Wittiza
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Wittiza (''Witiza'', ''Witica'', ''Witicha'', ''Vitiza'', or ''Witiges''; 687 – probably 710) was the
Visigothic The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...
King of ''King Of...'' is a British comedy panel show that aired on Channel 4 from 17 June to 8 July 2011 and hosted by Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English television presenter, radio personality, fi ...
Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...
from 694 until his death, co-ruling with his father,
Egica Egica, Ergica, or Egicca (''c''. 610 – 701/703), was the Visigoth King of Hispania and Septimania from 687 until his death. He was the son of Ariberga and the brother-in-law of Wamba. Accession He was married (''c''. 670) to Cixilo (also kn ...
, until 702 or 703.


Joint rule

Early in his reign, Ergica made it clear that his intention was to secure his family in a position of power from which they could not be removed. Based on a charter dated to Ergica's seventh year (November 693 to November 694) which mentions Wittiza as co-king, it is probable that Wittiza was made co-ruler in 694, even though the ''
Chronicle of 754 The ''Chronicle of 754'' (also called the ''Mozarabic Chronicle'' or ''Continuatio Hispana'') is a Latin-language history in 95 sections, written by an anonymous Mozarab (Christian) chronicler in Al-Andalus. The ''Chronicle'' contains the earlie ...
'' places the event in 698.Collins, ''Visigothic'', 108.
Numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...
analysis of coinage types also supports the thesis that Wittiza ruled from 694. The raising of Wittiza to the kingship coincided with the revolt of
Suniefred Suniefred ( 700) was a Visigothic nobleman who rebelled during the reign of Egica and briefly ruled as king from Toledo. A single coin that is related stylistically to those of the sole reign of Egica indicates that a king of the name of SVNIE ...
and may have been either its cause or effect. On 15Thompson, 249. or 24 NovemberCollins, ''Visigothic'', 109. 700, Wittiza was anointed king; this forms the last entry in the ''Chronica Regum Visigothorum'', a Visigothic regnal list. The delay between his appointment as co-regent and his unction, to which much importance was ascribed, is most probably explained by his coming of age, likely fourteen, in that year. Wittiza was Ergica's son by Cixilo, daughter of the previous king Erwig, who was dismissed by her husband in late 687 after a short marriage and thus puts a limit on the possible date of birth of Wittiza. Sometime during the joint reign of Ergica and Wittiza, a
Byzantine fleet The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state tha ...
raided the coasts of southern Hispania and was driven off by
Theudimer Theodemir, Theodemar, Theudemer or Theudimer was a Germanic name common among the various Germanic peoples of early medieval Europe. According to Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel (9th century), the form ''Theudemar'' is Frankish and ''Theudemir'' is Gothi ...
. The dating of this event is disputed: it may have occurred as part of
Leontios Leontius ( el, Λεόντιος, Leóntios; – 15 February 706), was Byzantine emperor from 695 to 698. Little is known of his early life, other than that he was born in Isauria in Asia Minor. He was given the title of ''patrikios'', and ma ...
' expedition to relieve
Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
in 697, perhaps later, around 702, or perhaps late in Wittiza's reign. A
plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...
broke out at
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
in 698 and it spread westward across the Mediterranean reaching Hispania in 701.Collins, ''Visigothic'', 110. It was severe enough to force the two kings from their capital of Toledo and it might be that this was the period when Wittiza was sent by his father to rule in Tui in
Gallaecia Gallaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province in the north-west of Hispania, approximately present-day Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal, Asturias and León (province), Leon and the lat ...
over the '' regnum Suevorum'', an event recorded by the '' Chronicle of Alfonso III''. Although often dismissed by scholars, there is numismatic evidence that suggests Wittiza's subkingdom was a reality.


Sole rule

The death of Ergica can be dated to 702 (traditionally) or 703 (based on the fact that Ergica promulgated a law in his sixteenth year, which began on 24 November 702).Collins, ''Visigothic'', 111.


