284 Galicia in the Iberian Peninsula
Arthur’s knights to see the Grail. In the Questthe author
made Galahad the hero. Galahad was the perfect knight,
who outdid Perceval in chastity, piety, and achievement.
Galahad was the offspring of LANCELOT’s extramarital
relations with the daughter of the Grail king Pelles. On
his mother’s side he was descended from JOSEPH OFARI-
MATHEAand the biblical King David. Even at his concep-
tion a great future was predicted for him. Galahad was to
be the chosen one who would take up the quest for the
Grail, which was in a ship built by King Solomon on a
special bed made from the wood of the Tree of Life that
had grown in Eden. Religious ideas, especially those of
the CISTERCIANS, influenced the text. He was probably a
model of behavior for a noble, knightly audience. As the
bearer of such an ideal, the character of Galahad in the
Questwas seemingly infallible. He was the virgin Chris-
tian knight, the perfect one who effortlessly succeeded
through his predestined adventures. Full of self-confi-
dence, he relied on God to direct him to the Grail castle
and to Sarras. He was without doubt or fear, and was
therefore perhaps less interesting as a human or literary
character.
See alsoMALORY,THOMAS.
Further reading:The Quest for the Holy Grail,trans.
P. M. Matarasso (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1969);
Arthur Edward Waite, The Holy Grail: The Galahad Quest
in the Arthurian Literature(New Hyde Park, N.Y.: Univer-
sity Books, 1961).
Galicia in the Iberian Peninsula Late antique and
medieval Galicia was a province in northwestern Spain
that from 411 to 585 was an independent kingdom ruled
by the Suevi, a tribe converted to Christianity by Martin
of Braga (ca. 520–ca. 580) in the sixth century. As a Visig-
othic province from 585, it was ruled from Braga and
Lugo. It was temporarily occupied by Muslims in the
early eighth century but entered the Christian kingdom
of Oviedo in the 750s. The tomb of the apostle James was
discovered at COMPOSTELAbetween 820 and 830. He was
quickly proclaimed the patron of the monarchy of
Oviedo-León. This created prosperity in the region
through the lucrative pilgrim trade.
Rural Galicia in the ninth to the 11th centuries was
divided into smaller districts made up of villas or villages
belonging to lords or to the peasants themselves. Bishops
and counts could not prevent devastations by VIKINGS
and al-MANSUR in the late 10th century. By 1065–70,
Galicia was an independent kingdom, but it was soon
permanently incorporated into the Crown of CASTILE-
León. In 1139, the territory south of the Mino River was
entrusted by King Alfonso VI (r. 1065–1109) to his son-
in-law, Henry of Burgundy (d. 1112). It eventually
became the core of a new state when Henry’s son, Alfonso
I (r. 1128–85), was later proclaimed king of the new
kingdom of PORTUGAL IN1139.
An increasingly prosperous agriculture and the lucra-
tive pilgrimage trade to visit Saint James led in the 12th
century to the development of a network of towns and
fishing ports. They eventually gained urban liberties in
the later 12th century after rebellions against their eccle-
siastical and lay lords. However, during the 14th century
with the decline of the pilgrimage trade, disorderly nobil-
ity, who had even turned to kidnapping and demanding
ransoms for pilgrims, and plagues led to economic and
demographic decline. Insecurity continued to intensify
and in 1467–69 there was a general uprising against the
lords who had been terrorizing the local population
despite the integration into the kingdom of Castile,
unable as yet to provide security until after the ascent of
ISABELI.
See alsoSANTIAGO DECOMPOSTELA.
Further reading: Roger Collins, Early Medieval
Spain: Unity in Diversity, 400–1000(London: Macmillan
Press, 1983); Angus MacKay, Spain in the Middle Ages:
From Frontier to Empire, 1000–1500(New York: St. Mar-
tin’s Press, 1977); Marilyn Jane Stokstad, Santiago de
Compostela in the Age of the Great Pilgrimages(Norman:
University of Oklahoma Press, 1978).Galicia in Ukraine and Poland(Halychyna, Red
Ruthenia) Galicia was the historically fertile province
in southwestern Ukraine consisting of regions of Lviv,
Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk. From 981 the future Gali-
cia was part of Kievan RUS ́ under VLADIMIRI the Great. In
the late 11th and early 12th centuries, it consisted of the
principalities of Zvenyhorod, Terebovlia, and Peremyshl
and was ruled by the grandsons of Prince YAROSLAV THE
WISE of KIEV. In 1141, under the reign of Yaroslav
Osmomysl (r. 1153–87), the principality enjoyed a period
of economic and cultural expansion.
Galicia’s most celebrated and successful rulers were
Daniel of Halych (r. 1238–64) and Yuri I (r. 1301–8).
After the assassination of the last prince, HUNGARY,
LITHUANIA, and POLANDtried to divide Galicia among
themselves. It was finally incorporated into the Jagiel-
lian kingdom of Poland in 1387 under CASIMIRIII the
Great; it remained under Polish rule until 1772. Lviv
was the political and economic capital of the Polish
province of Galicia. Polish LAWreplaced Ruthenian law
in the administration of the province. The mostly Ger-
man towns were governed according to German law.
The rural population of Galicia remained mostly
Ukrainian, while in the towns, with Ukrainians, were
large numbers of Poles, Germans, and JEWS.
Further reading: Iaroslov Isaievych, “Galicia
(Ukraine),” EMA,1.585–586; Paul R. Magocsi, Galicia:
A Historical Survey and Bibliographic Guide(Toronto:
Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies and Harvard
Ukrainian Research Institute by University of Toronto
Press, 1983).