Gesalec
Encyclopedia
Gesalic was a king of the Visigoth
s from 507 to 511, and died in 513. Although the illegitimate son of Alaric II
. He had been elected king by the Visigoths after Alaric had been killed in battle by the Franks
. Alaric's only legitimate son, Amalaric
, was a child and too young to rule.
Initially Gesalec was supported by the powerful Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great
, but this support eventually faded. Between 508 and 511, he had two important Visigothic nobles executed. Gesalec's rule was dealt a decisive blow when the Burgundians
, led by their king Gundobad
, captured and plundered Narbonne
, his capital. Gesalec fled to Barcelona
, where he remained until Theodoric deposed him. Theodoric took over the rule of the Visigothic kingdom for the next 15 years, collecting its taxes and appointing its officials, ostensibly in the name of Gesalic's half-brother, Amalaric, until he was old enough to rule.
Driven from the throne, Gesalec found a refuge in Carthage
from the Vandal king Thrasamund
. The Vandal king supported his cause, providing him money and men, and in 510 and 511 the Vandal navy supported Gesalec's invasion of Spain. However, after receiving some stern letters from Theodoric, Gesalec recognized he was no match for the Ostrogoths and withdrew his support for Gesalec, offering an apology and gold to Theodoric.
Abandoned by Thrasamund, Gesalec fled to Aquitania
, where he remained for a year. Herwig Wolfram notes that although Aquitania had been conquered by the Franks following the Battle of Vouille
, it was still thickly populated by Visigoths and pro-Gothic Romans. Gesalec returned once again to Spain, only to be defeated by Theodoric's general Ibbas outside of Barcelona, according to Isidore of Seville
at the twelfth milestone. Although he escaped from the battlefield, Gesalec was captured after crossing the Durance River and subsequently executed. Wolfram explains that Gesalec had played "his last card, the Burgundians", but in a footnote observes "Isidore does not tell us whether Burgundians or Ostrogothic guards captured and killed the luckless Visigothic king." Peter Heather speculates his execution was "probably in 513."
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
s from 507 to 511, and died in 513. Although the illegitimate son of Alaric II
Alaric II
Alaric II, also known as Alarik, Alarich, and Alarico in Spanish and Portuguese or Alaricus in Latin succeeded his father Euric on December 28, 484, in Toulouse. He established his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour in Aquitaine...
. He had been elected king by the Visigoths after Alaric had been killed in battle by the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
. Alaric's only legitimate son, Amalaric
Amalaric
Amalaric, or in Spanish and Portuguese, Amalarico, was king of the Visigoths from 526 until his assassination in 531. He was a son of king Alaric II and his first wife Theodegotho, daughter of Theodoric the Great....
, was a child and too young to rule.
Initially Gesalec was supported by the powerful Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, but this support eventually faded. Between 508 and 511, he had two important Visigothic nobles executed. Gesalec's rule was dealt a decisive blow when the Burgundians
Burgundians
The Burgundians were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr , and from there to mainland Europe...
, led by their king Gundobad
Gundobad
Gundobad was King of the Burgundians , succeeding his father Gundioc of Burgundy. Previous to this, he had been a Patrician of the Western Roman Empire in 472–473, succeeding his uncle Ricimer.- Early life :...
, captured and plundered Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
, his capital. Gesalec fled to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, where he remained until Theodoric deposed him. Theodoric took over the rule of the Visigothic kingdom for the next 15 years, collecting its taxes and appointing its officials, ostensibly in the name of Gesalic's half-brother, Amalaric, until he was old enough to rule.
Driven from the throne, Gesalec found a refuge in Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
from the Vandal king Thrasamund
Thrasamund
Thrasamund , King of the Vandals and Alans , was the fourth king of the north African Kingdom of the Vandals, and reigned longer than any other Vandal king in Africa other than his grandfather Genseric....
. The Vandal king supported his cause, providing him money and men, and in 510 and 511 the Vandal navy supported Gesalec's invasion of Spain. However, after receiving some stern letters from Theodoric, Gesalec recognized he was no match for the Ostrogoths and withdrew his support for Gesalec, offering an apology and gold to Theodoric.
Abandoned by Thrasamund, Gesalec fled to Aquitania
Aquitania
Aquitania may refer to:* the territory of the Aquitani, a people living in Roman times in what is now Aquitaine, France* Aquitaine, a region of France roughly between the Pyrenees, the Atlantic ocean and the Garonne, also a former kingdom and duchy...
, where he remained for a year. Herwig Wolfram notes that although Aquitania had been conquered by the Franks following the Battle of Vouille
Battle of Vouillé
The Battle of Vouillé or Vouglé was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at Vouillé, Vienne near Poitiers , in the spring of 507 between the Franks commanded by Clovis and the Visigoths of Alaric II, the conqueror of Spain.Clovis and Anastasius I of the Byzantine Empire agreed...
, it was still thickly populated by Visigoths and pro-Gothic Romans. Gesalec returned once again to Spain, only to be defeated by Theodoric's general Ibbas outside of Barcelona, according to Isidore of Seville
Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore of Seville served as Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and is considered, as the historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, "le dernier savant du monde ancien"...
at the twelfth milestone. Although he escaped from the battlefield, Gesalec was captured after crossing the Durance River and subsequently executed. Wolfram explains that Gesalec had played "his last card, the Burgundians", but in a footnote observes "Isidore does not tell us whether Burgundians or Ostrogothic guards captured and killed the luckless Visigothic king." Peter Heather speculates his execution was "probably in 513."