Witteric ( es, Witerico;

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and Galician: ''Viterico''; 565 – April 610) was the

Visigoth 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 kno ...

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

Septimania Septimania (french: Septimanie ; oc, Septimània ) is a historical region in modern-day Southern France. It referred to the western part of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed to the control of the Visigoths in 462, when Septima ...

and Galicia. He ruled from 603 to 610.

Rise to power

The first mention of Witteric in history was as a conspirator with , the Arian bishop of Mérida, to reestablish

Arianism Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...

in 589. While Sunna was sent into exile, it is unknown what happened to Witteric. In the spring of 602, Witteric was given command of the army with the job of expelling the Byzantines. However, when it came time to do so in the Spring of 603, Witteric instead led his troops against King

Liuva II Liuva II ( 584 – June/July 603), son of Reccared I and possibly Baddo, was Visigothic King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia from 601 to 603. He succeeded Reccared I at only eighteen years of age. Reign In the spring of 602, the Goth Witter ...

, counting on the support of a faction of nobles in opposition to the dynasty of

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 ...

. He invaded the royal palace and deposed the young king. Witteric cut off the king's right hand, and then had him condemned and executed in the summer of 603.

Reign

During his reign, the Visigoths fought the Byzantines. However,

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville ( la, Isidorus Hispalensis; c. 560 – 4 April 636) was a Spanish scholar, theologian, and archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of 19th-century historian Montalembert, as "the last scholar of ...

is dismissive of Witteric's accomplishments, writing that "although he frequently fought battles against the Roman soldiers, he did not win any adequate glory except for capturing some soldiers at

Sagunto Sagunto ( ca-valencia, Sagunt) is a municipality of Spain, located in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community. It belongs to the modern fertile ''comarca'' of Camp de Morvedre. It is located c. 30 km north of the city of Valencia, cl ...

with the help of his generals." The campaign against Sagunto probably took place in 605.Isidore, chapter 58; translated by Donini and Ford, p. 27 It was probably during his reign, as well, that Bigastrum (near Cartago Nova) was taken, as its bishop appears in a

council of Toledo From the 5th century to the 7th century AD, about thirty synods, variously counted, were held at Toledo (''Concilia toletana'') in what would come to be part of Spain. The earliest, directed against Priscillianism, assembled in 400. The "thi ...

in 610. In the twelfth year of his reign, king

Theodoric II Theodoric II, ''Teodorico'' in Spanish and Portuguese, ( 426 – early 466) was the eighth King of the Visigoths, from 453 to 466. Biography Theoderic II, son of Theodoric I, obtained the throne by killing his elder brother Thorismund. The Engli ...

sent for bishop Aridius of Lyons and the constable Eborin to ask Witteric for his daughter Ermenburga's hand in marriage. Although the envoys gave their word that she would not be disowned by Theodoric, and she was received by Theodoric in

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; h ...

(606), his grandmother, the regent

Brunhilda Brunhilda may refer to: * Brunhild, a figure in Germanic heroic legend * Brunhilda of Austrasia (c. 543–613), Frankish queen * ''Brunhilda'' (bird), a genus of birds See also * * * Broom-Hilda, an American newspaper comic strip * Broomhild ...

and Theodoric's sister Teudila (or Teudilana) did not provide a welcoming reception. Theodoric then disgraced Ermenberga by sending her back without her dowry. Incensed, Witteric entered into a quadruple alliance with Theodobert II of Austrasia, Clotaire II of Neustria, and

Agilulf Agilulf ( 555 – April 616), called ''the Thuringian'' and nicknamed ''Ago'', was a duke of Turin and king of the Lombards from 591 until his death. A relative of his predecessor Authari, Agilulf was of Thuringian origin and belonged to the An ...

of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...

to effect his deposition and death. Despite their mutual fear of Theodoric, their alliance did not accomplish anything; according to

Fredegar The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronicle begin ...

, "Theodoric got wind of it he alliancebut treated it with utter contempt.".

Assassination

In April 610, a faction of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

nobles conspired against Witteric and assassinated him during a banquet. His body was dragged ignominiously through the streets and he was later buried without the honors corresponding to his status.Rachel L. Stocking, ''Bishops, Councils, and Consensus in the Visigothic Kingdom, 589-633'' (University of Michigan Press, 2000), p. 119. The nobles then proclaimed

Gundemar Gundemar was a Visigothic King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia (610–612). Reign Gundemar continued a policy of amity with Clotaire II of Neustria and Theodobert II of Austrasia. To this end, he sent grand sums of money to support their cau ...

, Duke of Narbonne, king.

References

External links

Coins of King Witteric
{{Authority control Year of birth unknown 610 deaths 7th-century Visigothic monarchs Assassinated Gothic people 7th-century murdered monarchs