Gundobad
Encyclopedia
Gundobad was King of the Burgundians
(473–516), 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
.
for the Western Empire, died 18 August 472. According to John of Antioch, Gundobad had previously executed the deposed emperor Anthemius
on his uncle's orders.
Once in power, Gundobad elevated the current Count of the Domestics, Glycerius
, to the position of Western Roman Emperor. However, not long after Gundobad left for Burgundy where his father, Gundioc, had died; the exact date is unclear, with authorities stating it was in either 473 or 474. Once in Burgundy, his three brothers have been assumed to challenge to his rule: Godegisel, Chilperic II
and Gundomar. Ian Wood speculates that Gundobad's departure may have been connected with the arrival of a new emperor, Julius Nepos
, who had the support of the Roman Emperor in Constantinople. Once Julius Nepos landed in Portus
(June 474), he deposed Glycerius, whom he made bishop of Salona
.
, who wrote almost a century later. According to Gregory, Gundobad set about ridding himself of his brothers. First slain was Gundomar, though little is known of this encounter.
Next killed was Chilperic. According to Gregory Gundobad had his wife drowned and Chilperic's two daughters driven into exile. The older daughter, Chroma became a nun. The other, Clotilde
, had been seen by envoys of Clovis I
, King of the Franks
, who told their master of her beauty and intelligence. Clovis then asked Gundobad for Clotilde's hand in marriage. Gundobad was said to be afraid to deny him.
However, a letter written by Avitus
, bishop of Vienne
, consoling Gundobad on the death of an unnamed daughter, gives details that suggest there was more to the story. According to the explication of Danuta Shanzer and Ian Wood of Avitus' notoriously difficult Latin, the bishop writes, "In the past, with ineffable tender-heartedness, you mourned the deaths of your brothers." Further, Avitus alludes to Gundobad's intent to marry his deceased daughter to a foreign ruler, whom they suggest was Clovis: "Indeed," they write, "Clovis is really the only likely candidate as a prospective son-in-law for Gundobad shortly after 501." If their reading is correct, then it is likely that Clotilde was offered to Clovis as a replacement, as an act of diplomacy not subservience.
At this point occurs the earliest firm date in Gundobad's reign: in the early months of 490, while Odovacar and Theodoric the Great
were locked in battle over control of Pavia
, the Burgundians seized the opportunity to invade northwestern Italy. They devastated Liguria
, and carried away an unknown number of victims into captivity, if not slavery. Once Theodoric had killed Odoacar and was securely in control of Italy, he sent bishop Epiphanius of Pavia
on a mission to ransom as many of these captives as possible. Accompanied by Bishop Victor of Turin, they crossed the Alps in March. Shanzer and Wood believe Epiphanius was possibly also entrusted with a mission in connection with the marriage of Gundobad's son Sigismund
to Theodoric's daughter Ostrogotho. In his account of this visit, Magnus Felix Ennodius
, who accompanied Epiphanius on this journey, describes Godegisel as germanus regis the "king's brother" and not king -- again contradicting Gregory of Tour's later account. Ennodius notes that "more than six thousand souls" were so ransomed; from Lyons alone 400 men were thus freed.
Gregory of Tours states the battle with his third brother, Godegisel, raged long. Unaware of the other's actions, each called upon Clovis trying to persuade him to join forces against the other. Clovis sided with Godegisel, who had offered him his pleasure of tribute; Wood observes archly that Clovis' wife, Clotilde, whose father had been killed by Gundobad, "was not likely to encourage good relations between the Franks and the Burgundians." Together they crushed Gundobad's force. Gundobad fled but King Clovis pursued him to Avignon
. Gundobad feared the worst with Clovis's army at the gates. But Aridius went from Gundobad to Clovis and convinced him to spare Gundobad in return for a yearly tribute. The chronicler Marius of Avenches dates this conflict to 500.
Gundobad later broke his promise of tribute as he regained his power and besieged Godegisel, locked up in the city of Vienne. As famine devoured Vienne, Godegisel expelled the common people from the city for fear for himself. An outraged expelled artisan seeking vengeance on Godegisel went to Gundobad, and with his help he navigated the aqueduct and broke into the city. Gundobad murdered Godegisel in 501 in an Arian
church along with the bishop.
