Miro (Mir, Mirio, la, Mirus) was the Suebian

King of Galicia Galicia is an autonomous community and historical nationality in modern-day northwestern Spain on the Iberian Peninsula, which was a major part of the Roman province known as Gallaecia prior to 409. It consists of the provinces of A Coruña, ...

from 570 until his death in 583. His reign was marked by attempts to forge alliances with other Chalcedonian Christian nations with the goal of checking the power of the Arian

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

under

Leovigild Liuvigild, Leuvigild, Leovigild, or ''Leovigildo'' (Spanish and Portuguese), ( 519 – 586) was a Visigothic King of Hispania and Septimania from 568 to 586. Known for his Codex Revisus or Code of Leovigild, a law allowing equal rights between th ...

. During his reign relations were established with both

Francia Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

and the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and the kingdom reached its zenith, but it collapsed within three years of his death."Miro."
/ref> Miro enjoyed good relations with the Church during his reign. In 572 he called the

Second Council of Braga The Second Council of Braga, held in 572, presided over by Martin of Braga, was held to increase the number of bishops in Galaecia. Twelve bishops assisted at this council, and ten decrees were promulgated: (1) that the bishops should in their vis ...

, a supplementary council to the First Council of Braga of 561. It has even been suggested, based on the lack of a signatory for the diocese of Dumio in the concilar acts, that Miro himself may have represented that see. Miro also maintained "intimate and friendly" relations with

Martin of Dumio Martin of Braga (in Latin ''Martinus Bracarensis'', in Portuguese, known as ''Martinho de Dume'' 520–580 AD) was an archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal), a missionary, a monastic founder, and an ecclesiastical ...

, the

Archbishop of Braga The Archdiocese of Braga ( la, Archidioecesis Bracarensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It is known for its use of the Rite of Braga, a use of the liturgy distinct from the Roman R ...

and Metropolitan of

Gallaecia Gallaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province in the north-west of Hispania, approximately present-day Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal, Asturias and León (province), Leon and the lat ...

. Martin's principal work, ''Formula Vitae Honestae'', is dedicated to him, and the ''Exhortatio Humilitatis'', printed among Martin's works, is also probably addressed to him. Indeed, Martin advised Miro's counsellors to read his ''Formula'' so as to be able better to counsel the king.Arias, 28. In the same year as the council of Braga, Miro conducted an expedition against the Ruccones (''Runcones'') of Cantabria, possibly a

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

tribe, with the intention of expanding his kingdom.Arias, 30. This attack on a people within the Gothic kingdom was perhaps an excuse for Gothic reprisals against the Sueves. In 573 Leovigild subdued the region of "Sabaria" (probably between Zamora and

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...

) with the likely intention of preempting Miro. In 574 he "restored the province f Cantabriato his dominion." In response, Miro sent envoys to

Guntram Saint Gontrand (c. 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third eldest and ...

, the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

King of Burgundy The following is a list of the kings of the two kingdoms of Burgundy, and a number of related political entities devolving from Carolingian machinations over family relations. Kings of the Burgundians * Gebicca (late 4th century – c. 40 ...

and a consistent thorn in Leovigild's side, but they were intercepted and detained on the way by Leovigild's ally, Chilperic I, the Frankish king of

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks. Neustria included the land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, approximately the north of present-day France, with Paris, Orléans, Tours, Soissons as its main cities. It late ...

.Arias, 31. In 575 Leovigild invaded the "Aregensian Mountains" near Ourense and captured "the lord of the region, along with his wife, children, and riches, bringing the region under his power." Aspidius, the "lord of the region", may have been a Hispano-Roman landowner who had sided with the Suevi. In 576 Leovigild again marched to the southern frontier of Galicia (the

Douro The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...

) and menaced the small kingdom, even founding the city of Villa Gothorum (modern Toro). Miro sued for peace, and obtained it for a short time. In 580 Miro endeavoured to support Leovigild's Catholic son

Hermenegild Saint Hermenegild or Ermengild (died 13 April 585; es, San Hermenegildo; la, Hermenegildus, from Gothic ''*Airmana-gild'', "immense tribute"), was the son of king Liuvigild of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. ...

in rebellion. For the events surrounding Miro's death, the contemporary and near-contemporary accounts conflict. According to Gregory of Tours, in 583 Miro led an army to raise the siege of

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

by Leovigild, but the two kings held a conference before Miro had reached Seville and he returned to Galicia, where he died shortly after, supposedly from the effects of the bad air and water of

Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basi ...

. On the other hand, two Iberian chroniclers,

John of Biclar John of Biclaro, Biclar, or Biclarum (''c.'' 540 – after 621), also ''Iohannes Biclarensis'', was a Visigoth chronicler. He was born in Lusitania, in the city of ''Scallabis'' (modern Santarém in Portugal). He was also bishop of Girona. Ea ...

and Isidore of Seville, concur that he died before Seville while assisting Leovigild with the siege of the town. Modern scholarship favours Gregory's interpretation, taking into account Miro's alliances with Francia and Byzantium, Suevic animosity to the Goths, and the shared Catholic faith of Sueves and rebels.Arias, 32. He was succeeded ''in provincia Gallacciæ'' by his adolescent son

Eboric Eboric or Euric was the last legitimate Suevic King of Galicia. He was the adolescent son of Miro and Sisegutia (or Siseguntia) and he succeeded his father in 583, ruling for a year before being deposed by his mother's second husband, Audeca, who ...

.FMG
/ref> He also left a widow, Sisegu(n)tia, who married Andeca, who deposed Eboric and took to ruling ''in Gallaccia Suevorum regnum''.

Notes

Sources

*Arias, Jorge C
"Identity and Interaction: The Suevi and the Hispano-Romans."
Ph.D. dissertation. University of Virginia: Spring 2007.

In Henry Wace and William C. Piercy, edd. ''A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature''. London: John Murray, 1911. Reprinted as ''Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies''. United States: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999. . *Medieval Lands Project. ''Spain: Vandals, Suevi, and Visigoths''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miro 583 deaths 6th-century Suebian kings Year of birth unknown