Liuvigild I

## Background

When the Visigothic king Athanagild died in 567 Liuva I was elevated to king. He in turn, recognizing his brother's potential, appointed Liuvigild I as co-king and put him in charge of the eastern part of Hispania in a region that was then known as Hispania Citerior. Liuvigild's reign was characterized by fighting with other tribes vying for control in or adjacent to Visigothic territory, including: Suebi, Byzantines, and Basques, as well as other contenders for power in Hispania. The constant conflict paid off almost immediately with the Visigothic crown gaining lands that had been lost during the course of the sixth century after the breakdown of the Balti dynasty. Although these acquisitions included cities that had been under the Byzantine empire like Cordoba, Liuvigild was careful to foster a respectful relationship and even adopted typical Roman symbols of power such as the crown, purple mantle, and scepter as well as the title Flavius.

## Co-Reign and Transition to Dynasty

Liuvigild received word that his brother Liuva had died when he was about to go to war with the Suebi, who were attempting to take back the land that they had lost. This death made Liuvigild the sole ruler of the Visigoths, and he immediately set his sons Hermenegild and Reccared as his heirs by elevating them to the office of king with him, but effectively giving them territory that he ruled as a regency. This was an important move because Visigothic succession, even during the days of the Balti dynasty was characterized by violence, often including fratricide. Although this move made sense for Liuvigild's family, it was not popular amongst the nobility. Since the end of the Balti dynasty kingship had been decided by a consensus among the nobility who did not take kindly to the idea of a new dynasty.

During his reign Liuvigild released a revision of the current law code, the Code of Euric, and replaced it with the Codex Revisus. The code does not survive and is only known through anecdotal evidence from Isadore of Seville. Even more importantly, he repealed laws against intermarriage of Visigoths and the native Iberian populations, which had previously been punishable by death. With the support that he gained from the people, if not the nobility, by doing this he was able to move forward and conquer more territory.

There are conflicting reports regarding whether or not he was overstepping his power by trying to secure a dynasty (Gregory of Tours maintained that he was, but he was habitually biased), but regardless, the decision was not well-received. Various groups revolted, but he and his son Reccared put them down, often brutally to discourage any further rebellion.

## Rebellion of Hermenegild

As part of his mission to secure his family's continual reign Liuvigild had put his eldest son Hermenegild in charge of the region of Baetica in southwestern Spain. Likely in an attempt to ease relations between the two factions, Hermenegild had been married to the Frankish princess Ingund (daughter of Brunhilda and Sigebert), but as had happened with her aunt Galswintha there was the issue of Arianism vs. Catholicism. Hermenegild came from a long-standing tradition of Arianism, while Ingund came from Catholic background. With the help of Leander, the Catholic bishop of Seville (brother of Isadore) she was able to convert Hermenegild to Catholicism. This decision did not go down well with his father and Liuvigild tried to insist on appointing Arian bishops as a means of re-establishing dominance. This did not go down well and Hermenegild revolted with the support of the bishops of the region and, most significantly, Pope Gregory the Great. Liuvigild tried to compromise in order to reconcile, even going so far as to waive rebaptism rules and acknowledging the equal status of the son and the father. But in the long-standing fight between the Arians and Catholics, Liuvigild's faction was losing ground as the Pope began to organize concerted efforts to convert pagans directly to Catholicism and the Catholic Franks gaining more and more importance on the continent. Another worry for Liuvigild was the potential influence of Ingund's Frankish brother Childebert II. To counteract this he began to arrange a marriage for Reccared with Rigunth, the daughter of Chilperic I and Fredegund, long-time rivals of Ingund's parents Sigebert and Brunhilda. This plan did not end up working out as Chilperic was murdered before the marriage could take place, but it did not end up mattering. Despite being on Hermenegild's side on religious matters, he got very little support from all sides: Catholic writers did not seem to agree with his decision to revolt and Byzantium refused to lend aid. In the end Liuvigild besieged and took over Seville and sent Hermenegild to Valencia where he was later murdered.

## Later Reign

Liuvigild spent the latter part of his reign bringing the vast majority of the Iberian peninsula under Visigothic rule, accomplishing this by finally subduing Suebi. The only region that was independent at the end of his reign was the Basque region and two small Byzantine territories in the south. Despite his best efforts, Liuvigild was never able to find a common ground between the Arian and Catholic factions in his kingdom, but he was able to bring a common sense of Visigothic belonging and established a new capital at Toledo, moving it from the embattled French region. He died of an unknown illness in 586. Gregory of Tours claims that he converted to Catholicism on his deathbed, but considering the time and effort he put into maintaining Arianism in his kingdom this seems to be suspect. Despite his struggles, Liuvigild is considered to be one of the most successful Visigothic kings, especially in the later years.