Suinthila

Suinthila (statue in Madrid , on the Plaza de Oriente in front of the royal palace Jesús Bustos , 1750–53)

Suinthila was King of the Visigoths from March 621 to March 26, 631 .

Suinthila proved himself as a military leader under King Sisebut . When, after the death of Sisebut (February 621), his son and successor Rekkared II died after a reign of only a few days, Suinthila was made king. Suinthila drove the Byzantines out of their last Spanish base in Cartagena (Byzantine province of Spania ) around 625 , so that the Visigoth Empire again included the entire Iberian Peninsula. However, Ceuta and the Balearic Islands remained Byzantine.

In 631 a noble conspiracy formed against Suinthila, who had apparently made himself unpopular through an anti-aristocratic policy. The rebels turned to the Frankish king Dagobert I , who sent an army to support them. Before the battle broke out, Suinthila near Saragossa was abandoned by his followers, including his brother Geila. He had to abdicate and the rebel leader, Sisenand , was elected the new king. The 4th Council of Toledo (633), convened by Sisenand, justified the change of the throne with alleged wrongdoings by Suinthila.

There is no evidence to support the claim that Suinthila was a son-in-law of Sisebut. Suinthila had an apparently still young son named Ricimer ( Riccimirus ), whom he made co-regent; Ricimer's name does not appear on Suinthila's coins, however.

A golden consecration crown of Suinthila was found in Guarrazar (province of Toledo).

literature

• Gerd Kampers: History of the Visigoths . Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2008, p. 192.

Remarks

1. ↑ For details see Dietrich Claude : Nobility, Church and Kingship in the Visigoth Empire. Sigmaringen 1971, pp. 95-97 and Edward A. Thompson : The Goths in Spain. Oxford 1969, pp. 171f.

predecessor	Office	successor
Rekkared II	King of the Visigoths 621–631	Sisenand