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[quote]TRE SECOND ATTACK
Ramiro 1 died 1 February 850 and was succeded by lis son Orondo 1 (850-866). In 859 a huge Viking fleet attackcd Galicia and Asturia with fire and steel. Orondo was occupied with preparing a campaign against the lVloors but sent men at once to Don Pedro, his governor, who directly moved against the Vikings. «It is worth noticing», says a Spanish writer, «that this people, howcver skilled in sailing and war. never was victorious in the kingdom of Asturia, but were always destroyed. This force was led by Hastings and his fosterling Ej0rn lirnside, tIc son of Ragnar Lodbrog. In the year 245 (8 April 859 - 27 March 860) the Majus appeared again. TIc raid seemed to be going as follows: Galicia and the eoast of present day Portugal, the mouth of Guadalquivir, the area around Raya, Cartama, Malaga, la Raduya and the whole district of Ronda. Seores of buildings, lighhouses, guard buildings and mosques were destroyed. After that they went towards Djezirat-al-Khandra or Algericas. They sailed to the coast of Africa were they landed in Mauretania, prcsent day Morocco, and penetrated into the city of Naechor or Nachor, later Mezema and now Nekor again, S0kilometers west-southwest of Cape Tres-Forcas. They staved there for 8 days, and an oíd Irisí fragment telís about a battle here between the king of Mauretania and the sons of Lodbrog in which the king lost his hand and escaped. They ravaged the whole of the latid and took a great number of Moors or «bluemen» to Ireland where they lived for a long time. (This Irish tale compares well with Spanish and Arabic sources as well as Nordic sagas, where the sons of Ragnar Lodbrog werc worried about the faití of tícir father and sensed his death.) They returned to Andalucia and landed at Todmir, on the coast of Mur~ cia. After they beatr the people there they took the Castle of Orihuela and made several raids inland, some as far as tIc French border. Tíen thcy sailcd away. They took Pamplona by surprise and made Garcia the Frank, the king, their prisoner. He paid a ransom of 90,000 denars and was released. They continued tícir raid on tIc Balearie islands of Malorea and Menorca and Jviza and Formentcra. After this they turned on Roussilon and plundered a monastry at tIc mouth of tIc river Tecí. Then they settled on the island
72 RolfSthee,,
of Camargues at the Rhone estuary and ravaged Valence, Nimes and Arles. In the spring they went to Italy and destroyed Pisa and took Luna. In 862 they were back in Brittany. This second attaek on Spain, led by Hasiing and the sons of Ragnar Lodbrog, lasted for more than a year and took place between 859 and 861. The effect of this attack can be noticed in the years afterwards in both muslin and christian Spain. Ordono’s suecessor, Alfons III or Great (866-910), strove to protect the coast against attacks from Vikings or Moors. It was probably because of the Vikings he erected high walls around the city Oviedo. The fort at Gauzon was built on several high cliffs by the sea, three leagues from Oviedo and one from Gijon. «This fort offered firm protection for our coast aud was a good place to spot the ships of the Vikings who carlier used to come and destroy everything they could.