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____ Athanagild
Birth: ABT 517
Death: Dec 567
Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanagild
Athanagild (Gothic: Aþanagilds), (c. 517 – December 567) was Visigothic King of
Hispania and Septimania. He had rebelled against his predecessor, Agila I, in 551.
The armies of Agila and Athanagild met at Seville, where Agila met a second defeat.
[1] Following the death of Agila in 554, he was sole ruler for the rest of his reign.
Roger Collins writes that Athanagild's reign "is perhaps more significant than our
sources may care to let us believe." Collins argues that the account of Isidore of
Seville may be colored by the hostility subsequent Visigothic kings had towards
Athanagild and his descendants.[2]
The Roman invasion[edit]
During the conflict between the two, a Roman force sent by Justinian seized control of
a large portion of Hispania Baetica (Andalusia). The pretext for their arrival is unclear.
Peter Heather states that Jordanes implies that Agila had summoned them.[3] Isidore
of Seville offers two conflicting stories: in the section on Agila, the Goths surrounding
him killed him out of fear "that Roman soldiers might invade Spain on the pretext of
giving help"; while in the following section Isidore states Athanagild had asked
Justinian for his help, but once they arrived in Spain "he was unable to remove them
from the territory of the kingdom despite his efforts."[4] Collins notes that "in both of
the emperor Justinian's other western interventions, Africa in 533 and Italy in 535, he
came in ostensibly to uphold the rights of legitimate monarchs against usurpers", thus
agreeing with Jordanes' version of the events.[2]
Although Athanagild recovered a few cities, the Romans held most of their conquest,
which was organized as the province of Spania, long after the end of his reign. It is
unclear the exact area this province covered. J. B. Bury states that it "comprised
districts and towns to the west as well as to the east of the Straits of Gades" and
included the cities of New Carthage (Cartagena), Corduba (Córdoba), and Assionia.[5]
Peter Heather, while agreeing it included New Carthage and Assionia, is dubious
about Corduba, and is certain Málaga, and Sagontia were included.[6] Collins agrees
that Corduba did not come under Roman control, nor did the Guadalquivir valley,
stating that their principal strongholds were Medina Sidonia, Málaga and New
Carthage.[7]
Athanagild died of natural causes in Toledo, according to Isidore, then after an
interregnum of five months Liuva I became king.[8]
Dynastic alliances[edit]
His queen, Goiswintha, gave him two daughters — Brunhilda and the murdered
Galswintha — who were married to two Merovingian brother-kings: Sigebert I of
Austrasia and Chilperic, king of the Neustrian Franks. Although Gregory of Tours
states the reasons for this was that Sigebert disdained the prevalent practice of
"taking wives who were completely unworthy of them", and sought the beautiful and
cultured Brunhilda, while Chilperic married her sister out of sibling rivalry, Ian Wood
points out that the circumstances and the scale of the morgengab suggest that the
situation was more complex. "Athangild had no sons. By marrying two daughters to
Frankish kings, he may have intended to involve the Merovingians in the Visigothic
succession. Perhaps he hoped that the marriages would produce grandsons who could
succeed him."[9]
However Athanagild's death in 567 altered the situation. Wood speculates that the
date of Galswintha's murder followed soon after his death.[10] Brunhilda avoided her
sister's fate, and became a central figure of Frankish history for the remainder of the
sixth century.[11] Lastly, Goiswintha survived the upheaval that followed Athangild's
death, and became the second wife of Liuvigild the brother of Athangild's successor
Liuva, and himself a future king of the Visigoths.[12]
Marriage To ____ Goiswintha ()
m.
Notes
Children by ____ Goiswintha
OF AUSTRASIA Brunhild (ABT 535 - 613)
Produced by Fzip 1.7 6/20/2017