Segga was a
Visigothic
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 ...
usurper who briefly claimed the kingship in 587 before being put down by the legitimate sovereign,
Reccared I.
Following Reccared's conversion from
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 ...
to
Catholicism
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 ...
, a conspiracy, led by
Sunna, the Arian bishop of
Mérida, arose to place the Arian Segga on the throne and probably also to kill the Catholic Méridan bishop,
Masona
Masona or Mausona (died c. 600/610) was the Bishop of Mérida and metropolitan of the province of Lusitania from about 570 (certainly by 573) until his death. He is famous for exercising ''de facto'' rule of the city of Mérida during his tenure a ...
, and the duke of the province of
Lusitania
Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and
a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lusita ...
,
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...
.
[Thompson, 102.][Collins, "King Leovigild and the Conversion of the Visigoths", 3.] In response, Reccared sent Claudius to put it down.
The conspirators were betrayed by one of their own,
Witteric
Witteric ( es, Witerico; Portuguese and Galician: ''Viterico''; 565 – April 610) was the Visigoth King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia. He ruled from 603 to 610.
Rise to power
The first mention of Witteric in history was as a conspirator ...
, and Segga was captured.
According to
John of Biclarum
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.
Earl ...
, Segga had hands cut off (the penalty for usurpers) and was banished to
Galicia.
[Collins, ''Visigothic Spain'', 68.]
The revolt had the support of several Visigothic counts, all Arians probably, but not rebelling necessarily out of devotion to their theological principles.
The low-level conspirators were deprived of their property and offices and sent into exile, but one of the chief rebels, Vagrila, took refuge in the basilica of
Saint Eulalia. Claudius was told, upon request, to give Vagrila, his family, and his possessions over to the church of Mérida, which he did. Masona, however, released Vagrila and his family and returned his property to him.
Sources
*Thompson, E. A. ''The Goths in Spain''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969. .
*Collins, Roger. ''Visigothic Spain, 409–711''. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. .
*Collins, Roger. "King Leovigild and the Conversion of the Visigoths." ''Law, Regionalism and Culture in Early Medieval Spain''. Variorum, 1992. .
Notes
{{reflist
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
6th-century people of the Visigothic Kingdom
Usurpers