Athaulf

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Statue in Madrid ( F. Castro , 1750–53).

Athaulf (also Athavulf , Latin At (h) aulfus , Gothic Aþawulfs ; † August 415 in Barcelona ) was leader ( rex ) of the Visigoths from 410 to 415.

prehistory

After the sack of Rome 410 led Alaric (if he already rex was or "king", is in research disputed) the Visigoths first south towards the Strait of Messina to from there to Sicily ferry. Presumably the Visigoths planned the crossing and settlement in Africa from Sicily . But this company failed because of the lack of ships. The Visigoths then turned back north, where Alaric died in Bruttium that same year .

Athaulf as leader of the Visigoths

The successor of the late Alaric was now his brother-in-law Athaulf. Due to supply difficulties, the latter led his association 412 along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea across the Alps to Gaul , where the transit areas, as Jordanes claims 140 years later , left the impression of having been attacked by a plague of locusts.

Arrived in Gaul, Athaulf 412 first recognized the usurper Jovinus as emperor, with whom he soon fell out. Therefore, Athaulf entered into negotiations with the Roman emperor Honorius or his powerful army master Flavius ​​Constantius . The sister of Emperor Honorius, Galla Placidia , who was kidnapped during the sack of Rome , served as a bargaining chip. An agreement was reached, according to which the Visigoth warriors would be assured of supply ( annona ) and land in Gaul if in return they would release Galla Placidia and turn against Jovinus. Thereupon Athaulf besieged Jovinus in Valentia in fulfillment of the agreement 413 , took him prisoner and delivered him to Dardanus, the praefectus praetorio of Honorius. However, the deal did not materialize because the Visigoth king initially refused to deliver Galla Placidia. The emperor and Constantius held back the urgently needed grain, so that the Visigoths were forced to plunder southern Gaul in order not to starve. Despite Athaulf's wounding during the siege of Massilia , the cities of Narbo , Tolosa and Burdigala were conquered.

In January 414, to the amazement of Goths and Romans alike, Athaulf married Galla Placidia in Narbo (Narbonne) according to Roman custom. With this marriage, the Gothic king is said to have indicated that he did not want to make the Roman Empire into a Gothic one, but rather wanted to renew it with the help of his Goths. Orosius reports that his wife made him realize this. That same year, a child came out of the marriage, after his maternal grandfather, the Roman Emperor I. Theodosius was named. However, it died before the end of the year.

Constantius, who himself strived for power and the hand of Galla Placidia, began the fight against Athaulf again in the year of the marriage. A blockade of the southern Gaulish ports was organized from Arles , to which Athaulf, like Alaric before, responded with the proclamation of Priscus Attalus to Augustus. He also made it possible for the usurper to hold court in Burdigala (Bordeaux).

Nevertheless, the plight of his people due to the blockade by Constantius forced him to leave southern Gaul in early 415 for Spain. There, at the end of the summer of 415 in Barcino (Barcelona), he suffered the vengeance of a follower of Sarus , a buccellarian leader whom Athaulf had killed in 412. Presumably, however, Constantius was behind the assassination.

reception

A memorial plaque for him was placed in the Walhalla near Regensburg .

swell

literature

See also the references in the article Goten .

Web links

Commons : Ataúlfo  - collection of images, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Alaric I. Visigoth rulers
410-415 		Sigerich
personal data
SURNAME Athaulf
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Athaulfus; Ataulfus; Athavulf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ruler of the Visigoths
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century
DATE OF DEATH August 415
Place of death Barcino