Rodrigo of Castile

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Rodrigo (d.873) was the first count of Castile from about 850 to his death. He has been supposed to be a son of Ramiro I of Asturias and his second wife, Urraca Paterna. This would make him a half-brother of Ordoño I.

He was created, possibly by his half-brother upon his assumption of the crown, governor of the eastern march (marca oriental) of the realm, which would later become the county of Castile. He took part in Ordoño's Repoblación, repopulating Amaya in 860. He was at the side of the king in many battles of the Reconquista, including the siege and sack of Albelda in 859.

Between 867 and 868, he assisted in the suffocating of the Alavés rebellion of the Basque magnate Eglyón. He was made count of Álava in return. He governed that county until 870, when Vela Jiménez is recorded as count. He was defeated magnificently at Bureba by the troops of the emir of Córdoba and the Reconquista was set back for years.