The next event about which information has survived is Gundobad's role concerning the Battle of Vouillé
. He was one of several rulers to whom king Theoderic sent letters urging peace, and asking for mediation between Alaric II
and Clovis. Despite Theoderic's best efforts, the two kings met at Vouillé, and Alaric was slain; according to Isidore of Seville
, Gundobad supported Clovis in this battle. Isidore also provides a hint that Gundobad exploited the Visigothic defeat by plundering Narbonne
. Delayed by the threat of the Byzantine Navy
, which had been hovering off the Italian shore around the time of the battle, the Ostrogothic army arrived to relieve the Burgundian siege of Arles
. According to Herwig Wolfram, the Burgundians were "the real victims of the Ostrogothic counteroffensive" following the defeat of their cousins at Vouillé. "Not only had they lost all their conquered territories and hope of acquiring Arles and Avignon but all their territory as far as Orange
had been devastated."
Following the death of King Clovis of the Franks in 511, the Burgundians became the most prestigious people in Gaul. He was favored by the court of Constantinople, who awarded him the title of magister militum
. Gundobad died peacefully, succeeded by his son Sigismund
in 516. He also had another son: Godomar
, who would succeed his brother after his death in 524.
, Gundobad named as publishing this code of law on 29 March of the second year of his reign. However there are a number of inconsistencies in this ascription, and L. R. deSalis proposed a restored version of this passage which does not include a date -- which would better fit the reign of his son, Sigismund. Although she accepts the strong likelihood that the Lex Burgundionum as we have it was the product of Sigismund's reign, Katherine Fisher Drew still argues that a core of this law code is the product of Gundobad or his chancellery.
The letters of bishop Avitus and Cassiodorus
provide glimpses of Gundobad's intellectual side. Avitus, a Catholic bishop, answers questions posed by an Arian Christian
about religion in several letters, showing a surprising religious tolerance for the time, and may be the reason Gregory of Tours later thought he had secretly converted to Catholicism. Cassidorus' Variae includes a group of letters which discuss obtaining and sending a time piece to Gundobad as a diplomatic present.
King of Burgundy
The following is a list of the Kings of the two Kingdoms of Burgundy, and a number of related political entities devolving from Carolingian machinations over family relations.- Kings of the Burgundians :...
(473–516), succeeding his father Gundioc of Burgundy. Previous to this, he had been a Patrician of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
in 472–473, succeeding his uncle Ricimer
Ricimer
Flavius Ricimer was a Germanic general who achieved effective control of the remaining parts of the Western Roman Empire, during the middle of the 5th century...
.
Early life
Gundobad seized the title of Patrician when his uncle Ricimer, who had been the power behind the thronePower behind the throne
The phrase power behind the throne refers to a person or group that informally exercises the real power of an office. In politics, it most commonly refers to a spouse, aide, or advisor of a political leader who serves as de facto leader, setting policy through influence or manipulation.The...
for the Western Empire, died 18 August 472. According to John of Antioch, Gundobad had previously executed the deposed emperor Anthemius
Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius was Western Roman Emperor from 467 to 472. Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees;...
on his uncle's orders.
Once in power, Gundobad elevated the current Count of the Domestics, Glycerius
Glycerius
Glycerius was a Western Roman Emperor from 473 to 474. Elevated by his Magister militum, Gundobad, Glycerius’ elevation was rejected by the court at Constantinople, and he was ousted by Julius Nepos. He later served as the bishop of Salona in the early Catholic Church.-Rise to power:Sources on...
, to the position of Western Roman Emperor. However, not long after Gundobad left for Burgundy where his father, Gundioc, had died; the exact date is unclear, with authorities stating it was in either 473 or 474. Once in Burgundy, his three brothers have been assumed to challenge to his rule: Godegisel, Chilperic II
Chilperic II of Burgundy
Chilperic II was the King of Burgundy from 473 until his death, though initially co-ruler with his father from 463. He began his reign in 473 after the partition of Burgundy with his brothers Godegisel, Godomar, and Gundobad; he ruled from Valence and his brothers ruled respectively from Geneva,...
and Gundomar. Ian Wood speculates that Gundobad's departure may have been connected with the arrival of a new emperor, Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos was Western Roman Emperor de facto from 474 to 475 and de jure until 480. Some historians consider him to be the last Western Roman Emperor, while others consider the western line to have ended with Romulus Augustulus in 476...
