Cindazunda was the daughter of

Hermeric Hermeric (died 441) was the king of the Suevi from at least 419 and possibly as early as 406 until his abdication in 438. Biography Before 419 Nothing is known for sure about Hermeric before 419, the year in which he is first mentioned; ...

, king of the

Suebi The Suebi (or Suebians, also spelled Suevi, Suavi) were a large group of Germanic peoples originally from the Elbe river region in what is now Germany and the Czech Republic. In the early Roman era they included many peoples with their own names ...

in the territory that would become Spain's

Galiza Galicia (; gl, Galicia or ; es, Galicia}; pt, Galiza) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain and nationalities and regions of Spain, historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Pen ...

and both the Norte Region and the

Centro Region The Central Region ( pt, Região do Centro, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Castelo Branco, ...

of Portugal. She married

Attaces Addac or Attaces (died 418) was king of the western Alans in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, modern Spain and Portugal). In 409, the Alans settled in the provinces of Lusitania and Carthaginiensis: ''Alani Lusitaniam et Carthaginiensem provincias, ...

, king of the

Alans The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the Al ...

, in the early 5th century. This Suebi princess is immortalized in history as a symbol of the city of

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto, and Bra ...

, in Portugal, and her image appears in the official coat of arms of Coimbra.

Legend

In the early 5th century,

Ataces Addac or Attaces (died 418) was king of the western Alans in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, modern Spain and Portugal). In 409, the Alans settled in the provinces of Lusitania and Carthaginiensis: ''Alani Lusitaniam et Carthaginiensem provincias, ...

, king of the

, after conquering

Aeminium Aeminium was the ancient name of the city of Coimbra, in Portugal. The Romans founded the civitas of Aeminium in this place at the time of Augustus, which came under the protection of nearby Conimbriga situated some to the south. The Roman ci ...

(modern

), near the already declining city of

Conímbriga Conímbriga is one of the largest Roman settlements excavated in Portugal, and was classified as a National Monument in 1910. Located in the civil parish of Condeixa-a-Velha e Condeixa-a-Nova, in the municipality of Condeixa-a-Nova, it is situate ...

(the former chief settlement in the area during

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

) also conquered by him and later completely destroyed by the

between 465 and 468, decided to found or restore another one with the same name of the former on the right bank of the Mondego in place of Aeminium. When Ataces was directing the construction of this new city he called Colimbria in honor of ancient Conímbriga, the Suebi king

and his army appeared to take possession of the city and to take revenge for the defeats he had suffered. The combat between the two factions was so bloody that the waters of the Mondego were dyed red. Hermeric withdrew to the north, but Ataces went in pursuit and the Swabian king was forced to ask for peace. To this end, he offered the victor the hand of the princess Cindazunda, his daughter. As is usual in such cases, the legend says that Cindazunda was extremely beautiful and that Ataces soon fell in love with her. The royal couple came on their way to Coimbra, accompanied by their father and father-in-law, and soon the espousals and wedding took place, with all due magnificence. To commemorate such an extraordinary event, Ataces bestowed upon the city of Coimbra the coat of arms that is still the coat of arms of modern Coimbra. In that coat of arms, the crowned maiden is Cindazunda; the cup represents her marriage to Ataces; the lion is the stamp of Ataces; the dragon, the stamp of Hermeric.Lendas (Castelos e Muralhas do Mondego) https://www.castelosemuralhasdomondego.pt/website/lendas.php

References

{{Reflist Suebi History of Coimbra People from Coimbra