The death of King Alfonso II brought about a succession crisis in the Kingdom of Asturias.

Nepocian, comes palatii and the late king's kinsman, challenged Ramiro's succession in his absence, being supported by Astures and Vascones who had been loyal to Alfonso II.

[citation needed] By the time of Ramiro's reign, Vikings were frequenting the waters of Europe's coastal regions.

The account of the battle came to the spotlight on a spurious charter forged in Santiago de Compostela in the early 12th century.

[7][8] In thanks for the intervention of the Apostle, Ramiro is said to have instituted a forged grant called Voto de Santiago actually dating from the 12th century, a tax for the benefit of the Church that was only repealed by the Cortes of Cádiz in 1812.

Abd ar-Rahman II dispatched both the Vikings and the rebels, and in 846 sent an army led by his son (later Muhammad I of Córdoba), forcing the Catholics to again evacuate León, which the Muslims then burned.

While Asturias under Ramiro was relatively free of foreign confrontations, the latter portion of the reign saw much internal conflict.

After defeating the rebel prócer (grandee or high-ranking noble) Piniolo, Ramiro condemned him to death along with his seven sons.

[2] Ramiro acted with severity against latrones (thieves) whose number nonetheless increased the civil discord of his reign, and against magos, presumably the pagans still rooted amongst the more isolated settlements.

Traditionally, Count Rodrigo of Castile (died 873) has been named as son of Ramiro and Paterna.

He was buried in the Pantheon of Asturian Kings in the Cathedral of San Salvador, Oviedo, alongside his second wife, Paterna.

His court was the center of great splendor, of which the palace and church of Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo are testimony.

Ramirense architecture introduced barrel vaults made of tufa (a relatively lightweight limestone).