Remismund
Encyclopedia
Remismund (died 469) was the Suevic King of Galicia from c. 464 until his death.
According to Isidore of Seville
, Remismund was a son of Maldras
. Remismund's early career was spent as an ambassador between Galicia and Gaul
, which trip he made several times. After an interregnum
of approximately four years (460–464), during which the Sueves who had previously recognised Maldras as king were led by Frumar
and those who had recognised Framta
followed Rechimund while both their leaders fought for the throne of the people, Remismund returning from one of his embassies succeeded in having himself recognised as king of a unified Suevic people. This occurred after Frumar's death, but scholars are not certain of the significance of that statement. Had Frumar become sole king? Or did Remismund initially succeed Frumar only over part of the Suevic nation? Furthermore, Remismund is sometimes identified with Rechimund.
Remismund was confirmed in the kingship when the Visigothic monarch, Theodoric II
, sent him gifts, including weapons, and a Gothic princess for a wife. The involvement of Theodoric in the succession of Remismund has, however, been exaggerated by Jordanes
, who claims that after the Gothic king put down the revolt and usurpation of Aioulf
, he allowed the Suevi to elect a king of their own, and they chose Remismund. In 466, on the authority of Hydatius
, Theodoric sent an envoy, Salla, to the court of Remismund. Remismund may have sent one Palagorius, a noble Galician, as an envoy to Theodoric, but it is possible that Palagorius went on a private mission.
In 465 he sacked Coimbra
or Conímbriga
and in 468 destroyed it, plundering the goods of a noble family called the Cantabri. In 469 the city of Lisbon
was betrayed to the Suevi by a native Roman named Lusidius. Also in 469 Remismund began negotiations with the Roman Emperor
Anthemius
through a large embassy of Sueves led by Lusidius.
In 466 he requested an Arian
missionary from the Gothic court and received Ajax
, a Gaul or Galatian, who converted the Suevic nobility and established an Arian church in Galicia.
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"...
, Remismund was a son of Maldras
Maldras
Maldras was the Suevic King of Galicia from 456 until his death. After the execution of Rechiar by the victorious Visigoths, the Suevi are said to have established Maldras on the throne...
. Remismund's early career was spent as an ambassador between Galicia and Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, which trip he made several times. After an interregnum
Interregnum
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
of approximately four years (460–464), during which the Sueves who had previously recognised Maldras as king were led by Frumar
Frumar
Frumar was a Suevic warlord who succeeded Maldras, assassinated in February 460, as leader of the Suevic group then raiding Lusitania...
and those who had recognised Framta
Framta
Framta, Framtan, or Framtane was one of the kings of the Suevi in Galicia in 457....
followed Rechimund while both their leaders fought for the throne of the people, Remismund returning from one of his embassies succeeded in having himself recognised as king of a unified Suevic people. This occurred after Frumar's death, but scholars are not certain of the significance of that statement. Had Frumar become sole king? Or did Remismund initially succeed Frumar only over part of the Suevic nation? Furthermore, Remismund is sometimes identified with Rechimund.
Remismund was confirmed in the kingship when the Visigothic monarch, Theodoric II
Theodoric II
Theodoric II was King of Visigoths from 453 to 466.Theoderic II, son of Theodoric I, obtained the throne by killing his elder brother Thorismund...
, sent him gifts, including weapons, and a Gothic princess for a wife. The involvement of Theodoric in the succession of Remismund has, however, been exaggerated by Jordanes
Jordanes
Jordanes, also written Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th century Roman bureaucrat, who turned his hand to history later in life....
, who claims that after the Gothic king put down the revolt and usurpation of Aioulf
Aioulf
Aioulf or Ag'iwulf was an obscure King of Galicia from 456. In 448, after eight years in captivity, the Roman ambassador Censorius was executed by one Agiulf at Seville...
, he allowed the Suevi to elect a king of their own, and they chose Remismund. In 466, on the authority of Hydatius
Hydatius
Hydatius or Idacius , bishop of Aquae Flaviae in the Roman province of Gallaecia was the author of a chronicle of his own times that provides us with our best evidence for the history of the Iberian Peninsula in the 5th century.-Life:Hydatius was born around the year 400 in the...
, Theodoric sent an envoy, Salla, to the court of Remismund. Remismund may have sent one Palagorius, a noble Galician, as an envoy to Theodoric, but it is possible that Palagorius went on a private mission.
In 465 he sacked Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
or Conímbriga
Conímbriga
Conímbriga is one of the largest Roman settlements in Portugal, and is classified as a National Monument. Conímbriga lies 16 km from Coimbra and less than 2 km from Condeixa-a-Nova. The site also has a museum that displays objects found by archaeologists during their excavations,...
and in 468 destroyed it, plundering the goods of a noble family called the Cantabri. In 469 the city of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
was betrayed to the Suevi by a native Roman named Lusidius. Also in 469 Remismund began negotiations with the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the 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;...
through a large embassy of Sueves led by Lusidius.
In 466 he requested 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...
missionary from the Gothic court and received Ajax
Ajax (missionary)
Ajax was an Arian missionary to the pagan Suevi of Galicia who converted them to Christianity in 464 or 466.Due in part to his unusual Homeric name his origins have been debated. The contemporary chronicler Hydatius, the Catholic bishop of Aquae Flaviae, refers to him as Aiax natione Galata....
, a Gaul or Galatian, who converted the Suevic nobility and established an Arian church in Galicia.