, who had the support of the Roman Emperor in Constantinople. Once Julius Nepos landed in Portus
Portus
Porto or Portus was a town in Lazio or Latium, just south of Rome, Italy. It was an ancient harbour on the right bank of the mouth of the Tiber.-Claudian phase:Rome's original harbour was Ostia...
(June 474), he deposed Glycerius, whom he made bishop of Salona
Salona
Salona was an ancient Illyrian Delmati city in the first millennium BC. The Greeks had set up an emporion there. After the conquest by the Romans, Salona became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia...
.
Reign
The events of the first decades of Gundobad's reign are not well known. Our only source is Gregory of ToursGregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
, who wrote almost a century later. According to Gregory, Gundobad set about ridding himself of his brothers. First slain was Gundomar, though little is known of this encounter.
Next killed was Chilperic. According to Gregory Gundobad had his wife drowned and Chilperic's two daughters driven into exile. The older daughter, Chroma became a nun. The other, Clotilde
Clotilde
Saint Clotilde , also known as Clothilde, Clotilda, Clotild, Rotilde or Chroctechildis, was the second wife of the Frankish king Clovis I...
, had been seen by envoys of Clovis I
Clovis I
Clovis Leuthwig was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the leadership from a group of royal chieftains, to rule by kings, ensuring that the kingship was held by his heirs. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul . He was the son...
, King of 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...
, who told their master of her beauty and intelligence. Clovis then asked Gundobad for Clotilde's hand in marriage. Gundobad was said to be afraid to deny him.
However, a letter written by Avitus
Avitus
Eparchius Avitus was Western Roman Emperor from July 8 or July 9, 455 to October 17, 456. A Gallic-Roman aristocrat, he was a senator and a high-ranking officer both in the civil and military administration, as well as Bishop of Piacenza.A representative of the Gallic-Roman aristocracy, he...
, bishop of Vienne
Vienne, Isère
Vienne is a commune in south-eastern France, located south of Lyon, on the Rhône River. It is the second largest city after Grenoble in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture. The city's population was of 29,400 as of the 2001 census....
, consoling Gundobad on the death of an unnamed daughter, gives details that suggest there was more to the story. According to the explication of Danuta Shanzer and Ian Wood of Avitus' notoriously difficult Latin, the bishop writes, "In the past, with ineffable tender-heartedness, you mourned the deaths of your brothers." Further, Avitus alludes to Gundobad's intent to marry his deceased daughter to a foreign ruler, whom they suggest was Clovis: "Indeed," they write, "Clovis is really the only likely candidate as a prospective son-in-law for Gundobad shortly after 501." If their reading is correct, then it is likely that Clotilde was offered to Clovis as a replacement, as an act of diplomacy not subservience.
At this point occurs the earliest firm date in Gundobad's reign: in the early months of 490, while Odovacar and 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...
were locked in battle over control of Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
, the Burgundians seized the opportunity to invade northwestern Italy. They devastated Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
, and carried away an unknown number of victims into captivity, if not slavery. Once Theodoric had killed Odoacar and was securely in control of Italy, he sent bishop Epiphanius of Pavia
Epiphanius of Pavia
Epiphanius of Pavia , later venerated as Saint Epiphanius of Pavia, was Bishop of Pavia from 466 until his death in 496. Epiphanius additionally held the offices of lector, subdeacon and deacon....
on a mission to ransom as many of these captives as possible. Accompanied by Bishop Victor of Turin, they crossed the Alps in March. Shanzer and Wood believe Epiphanius was possibly also entrusted with a mission in connection with the marriage of Gundobad's son Sigismund
Sigismund
Sigismund is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German sigu "victory" + munt "hand, protection". Tacitus Latinises it Segimundus...
to Theodoric's daughter Ostrogotho. In his account of this visit, Magnus Felix Ennodius
Magnus Felix Ennodius
Magnus Felix Ennodius was Bishop of Pavia in 514, and a Latin rhetorician and poet.He was one of four fifth to sixth-century Gallo-Roman aristocrats whose letters survive in quantity: the others are Sidonius Apollinaris, prefect of Rome in 468 and bishop of Clermont , Ruricius bishop of Limoges ...
, who accompanied Epiphanius on this journey, describes Godegisel as germanus regis the "king's brother" and not king -- again contradicting Gregory of Tour's later account. Ennodius notes that "more than six thousand souls" were so ransomed; from Lyons alone 400 men were thus freed.
