llamado Pelayo [Pelagius … filius comitis Ruderici Velasqui], que ni se cuidó del cargo recibido ni se humilló como debía a su Creador ... por lo cual no permitiendo la divina Providencia que ocupara injustamente la iglesia por más tiempo, fue expulsado por el rey D. Bermudo. . . Entretanto Rodrigo Velázquez, padre del obipso expulsado, unido a otros condes de esta región introdujo acá a los sarracenos acaudillados por Almanzor; los cuales entrando en Compostela, destruyeron hasta los cimientos la mayor parte de las paredes de la Iglesia del Santo Apóstol, excepto su santísimo altar.

The dominis et senioribus (lords and elders) of the Chronicon probably refer to both secular powers and the canons ("elders") of cathedral church of Iria Flavia. The Historia on the other hand attributes Pelayo's rise solely to the secular arm. Further, what is, to the Chronicon, the cause of Pelayo's expulsion—the hatred of the Galician nobles for Rodrigo Velázquez—is for the Historia the result of his expulsion and the ensuing vengeance wreaked on Galicia by Rodrigo's alliance with Almanzor. The chronology of both is incorrect, however. Rodrigo is known to have died between 16 June 977 and 23 October 978, five years before Vermudo was elected as anti-king by the Galicians opposed to Ramiro III.

...
Wikipedia