Kings of the Visigoths

The Visigothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of the Goths (Latin: Regnum Gothorum), was a kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic successor states to the Western Roman Empire, it was originally created by the settlement of the Visigoths under King Wallia in the province of Gallia Aquitania in southwest Gaul by the Roman government and then extended by conquest over all of Hispania. The Kingdom maintained independence from the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, whose attempts to re-establish Roman authority in Hispania were only partially successful and short-lived.

The Visigoths and their early kings were Arians and came into conflict with the Catholic Church, but after they converted to Nicene Christianity, the Church exerted an enormous influence on secular affairs through the Councils of Toledo. The Visigoths also developed the highly influential law code known in Western Europe as the Visigothic Code (Liber Iudiciorum), which would become the basis for Spanish law throughout the Middle Ages.

Alaric I "ruler of all"; (c. 370 – 410 AD) was the first king of the Visigoths, from 395 to 410. The Visigoth Kingdom disappeared in 711, when king Rodrigo was defeated by the Muslims in the Battle of Guadalete river.

From “Spain, then and now. Visigoths and Unity: The Monarchy.”

One of the central principles of Visigothic political life was that of elective monarchy, whereby the king was selected by his aristocratic peers as “chief,” first among equals. The king was chosen as the best to defend the interests of the community, and his function was essentially that of war-leader.

Principles, however, often clashed with reality, and rebellions, regicide and constant dispute were the order of the day. In the two centuries of Visigothic rule in Hispania (507-711), there were twenty-six kings. Of these five were assassinated, two died under mysterious circumstances and one was overthrown; in addition, there were numerous revolts that challenged the authority of the throne. The result was a weak political structure, further threatened by the divide between the Visigoths and the substantially larger population of Hispano-Romans. … political turbulence surrounding the throne was a perpetual plague. Indeed, conflicts arising between elective and hereditary interests were the immediate prelude to the fall of the Visigothic nation in 711. When King Witiza died in 710, a civil war broke out over his successor.

The supporters of one claimant, Achila (son of Witiza according to some sources, 710-713), clashed with supporters of a rival claimant, Roderic. Roderic seized control of Toledo and the south while Achila ruled the north east. It was while Roderic was campaigning against Achila and the Basques in the north that Muslim forces, led by Tariq b. Ziyad, the Muslim governor of Tangier, crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and set in motion a radical turn in the history of the Iberian Peninsula. It marked the birth of Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain).

List of kings

Note: succession was not necessarily father to son.

From La Monarquia Hispania: Los reyes visigodos < link > and Wikipedia.

Terving kings These kings and leaders – with the exception of Fritigern and possibly Alavivus – were pagans.

1. Ariaric
2. Aoric
3. Athanaric (369–381)
   1. Rothesteus, sub-king
   2. Winguric, sub-king
4. Alavivus (c. 376), rebel against Valens
5. Fritigern (c. 376–c. 380), rebel against Athanaric and Valens

Balti dynasty These kings were Arians (followers of the theological teaching of Arius). They tended to succeed their fathers or close relatives on the throne and thus constitute a dynasty, the Balti.

1. Alarico I (395-415)
2. Ataúlfo (410-415)
3. Sigérico (415) [an Amal]
4. Walia (415-418)
5. Teodorico (418-451)
6. Turismundo (451-453)
7. Teodorico II (453-466)
8. Eurico (466-484)
9. Alarico II (484-507)
10. Gesaleico (507-510)
11. Amalarico (510-531)

Post-Balti kings. The Visigothic monarchy took on a completely elective character with the fall of the Balti, but the monarchy remained Arian until Reccared I converted in 587 (Hermenegild had also converted earlier). Only a few sons succeeded their fathers to the throne in this period.

1. Theudis (531-548)
2. Theudisclo (548-549)
3. Agila I (549-551)
4. Atanagildo (551-567)
5. Liuva I (567-572), only ruled in Narbonensis from 569
6. Leovigildo (572-586), ruled only south of the Pyrenees until 572
   1. Hermenegild (580–585), sub-king in Baetica
7. Recaredo (586-601) , son, sub-king in Narbonensis until 586, first Catholic king
   1. Segga (586–587), rebel
   2. Argimund (589–590), rebel
8. Liuva II (601-603)
9. Witérico (603-610)
10. Gundemaro (610-612)
11. Sisebuto (612-621)
12. Recaredo II (621)
13. Suíntila (621-631)
    1. Reccimer (626–631), son and associate
14. Sisenando (631-636)
    1. Iudila (632–633), rebel
15. Khíntila (636-639), [Chintila]
16. Tulga (639-642)
17. Khindasvinto (642-653), [Chindaswinth]
18. Recesvinto (653-672), [Recceswinth], son, initially co-king
    1. Froia (653), rebel
19. Wamba (672-680)
20. Ervigio (680-687)
    1. Hilderic (672), rebel
    2. Paul (672–673), rebel
21. Egica (687-700)
    1. Suniefred (693), rebel
22. Witiza (700-710), son, initially co-king or sub-king in Gallaecia
23. Rodrigo (710-711)
24. Agila II (711–714), only in Tarraconensis and Narbonensis
    1. Oppas (712), perhaps in opposition to Roderic and Agila II
25. Ardo (714–721), only in Narbonensis

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Extent of the Visigothic Kingdom, c. 500 (total extent shown in orange, territory lost after Battle of Vouillé shown in light orange: Kingdom of the Suebi was annexed in 585).

References

• Visigothic Kingdom English Wikipedia
• Postings at soc.Gen.medieval < link >
• Charles Cawley’s Project Medieval Lands. SPAIN: VANDALS, SUEVI & VISIGOTHS v4.0 Updated 28 February 2019 “Chapter 3. VISIGOTHS in SPAIN 531-711.”
• La Monarquia Hispania: Los reyes visigodos < link >
• Visigothic Kingdom
• “Spain. Visigoths and Unity: The Monarchy.” cites
• Barton, Simon A History of Spain Basingstoke, Hampshire & New York 2004.
• Carr, Raymond ed. Spain: A History Oxford 2000
• Collins, Roger Early Medieval Spain: Unity in Diversity, 400-1000 London 1983
• Ostler, Nicholas Empires of the Word London 2010
• Phillips, William D, Jr. & Phillips Carla R A Concise History of Spain Cambridge 2010
• Reilly, Bernard The Medieval Spains Cambridge 1993
• Thompson, E.A. The Goths in Spain Oxford 1969