Gregory of Tours states the battle with his third brother, Godegisel, raged long. Unaware of the other's actions, each called upon Clovis trying to persuade him to join forces against the other. Clovis sided with Godegisel, who had offered him his pleasure of tribute; Wood observes archly that Clovis' wife, Clotilde, whose father had been killed by Gundobad, "was not likely to encourage good relations between the Franks and the Burgundians." Together they crushed Gundobad's force. Gundobad fled but King Clovis pursued him to Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
. Gundobad feared the worst with Clovis's army at the gates. But Aridius went from Gundobad to Clovis and convinced him to spare Gundobad in return for a yearly tribute. The chronicler Marius of Avenches dates this conflict to 500.
Gundobad later broke his promise of tribute as he regained his power and besieged Godegisel, locked up in the city of Vienne. As famine devoured Vienne, Godegisel expelled the common people from the city for fear for himself. An outraged expelled artisan seeking vengeance on Godegisel went to Gundobad, and with his help he navigated the aqueduct and broke into the city. Gundobad murdered Godegisel in 501 in an Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
church along with the bishop.
The next event about which information has survived is Gundobad's role concerning the Battle of Vouillé
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...
. He was one of several rulers to whom king Theoderic sent letters urging peace, and asking for mediation between 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...
and Clovis. Despite Theoderic's best efforts, the two kings met at Vouillé, and Alaric was slain; 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"...
, Gundobad supported Clovis in this battle. Isidore also provides a hint that Gundobad exploited the Visigothic defeat by plundering 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...
. Delayed by the threat of the Byzantine Navy
Byzantine navy
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 defense and survival of the state then its earlier iterations...
, which had been hovering off the Italian shore around the time of the battle, the Ostrogothic army arrived to relieve the Burgundian siege of Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
. According to Herwig Wolfram, the Burgundians were "the real victims of the Ostrogothic counteroffensive" following the defeat of their cousins at Vouillé. "Not only had they lost all their conquered territories and hope of acquiring Arles and Avignon but all their territory as far as Orange
Orange, Vaucluse
Orange is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It has a primarily agricultural economy...
had been devastated."
Following the death of King Clovis of the Franks in 511, the Burgundians became the most prestigious people in Gaul. He was favored by the court of Constantinople, who awarded him the title of magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
. Gundobad died peacefully, succeeded by his son Sigismund
Sigismund of Burgundy
Sigismund was king of the Burgundians from 516 to his death. He was the son of king Gundobad, whom he succeeded in 516. Sigismund and his brother Godomar were defeated in battle by Clovis' sons and Godomar fled. Sigismund was taken by Chlodomer, King of Orléans, where he was kept as a prisoner. He...
in 516. He also had another son: Godomar
Godomar
Godomar , son of king Gundobad, was king of Burgundy. He ruled Burgundy after his elder brother's death in 524 until 534.Both he and his brother Sigismund of Burgundy were defeated in battle by Clovis' sons. Godomar fled and Sigismund was taken prisoner by Chlodomer, King of Orléans. Godomar then...
, who would succeed his brother after his death in 524.
Learning
In some of the manuscripts of the Lex BurgundionumLex Burgundionum
The Lex Burgundionum refers to the law code of the Burgundians, probably issued by king Gundobad. It is influenced by Roman law and deals with domestic laws concerning marriage and inheritance as well as regulating weregild and other penalties...
, Gundobad named as publishing this code of law on 29 March of the second year of his reign. However there are a number of inconsistencies in this ascription, and L. R. deSalis proposed a restored version of this passage which does not include a date -- which would better fit the reign of his son, Sigismund. Although she accepts the strong likelihood that the Lex Burgundionum as we have it was the product of Sigismund's reign, Katherine Fisher Drew still argues that a core of this law code is the product of Gundobad or his chancellery.
The letters of bishop Avitus and Cassiodorus
Cassiodorus
Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator , commonly known as Cassiodorus, was a Roman statesman and writer, serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Senator was part of his surname, not his rank.- Life :Cassiodorus was born at Scylletium, near Catanzaro in...
provide glimpses of Gundobad's intellectual side. Avitus, a Catholic bishop, answers questions posed by an Arian Christian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
about religion in several letters, showing a surprising religious tolerance for the time, and may be the reason Gregory of Tours later thought he had secretly converted to Catholicism. Cassidorus' Variae includes a group of letters which discuss obtaining and sending a time piece to Gundobad as a diplomatic present.