Eurich

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Eurich (statue on Madrid's Plaza Oriente)

Eurich (* around 440; † 484 ) was an important king or rex of the Visigoths and ruled from 466 to 484. He is sometimes referred to as Eurich II .

Life

Eurich (II.) Was born as the son of King Theodoric I , who fell in the battle of the Catalaunian fields (451) against the Huns and Ostrogoths . His brothers Thorismund and Theodoric II were his predecessors as kings. In 466 he eliminated his older brother Theodoric II, who had killed Thorismund in 453, and took power. The Visigoths settled in southwestern Gaul since 418 and were formally allied as foederati with Westrom (the country officially continued to belong to the empire), even if tensions arose again and again. Eurich is often associated with the Codex Euricianus , which may also have been published by his son.

When, with the failure of a major offensive against Geiseric, the weakness of the Western Roman government residing in Ravenna had become obvious, Eurich broke the Foedus with Western Rome in 469 and now conquered all remaining Roman territories between the Loire and the Pyrenees . The attempt of the emperor Anthemius to form an anti-Gothic coalition was unsuccessful: in 471 Euric defeated an imperial army in southern Gaul, which Ravenna soon had to surrender. He invaded Hispania again , winning major victories between 472 and 473. Pamplona and Saragossa as well as the Mediterranean coast around Tarragona became Gothic, Ravenna could no longer intervene effectively here either. In addition, Eurich was the only King of the Visigoths who was also successful in naval warfare. He also defended his empire against the Franks and severely enforced inner peace. The attempt to extend his power to Italy itself, however, failed in 473 because of the resistance of the Emperor Glycerius .

In the Auvergne , too , he encountered bitter resistance from the army master Ecdicius, which was ultimately broken. There Eurich used Victorius as comes . The letters of Sidonius Apollinaris are an important source for these last days of late ancient Gallo-Roman culture . In 475, Emperor Julius Nepos contractually left the conquered territories to the Visigoths. Also Arles was Visigothic.

Eurich is portrayed as a moderate and wise, and he did repeatedly against from the Gallo-Roman aristocracy derived Catholic bishops went on, as these mainly one in Eurich Arian and barbarian as well, such as Sidonius, saw a deal breaker. At the time of his death, Eurich was the most powerful Germanic prince on the soil of the Imperium Romanum , of which only the eastern part remained under imperial rule.

Euric's successor was his son Alaric II , who died in 507 in the Battle of Vouillé against the Franks. With this defeat, the supremacy of the Visigoths, which had been achieved under Eurich, was lost again.

literature

predecessor Office successor
Theodoric II Visigoth kings
466–484 		Alaric II
personal data
SURNAME Eurich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of the Visigoths
DATE OF BIRTH around 440
DATE OF DEATH 484