Concessions upon succession

Soon after his death, the
Eighteenth Council of Toledo The Eighteenth Council of Toledo was the last of the councils of Toledo held in Visigothic Spain before the Moorish conquest of 711. It was held after the Seventeenth Council in 694, probably in 703 during the reign of King Wittiza (701–710 ...
was held under the supervision of Wittiza and the
archbishop of Toledo This is a list of Bishops and Archbishops of Toledo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Toletana).
, either
Gunderic Gunderic ( la, Gundericus; 379–428), King of Hasding Vandals (407-418), then King of Vandals and Alans (418–428), led the Hasding Vandals, a Germanic tribe originally residing near the Oder River, to take part in the barbarian invasions of ...
or
Sindered Sindered became Archbishop of Toledo in Visigothic Hispania around the year 710 or 711, succeeding Gunderic. But at least one later chronicler makes him archbishop during the reign of Wittiza (694–710), during which he supposedly took part in ...
. The acts of the council are lost to us, but may have been highly controversial, leading to their suppression. Wittiza may have forced the council to force marriage upon the Catholic clergy. There is a reference in the ''Chronicle of 754'' to Wittiza commanding Sindered to exert pressure on the established clergy, but what exactly this means is unknown. It may mean that he pressured the Eighteenth Council to ratify the decision of the
Quinisext Council The Quinisext Council (Latin: ''Concilium Quinisextum''; Koine Greek: , ''Penthékti Sýnodos''), i.e. the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council ''in Trullo'', Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at ...
that clerical marriage was permissible: according to the ''Chronicle of Alfonso III'', Fruela I of Asturias (757–68) reversed this ruling. The collective sense is that Wittiza made an effort to reform corruptions in the Visigothic Catholic church.Bradley, ''The Goths'', 356. Of Wittiza's early acts after his father's demise was the rescission of the exile of several noblemen. He returned their slaves and confiscated property, and reinstated them in their palatine offices.Collins, ''Visigothic'', 112. Wittiza also had the ''cautiones'' written against them burned publicly. The ''cautiones'' were probably pledges, cessions, or confessions the exiles had been forced to sign; or statements of debt to the treasury. Wittiza also returned land which his family was holding to the royal fisc in accordance with the law. All this activity was probably a response to complaints made about his father's rule and which he considered politically wise to correct. The ''Chronicle of 754'' calls Wittiza "merciful", and only criticizes the method of his succession, probably in reference to these events and to the hated Ergica.


Legislation

During his years of sole government, Wittiza promulgated two new laws and issued a revised version of the ''
Liber Iudiciorum The ''Visigothic Code'' ( la, Forum Iudicum, Liber Iudiciorum; es, Fuero Juzgo, ''Book of the Judgements''), also called ''Lex Visigothorum'' (English: ''Law of the Visigoths''), is a set of laws first promulgated by king Chindasuinth (642–65 ...
''. This reissue, too, may be related to the political situation following Ergica's death and Wittiza's need to consolidate his authority and the support of the nobility and the clergy. Though he himself passed no legislation further oppressing the Jews, Wittiza also probably did not repeal the legislation of his father in that regard. A thirteenth-century chronicle by
Lucas of Tuy Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk" * ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities * ''L ...
accuses Wittiza of relieving the oppression of the Jews and being eager for their support in an attempt to smear him as a "Jew-lover." The accuracy of Lucas' statement, despite the lateness of it, has been bolstered by the fact that Lucas was from Tui, the Galician city whereat Wittiza probably ruled as sub-king under his father at one point. Perhaps the people of Tui preserved an oral tradition or perhaps the canons of XVIII Toledo were available to Lucas.Bachrach, 31–32. A law sometimes attributed to Ergica which prescribes the '' caldaria'' (ordeal of boiling water) for those accused of theft no matter how small the sum has been attributed to Wittiza by some.


