EAGLES AND HAWKS
Medieval history of the Iberian peninsula,
as Christian and Islamic worlds
Part I : 710 - 762
709 - 711
Twilight of the Visigothic Kingdom
Medieval history of the Iberian peninsula,
as Christian and Islamic worlds
Part I : 710 - 762
709 - 711
Twilight of the Visigothic Kingdom
The Visigothic Kingdom was the prey of successive civil wars, involving rebel nobles, weak kings, ambitious generals. As his roman predecessor, the kingdom had to face a severe crisis, that the Franks sarcasticly named the “Gothic disease”. This crisis would eventually lead the Visigoth to loose their kingdom and their heirs to almost disappearing from History.
Egica had to confront many rebellions and even a forced abdication, and his son Vitiza had to renounce to an important part of his power in order to have a more peaceful reign but couldn't avoid a civil war at the end.
In 709, Roderic, duke of Beticae, was elected king by the Visigothic nobles of Hispania as well bishops (the hispanic church being in conflict with the previous king). Vitiza that appears to have been dispossessed and killed by his successor, who usurped the right to the throne of ones of the dead's relative, Agila.
Assured of his right to the throne and with the support of a traditionally rebellious nobility in North-East and nobles of Hispania hostile to Roderic, Agila crowned himself and became the usurper's rival. However, his authority was recognized only in the provinces of Septimania (where he placed his court, in Narbo, which became capital anew) and in Tarraconensis, whereas Roderic, loosing his authority on most of Beticae, ensured it in Lusitania, Astura, and probably in southern Galicia and Carpetania around Toletum.
The semi-independents nobles of the mountainous north or the southern third of Hispania, might have been supporting one of the two rivals, but they worried more about their own problems and minded their own business, There is the exception of the dukes, such as the vitizean count in Septa, who lived too far from their suzerains to help them efficiently.
Although Church played a role in this civil war, supporting one rival or the other, the bishops of Hispania sensed the dangers of a new crisis, when in North, Vascones became more rebellious, the Frankish threat was still present, and, in South, Islamic victories provided opportunities for the apparition of raids in Beticae.
In 710, for the first time since the establishment of Visigoths in Hispania, council was convened by the sole authority of the church in Toletum. Although the king (or the one who could assume this title) always presided it, in a formal way and participating to the decisions, always according to his interests. This XIX council of Toletum was presided by the Archbishop of the city.
This initiative from the clergy, still a powerful an quite coherent faction in comparison of nobility, is the logical consequence of the loss of royal power and prestige due to Vitiza's reign and the civil war between rodericians and vitizeans.
Despite this particularity, Roderic and Agila were talked into a truce, swearing on holy relics that no fight will oppose them anymore, and that one's adversary would become one for the other, although until this point, they were few fights which were mainly due to the threats mentioned above.
Even if Roderic and Agila kept their royal titles, they decided to formalize the divide of the kingdom. Roderic, "Lord in West" see his authority, although passably illegitimate, recognized. The territories of Agila, "Lord in East", corresponded to the ones of past rebellions, sometimes secessionists, but neither his title nor the unity of his kingdom were disputed.
This unity of a kingdom with two kings, is very close to the Regnum Francorum, confederation between two, three, maybe four Frankish kings (engaged in perpetual and fratricidal wars), but it seems likely that the council wanted to avoid the question of legitimacy, until a future event that would be able tip the scale.
But if Roderic and Agila have agreed to a truce, many nobles deemed themselves injured, mainly in vitizean faction, weakened by the departure of a great part of north-eastern nobility, that were satisfied of this status quo.
Oppa, brother or half-brother of king Vitiza, was supported by the ones who have been disappointed by Agila reversal, in large numbers in Carthaginensis and Beticae. Although, Oppa, bishop of Hispalis, didn't seem to have been an opposition during the council (unless he didn't come by lack of will or because he was not invited, that seems very doubtful, of his proximity with the throne).
On the other side of Pillars of Hercules, the Caliphate sees his territory growing, at the loss of the last byzantine enclaves, de facto ruled by independent Byzanto-Berbers or Byzanto-Germans, and Tingi/Tanja is taken in 710 by Tariq ibn Ziyad, recently converted Berber noble.
This conquests cause raids in Beticae to happen, the most remarkable of which is that of Tarif ibn Malluk, Berber leader who, with 500 men, penetrates in the peninsula, enough to scout and have concrete contacts with vitizeans as with Julianus or Guilmond, another son or nephew of Vitiza opposed to Agila.
The ease of this raid and the little case of it made by Visigoths (it is true that the raid took place in a territory that was avoiding central authority) was decisive to the future events.
The Visigothic nobles hostile both to Roderic and Agila (including Julianus, likely Oppa, maybe Theodemir at first) hope a future support from Ifriqiya's governor, Musa ibn Nusair, to fight theirs adversaries. A victory against Roderic and its supporters would allow these lords to choose their own king, likely a pale figure before the powers they would gain.
