Teodomiro

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Depiction of Teodomiro on a portal in Orihuela

Teodomiro (Visigothic: Theodemir or Teudemir , Arabic: Tudmir ; † 743 ) was a Visigoth comes (count) who ruled the region in the southeast of the Carthaginensis , ie the region around Murcia , during the last period of the Visigoth Empire. After the Moorish conquest of the Iberian Peninsula , which took place in 711 , he was able to maintain his rule under Muslim suzerainty in what is now the kingdom of Tudmir .

Life

Teodomiro probably repulsed the attack of a Byzantine fleet on the southern Spanish coast (near Alicante or Cartagena ) sometime between 698 and 701 or at the time of the dual rule of Egica and Witiza , but the date and the historical context of this event is disputed due to the lack of further information . Some strict Catholic chroniclers have assumed that Teodomiro established a counter-rule against Egica's successor Witiza in Orihuela around 700 , and that it was possibly Teodomiro who called the Arabs to invade Iberia in 711.

After the defeat of the Visigoth king Roderich in the battle of the Río Guadalete (July 711) Teodomiro resisted the advancing Arabs and Berbers . He was finally trapped in Orihuela by Abd al-Aziz and, according to a legendary report, had the women of the city in men's clothing and fully armed line up along the city wall in order to deceive the Arabs about the small number of defenders, which they had succeeded; so he had reached the conclusion of a favorable peace treaty. The more or less authentic text of this contract between Abd al Aziz and Teodomiro, signed in April 713, has been preserved in at least three independent sources.

Accordingly, Teodomiro received confirmation of his possession of the cities of Orihuela, Baltana , Alicante, Mula , Villena , Lorca and Ello; his territory was named after the Arabic form of his name empire Tudmir . Furthermore, the security of his subjects and their property as well as the freedom to practice their religion were promised and a guarantee of the existence of Christian churches was given. In return, Teodomiro had to undertake, among other things, to recognize Arab sovereignty, not to accept any opponents of Abd al-Aziz and to pay an annual tribute. This consisted for him and each of his subjects in the annual payment of one dinar and the delivery of four measures each of wheat, barley, grape juice and vinegar as well as two measures each of honey and olive oil. For servants, the required tribute was reduced by half. Teodomiro went personally to Damascus and obtained confirmation of this convention from the caliph. However, it is not known how long the contract lasted.

Teodomiro died in 743; his death is mentioned in the Mozarabic Chronicle . He left a son Atanagildo (Athanagild) who, according to the chronicles, was very wealthy. Whether Atanagildo succeeded his father in the rule is controversial. The importance of Teodomiro in the region he ruled can be seen from the fact that a number of Gothic nobles who later ruled there sought to trace their family tree back to him.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Gerd Kampers: History of the Visigoths , page 233. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2009
  2. ^ Roger Collins: Visigothic Spain 409-711 , p. 109. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford 2004
  3. ↑ Axel Tidemann: Costa Blanca travel guide , page 48. Peter Meyer Verlag, Frankfurte (Main) 2005
  4. ↑ Klaus Herbers , History of Spain in the Middle Ages , Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-17-018871-2 , pp. 79f.
personal data
SURNAME Teodomiro
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Theudemir, Tudmir
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Visigothic ruler around Murcia
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century
DATE OF DEATH 743