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

Visigoth The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Hispania Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...

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 Galicia. He ruled from 603 to 610.

Rise to power

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

Arianism Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...

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 (queen), Baddo, was Visigoths, Visigothic Visigothic Kingdom, King of Hispania, Septimania and Gallaecia from 601 to 603. He succeeded Reccared I at only eighteen years of ...

, 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 569 to 586. Known for his Codex Revisus or Code of Leovigild, a law allowing equal rights between t ...

. 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 (; 4 April 636) was a Spania, Hispano-Roman scholar, theologian and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seville, archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of the 19th-century historian Charles Forbes René de Montal ...

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 () 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 approximately north of the city of Valencia, close to the Costa ...

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, Spain, Toledo (''Concilia toletana'') in what would come to be part of Spain. The First Council of Toledo, earliest, directed against Priscil ...

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

Theodoric II Theodoric II ( 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 English historian Edward Gibbon writes that ...

sent for bishop Aridius of Lyons and the constable Eborin to ask Witteric for his daughter Ermenberga'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 Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefectu ...

(606), his grandmother, the regent Brunhilda 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 t ...

of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

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 Franks, Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronic ...

, "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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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, 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