The long awaited occasion took place in 711, when Roderic went to Cantabria to stop a vascon raid. Thanks to the support of Visigothic nobles around Iberic Sea, an Arabo-Berber fleet, with 7000 men, crossed the sea and Tariq to arrive under the Calpe Mount*.
The conquest of Hispania began here, and the peninsula will be changed forever.
Egica had to confront many rebellions and even a forced abdication, and his son Vitiza had to renounce to an important part of his power in order to have a more peaceful reign but couldn't avoid a civil war at the end.
In 709, Roderic, duke of Beticae, was elected king by the Visigothic nobles of Hispania as well bishops (the hispanic church being in conflict with the previous king). Vitiza that appears to have been dispossessed and killed by his successor, who usurped the right to the throne of ones of the dead's relative, Agila.
Assured of his right to the throne and with the support of a traditionally rebellious nobility in North-East and nobles of Hispania hostile to Roderic, Agila crowned himself and became the usurper's rival. However, his authority was recognized only in the provinces of Septimania (where he placed his court, in Narbo, which became capital anew) and in Tarraconensis, whereas Roderic, loosing his authority on most of Beticae, ensured it in Lusitania, Astura, and probably in southern Galicia and Carpetania around Toletum.
The semi-independents nobles of the mountainous north or the southern third of Hispania, might have been supporting one of the two rivals, but they worried more about their own problems and minded their own business, There is the exception of the dukes, such as the vitizean count in Septa, who lived too far from their suzerains to help them efficiently.
Although Church played a role in this civil war, supporting one rival or the other, the bishops of Hispania sensed the dangers of a new crisis, when in North, Vascones became more rebellious, the Frankish threat was still present, and, in South, Islamic victories provided opportunities for the apparition of raids in Beticae.
In 710, for the first time since the establishment of Visigoths in Hispania, council was convened by the sole authority of the church in Toletum. Although the king (or the one who could assume this title) always presided it, in a formal way and participating to the decisions, always according to his interests. This XIX council of Toletum was presided by the Archbishop of the city.
This initiative from the clergy, still a powerful an quite coherent faction in comparison of nobility, is the logical consequence of the loss of royal power and prestige due to Vitiza's reign and the civil war between rodericians and vitizeans.
Despite this particularity, Roderic and Agila were talked into a truce, swearing on holy relics that no fight will oppose them anymore, and that one's adversary would become one for the other, although until this point, they were few fights which were mainly due to the threats mentioned above.
Even if Roderic and Agila kept their royal titles, they decided to formalize the divide of the kingdom. Roderic, "Lord in West" see his authority, although passably illegitimate, recognized. The territories of Agila, "Lord in East", corresponded to the ones of past rebellions, sometimes secessionists, but neither his title nor the unity of his kingdom were disputed.
This unity of a kingdom with two kings, is very close to the Regnum Francorum, confederation between two, three, maybe four Frankish kings (engaged in perpetual and fratricidal wars), but it seems likely that the council wanted to avoid the question of legitimacy, until a future event that would be able tip the scale.
But if Roderic and Agila have agreed to a truce, many nobles deemed themselves injured, mainly in vitizean faction, weakened by the departure of a great part of north-eastern nobility, that were satisfied of this status quo.
Oppa, brother or half-brother of king Vitiza, was supported by the ones who have been disappointed by Agila reversal, in large numbers in Carthaginensis and Beticae. Although, Oppa, bishop of Hispalis, didn't seem to have been an opposition during the council (unless he didn't come by lack of will or because he was not invited, that seems very doubtful, of his proximity with the throne).
On the other side of Pillars of Hercules, the Caliphate sees his territory growing, at the loss of the last byzantine enclaves, de facto ruled by independent Byzanto-Berbers or Byzanto-Germans, and Tingi/Tanja is taken in 710 by Tariq ibn Ziyad, recently converted Berber noble.
This conquests cause raids in Beticae to happen, the most remarkable of which is that of Tarif ibn Malluk, Berber leader who, with 500 men, penetrates in the peninsula, enough to scout and have concrete contacts with vitizeans as with Julianus or Guilmond, another son or nephew of Vitiza opposed to Agila.
The ease of this raid and the little case of it made by Visigoths (it is true that the raid took place in a territory that was avoiding central authority) was decisive to the future events.
The Visigothic nobles hostile both to Roderic and Agila (including Julianus, likely Oppa, maybe Theodemir at first) hope a future support from Ifriqiya's governor, Musa ibn Nusair, to fight theirs adversaries. A victory against Roderic and its supporters would allow these lords to choose their own king, likely a pale figure before the powers they would gain.
The long awaited occasion took place in 711, when Roderic went to Cantabria to stop a vascon raid. Thanks to the support of Visigothic nobles around Iberic Sea, an Arabo-Berber fleet, with 7000 men, crossed the sea and Tariq to arrive under the Calpe Mount*.
The conquest of Hispania began here, and the peninsula will be changed forever.
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