Pelayo

Pelayo (pālä'yō), d. 737, first king (c.718-737) of Asturias. He was elected king by the tribespeople of Asturias and by Visigothic leaders who had escaped Tariq. His victory over the Moors at Covadonga sometime between 718 and 725 marked the beginning of Christian resistance to the Moorish conquerors. Accounts of Pelayo are largely legendary.