Ardo (or ''Ardonus'', possibly short for ''Ardabastus''; died 720/721) is the last attested king of the Visigoths, reigning from 713 or 714 until his death in 720 or 721. The

Visigothic Kingdom The Visigothic Kingdom, Visigothic Spain or Kingdom of the Goths () was a Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic people ...

was already severely reduced in power and area at the time he succeeded Achila II, and his dominions probably did not extend beyond

Septimania Septimania 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 Septimania was ceded to their king, Theod ...

and present-day

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, due to the Arab conquests of the previous three years. Ardo is only recorded in one Visigothic regnal list as reigning for seven years.Collins, ''Visigothic Spain'', 140. As of 716 the Arabs crossed over the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

and invaded Narbonensis, the last province under Gothic control. Over the next three years Ardo probably defended what remained of the Visigothic kingdom and he "may have gone down fighting like his predecessor" after the Arabs took Narbonne and before they conquered all that remained of the old kingdom. If Ardo is to be identified with Ardobastus, then he survived the invasion and negotiated a treaty, wherein he represented

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

as the Count of the Christians of al-Andalus. This title would pass to a number of individuals until the tenth century at least. Other counts included: Rabî’ ibn Theodulph, Abû Sa’îd al-Qûmis, (a descendant of Ardabastus) and Mu’âwiya ibn Lubb.Molénat, Jean Pierre. "Minorités in miroir. Mozarabes et mudéjars dans la Péninsule Ibérique médiévale." Ethnic-religious minorities in the Iberian Peninsula: Medieval and modern period . Edições Colibri, 2008.

Notes

Bibliography

* Thompson, E. A. ''The Goths in Spain''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969. * Collins, Roger. ''The Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–97''. Blackwell Publishing, 1989. *Collins, Roger. ''Visigothic Spain, 409–711''. Blackwell Publishing, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ardo 720s deaths Gothic warriors 8th-century Visigothic monarchs Year of birth unknown