Death, succession crisis and legacy

The date of Wittiza's death and the end of his reign are unknown. The several surviving regnal lists imply a death year of 710 (sometimes with a death month of FebruaryBradley, ''The Goths'', 357.) while the ''Chronicle of 754'' implies 711. Whatever the case, the ''Chronicle'' strongly implies that he was assassinated in a coup led by Roderic with the support of a faction of nobles. Others believe he died a natural death. At the time, the king was still only in his twenties. After his death, natural or forced, or deposition, Hispania was divided between rival claimants: Roderic in the south and Achila II in the north. Agila may have been a son of Wittiza's and a co-monarch (from about 708), but this would require that he be either a child king or that Wittiza not be the son of Cixilo. Others say Wittiza left two sons not yet of age. At the time of his death, "he was beloved in the highest degree by the people and equally hated by the priesthood." Whatever the actual circumstances surrounding the end of Wittiza's reign, memory of him was not positive a century and a half later. The ''
Chronicle of Moissac The ''Chronicle of Moissac'' (also known as ''Chronicon Moissiacense'') is an anonymous compilation that was discovered in the abbey of Moissac, but is now thought to have been compiled in the Catalan monastery of Ripoll in the end of the tenth c ...
'', circa 818, wrote that ''Witicha deditus in feminis exemplo suo sacerdote ac populum luxuriose vivere docuit, irritans furorem Domini'': "Wittiza left a poor example to his clergy and his people by his unchaste life, thus provoking the fury of the Lord." The ''Chronicle of Alfonso III'' mentions his many wives and mistresses and how he brought "ruin to Hispania", while the ''Chronicle of 754'', written less than a half century after his death, records that he brought "joy and prosperity" to the kingdom. The "sons of Wittiza", who are otherwise unknown, are made out by the ''Chronicle of Alfonso III'' to be traitors who helped deliver Hispania to the
Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...
.
Oppa Oppas (died after 712), also spelled Oppa, was a member of the Visigothic elite in the city of Toledo on the eve of the Muslim conquest of Hispania. He was a son of Egica and therefore a brother or half-brother of Wittiza. After the defeat of ki ...
, a shadowy but historical figure, is reputed to have been either a brother, half-brother, or a son of Wittiza, though the latter is impossible based simply on Wittiza's youthfulness and Oppa's reputed age in 711. According to the ''Rotensis'' version of the ''Chronicle of Alfonso III'', Wittiza had three sons: Olmund ca.html"_;"title=":ca:Olmund.html"_;"title="nowiki/>:ca:Olmund">ca">:ca:Olmund.html"_;"title="nowiki/>:ca:Olmund">ca_Romulus,_and_Ardabast_(Artabasdus),_who_became_County_of_Coimbra.html" ;"title=":ca:Olmund">ca.html" ;"title=":ca:Olmund.html" ;"title="nowiki/>:ca:Olmund">ca">:ca:Olmund.html" ;"title="nowiki/>:ca:Olmund">ca Romulus, and Ardabast (Artabasdus), who became County of Coimbra">Count of the Christians of Coimbra. Olmund is a Gothic name, Romulus is Roman, and Ardabast (Artavasdes) is Persian (through Armenian). Olmund's daughter, Sara al-Qutiyya, and her brothers had their lands appropriated in the succession crisis, by their uncle Ardabast. She travelled to Damascus to petition Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik for their return, which he then ordered.


