Sigeric
Encyclopedia
Sigeric was a Visigoth
king for seven days in 415 CE. His predecessor, Ataulf
, had been mortally wounded in his stables at the palace of Barcelona
by an assassin. The assassin was probably a loyal servant of Sarus
, a Gothic noble and personal enemy whom Ataulf had earlier slain. At Ataulf's death, Sarus' faction, the Amali
, violated the laws of succession by immediately making Sigeric, the brother of Sarus, king.
Edward Gibbon
writes in the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire that the first act of Sigeric's reign "was the inhuman murder" of Ataulf's six children from a former marriage "whom he tore, without pity, from the feeble arms of a venerable bishop." As for Ataulf's widow, Galla Placidia
, daughter of Roman Emperor Theodosius
, she was "treated with cruel and wanton insult" by being forced to walk more than twelve miles on foot among the crowd of captives driven ahead of the mounted Sigeric.
Seeing the noble widow's sufferings, however, became one of the factors that roused indignant opponents of the usurper, who quickly assassinated Sigeric and replaced him with Ataulf's relative, Wallia
.
Because Sigeric was an Amali, a member of a rival clan-based subgroup among the Visigoths to the Balti (of which Ataulf and Wallia were part), then, in the succession of kings usually labeled the Balti dynasty
, Sigeric is the only one who does not belong if the kingship is defined by Balthi dynastic connections. Due to this fact, to the nature of his reign as an usurpation, and to the shortness of his rule, Sigeric does not appear on some Visigothic king lists.
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...
king for seven days in 415 CE. His predecessor, Ataulf
Ataulf
Ataulf was king of the Visigoths from 410 to 415...
, had been mortally wounded in his stables at the palace of 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...
by an assassin. The assassin was probably a loyal servant of Sarus
Sarus (Goth)
Sarus was a Gothic chieftain and commander for the emperor Honorius . He was known for his hostility to the prominent Gothic brothers Alaric I and Ataulf, and was the brother of Sigeric, who ruled the Goths briefly in 415.-Career:...
, a Gothic noble and personal enemy whom Ataulf had earlier slain. At Ataulf's death, Sarus' faction, the Amali
Amali
The Amali, also called Amals or Amalings, were the leading dynasty of the Goths, a Germanic people who confronted the Roman Empire in its declining years in the west...
, violated the laws of succession by immediately making Sigeric, the brother of Sarus, king.
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
writes in the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire that the first act of Sigeric's reign "was the inhuman murder" of Ataulf's six children from a former marriage "whom he tore, without pity, from the feeble arms of a venerable bishop." As for Ataulf's widow, Galla Placidia
Galla Placidia
Aelia Galla Placidia , daughter of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, was the Regent for Emperor Valentinian III from 423 until his majority in 437, and a major force in Roman politics for most of her life...
, daughter of Roman Emperor Theodosius
Theodosius I
Theodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...
, she was "treated with cruel and wanton insult" by being forced to walk more than twelve miles on foot among the crowd of captives driven ahead of the mounted Sigeric.
Seeing the noble widow's sufferings, however, became one of the factors that roused indignant opponents of the usurper, who quickly assassinated Sigeric and replaced him with Ataulf's relative, Wallia
Wallia
Wallia was king of the Visigoths from 415 to 419, earning a reputation as a great warrior and prudent ruler. He was elected to the throne after Athaulf and then Sigeric were assassinated in 415....
.
Because Sigeric was an Amali, a member of a rival clan-based subgroup among the Visigoths to the Balti (of which Ataulf and Wallia were part), then, in the succession of kings usually labeled the Balti dynasty
Balti dynasty
The Balti dynasty, Baltungs, Balthings, or Balths, existed among the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe who confronted the Western Roman Empire in its declining years. The Balti took their name from the Gothic word balþa...
, Sigeric is the only one who does not belong if the kingship is defined by Balthi dynastic connections. Due to this fact, to the nature of his reign as an usurpation, and to the shortness of his rule, Sigeric does not appear on some Visigothic king lists.