Gonzalo Fernández de Traba

Who is Gonzalo Fernández de Traba?

Gonzalo Fernández de Traba was a Galician nobleman and the leader of the House of Traba. He was the eldest son and successor of Fernando Pérez de Traba by his wife Sancha González. By 1 August 1150 he had married a certain Elvira Rodríguez, a woman of unknown origins, with whom, on that date, he made a donation of his interest in San Julián de Ezebreiro to the Cistercian monastery of Monfero. By 12 January 1156 he was re-married to Berenguela Rodríguez, daughter of Rodrigo Vélaz and Urraca Álvarez and sister of Álvaro Rodríguez, thus relating himself by marriage to the Vela family. His sons, all by his first wife, were Fernando, Gómez and Rodrigo. He also two daughters by his first wife: Urraca, who married Fruela Ramírez, and Aldonza, who married Lope Díaz I de Haro.

Gonzalo held the title of count, pertaining to the highest rank in the kingdom, by 4 February 1155, when he signed a royal charter at Valladolid as comes Gundisaluus. Since his father is never mentioned in royal documents after 8 November 1154, it is probable that he had died and his son had been named a count as his successor. This scheme is complicated two charters of donation dated 1 July 1155 by Fernando and his brother Vermudo to the monastery they had founded at Sobrado dos Monxes. If authentic, these charters would push his date of death back a half-year and demonstrate that Gonzalo held the comital rank within his father's lifetime. Two documents in the archives of Sobrado, dated 1151 and June 1160, are confirmed by a comes dompnus Fernandus in Traua et in Aranga et in Monteroso and a comes dompnus Fernandus senior in Monteroso et in Traua, respectively. These are probably copyists' errors for Gundesaluus Fernandi.