Legend

According to American writer and historian
Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
, in the first part of his 1835 ''Legends of the Conquest of Spain'', Wittiza's reign initially showed great promise. "He redressed grievances, moderated the tributes of his subjects, and conducted himself with mingled mildness and energy in the administration of the laws." However, the honeymoon lasted only a short while. Soon Wittiza "showed himself in his true nature, cruel and luxurious."Irving, ''Legends'', "The Legend of Don Roderick," Chapter I. Coming to doubt the security of his throne, he ended the careers of two relatives regarded as rivals: Favila,
Duke of Cantabria The Duchy of Cantabria was created by the Visigoths in northern Spain. Its precise extension is unclear in the different periods, but it seems likely that it included Cantabria, parts of Northern Castile, La Rioja, and probably western areas ...
, and Theodofred, duke of Córdoba, who lived in retirement at court. Wittiza had Favila killed and Theodofred blinded then imprisoned in the Córdoba dungeon. The son of Favila, who we are told was Pelayo, happened to be elsewhere at the time and was thus spared for the major role he would later play in history. The son of Theodofred was Roderic, duke of
Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basi ...
, who escaped to Italy. At last feeling safe, the king "gave reins to his licentious passions, and soon, by his tyranny and sensuality, acquired the appellation of Witiza the Wicked." Specifically, using secret orders he demolished castles that he feared could be used by future internal enemies, oblivious to the possibility that he was weakening the kingdom's defenses against foreign invaders. And at court, inspired by the custom of Muslim rulers, he "indulged in a plurality of wives and concubines, encouraging his subjects to do the same." In later times such stories were told of Wittiza because, in opposition to the policies of the Church hierarchy, he had been lenient toward the Jews and had encouraged the clergy to marry. Therefore, when the kingdom met sudden ruin in the first year of his successor Roderic (a favorite of the Church), this was readily explained by alleging that the sins of Wittiza "had drawn down the wrath of Heaven upon the unhappy nation." As the story goes, it was in an attempt to save Hispania from such divine punishment that the exiled Roderic returned from Italy with an army. Wittiza was soon defeated in the field and taken captive. Roderic was then crowned king at Toledo, after which he avenged his father by having Wittiza blinded and imprisoned at Córdoba. There the former king "passed the brief remnant of his days in perpetual darkness, a prey to wretchedness and remorse."Irving, ''Legends'', "The Legend of Don Roderick," Chapter II. Meanwhile, Wittiza's two sons, Evan and Sisebut, were banished or escaped to
Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...
in Africa.


Sources

* Bachrach, Bernard S.br>"A Reassessment of Visigothic Jewish Policy, 589–711."
''
The American Historical Review ''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal and the official publication of the American Historical Association. It targets readers interested in all periods and facets of history and has often been described as the ...
'', Vol. 78, No. 1. (Feb., 1973), pp 11–34. *Collins, Roger
"'Sicut lex Gothorum continet': Law and Charters in Ninth- and Tenth-Century León and Catalonia."
''
The English Historical Review ''The English Historical Review'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal that was established in 1886 and published by Oxford University Press (formerly Longman). It publishes articles on all aspects of history – British, European, and ...
'', Vol. 100, No. 396. (Jul., 1985), pp 489–512. *Collins, Roger. ''The Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–97''. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1989. . *Collins, Roger. ''Visigothic Spain, 409–711''. Blackwell Publishing, 2004. *García Moreno, Luis A. "Prosopography, Nomenclature, and Royal Succession in the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo." ''Journal of Late Antiquity'', 1(1:2008), 142–56. * Hodgkin, Thomas
"Visigothic Spain."
''The English Historical Review'', Vol. 2, No. 6. (Apr., 1887), pp 209–34. * Irving, Washington. ''Legends of the Conquest of Spain'', originally from ''The Crayon Miscellany'', Volume 3 (1835); in Irving, Pierre M
''Spanish Papers''.
Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Company, 1871. *King, P. D. "King Chindasvind and the First Territorial Law-code of the Visiogothic Kingdom." ''Visigothic Spain: New Approaches''. ed.
Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherite ...
. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980. pp 131–57. *López Sánchez, Fernando
"La moneda del reino visigodo en Toledo: ¿Por qué? ¿Para quién?"
''Mainake'', Vol. 31 (2009), pp 175–86. *
Thompson, E. A. Edward Arthur Thompson (22 May 1914 – 1 January 1994) was an Irish-born British Marxist historian of classics and medieval studies. He was professor and director of the classics department at the University of Nottingham from 1948 to 197 ...
''The Goths in Spain''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969.


Notes


{{Authority control 8th-century Visigothic monarchs 680s births 710s deaths 7th-century Visigothic monarchs 7th-century people of the Visigothic Kingdom