Wittiza

Witiza († 710) was 702-710 King of Western Goth. He was the son of King and Queen Egica Cixilo and successor of his father.

Coregency

Egica raised his son Witiza either 694 or 695 as co-regent ( this dating is assured beyond reasonable doubt by a contemporary document ). The royal anointing Witizas it was carried out on 15 November 700 at the 13th anniversary of his father's government commencement. Egica over to his son, the responsibility for the area of ​​the former Suebenreichs in the extreme northwest of the Iberian Peninsula; there resided Witiza in the city of Tui. He allegedly killed in Tui Fáfila, the father Pelayo, later founder of the Asturian kingdom. Egica was decrepit in the last phase of his reign, therefore Witiza already led the government. In November or December 702 Egica died, and Witiza took over the autocracy.

Autocracy

What happened next is portrayed very differently in the sources. The best source is the 754 wrote Mozarabic Chronicle. It is the events in time relatively close and is considered credible in research. According to her, Witiza was extremely popular and successful; his dominion is described as peace and glory. Also Witizas is praised gentleness and reported that he had opponents of his father, who had dispossessed and banished these, rehabilitated and returned them to their owned and operated a general policy of reconciliation.

A completely different picture draw the Chronicon Moissiacense and written in the late 9th century Chronicle of Alfonso III. and following them later historians. They describe Witiza as vicious man who had multiple wives and mistresses and the church based teaching by ordering not only priests, but even bishops to take wives. He had challenged the wrath of God, and the consequence was the fall of the Western Goth by the Arab invasion was a year after Witizas death.

The view in the late witizafeindlichen sources is implausible. It is a part of the propaganda of King Alfonso III. of Asturias ( Neogotizismus ). The motive is obvious. For Christians, the Arab conquest was an incredible disaster that required a theological explanation. This could just be that the Goths had sinned and were punished by God. Since Witizas successor Roderich, who lost the battle against the Muslims, just one year reigned, he came as a scapegoat only partially considered. Therefore Witiza fell to the role of the main villain. Added to this was the fact that Witizas family willingly arranged after the fall of the Western Goth with the Muslim conquerors; Witizas granddaughter Sara (known as Sara la Gorda ) married a Muslim and possibly stepped over to Islam. His sons Alamund, Romulus and Ardabast were accused by opposition parties of collaborating even before the defeat treasonous with the Arabs. The charge against Witiza accused of having promoted the unchastity of the clergy, was very severe in the light of traditional Spain in austerity; in the Visigothic kingdom of celibacy had already been strictly required for the higher degrees of consecration of 4 Empire Council of Toledo 633. Claiming Witiza have commanded the priests to marry, could be a polemical distorted representation of an actual approval of priests marriages.

It is striking that the files of the Reich single Council, which held Witiza, 18th Toletanums, are lost; the files of the many councils of his predecessors, however, are obtained. This is probably due to the fact that Witiza also another church politics ( liberal ) course steered when his father and that his actions influential sections of the clergy disliked.

The historian Roger Collins has suggested that Witiza was toppled by his successor Roderich and it probably killed. This assumption, however, is speculative, since no source reported a fall and a violent death Witizas. Anyway, his sons were passed over for the succession.

The death Witizas is set by most historians to the year 710.

Swell

• January Prelog (ed. ): The Chronicle of Alfonso III. Frankfurt aM 1980, pp. 10-17, 143-151, ISBN 3-8204-6688-6
• Yves Bonnaz (ed.): Chroniques asturiennes. Paris, 1987, ISBN 2-222-03516-3
• Juan Gil ( eds): Chronica Muzarabica, in: Juan Gil (eds.): Corpus scriptorum Muzarabicorum Vol 1, Madrid 1973, pp. 15-54, ISBN 84-00-03910-6