What was Gallaecia?
Gallaecia or Callaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province and an early Mediaeval kingdom that comprised a territory in the north-west of Hispania (approximately present-day northern Portugal, and León (province), Asturias and Galicia in Spain). The most important city and historical capital of Callaecia were the towns of Bracara Augusta,[citation needed] the modern Portuguese Braga, the administrative centre of the Conventus bracarensis, and Lucus Augusti, the modern Galician Lugo, the administrative centre of the Conventus lucensis.
The Romans gave the name Gallaecia to the northwest part iberian peninsula (North of Portugal, Galicia, Asturias, Leon and Cantabria). Gallaeci tribe or Gallaecians lived in the Douro Valley. One of their towns, Cale become the Roman town of Portus Cale, today's Porto.
The wild Gallaic Celts make their entry in written history in the first-century epic Punica of Silius Italicus on the First Punic War:
Fibrarum et pennae divinarumque sagacem
flammarum misit dives Callaecia pubem,
barbara nunc patriis ululantem carmina linguis,
nunc pedis alterno percussa verbere terra,
ad numerum resonas gaudentem plaudere caetras. (book III.344-7)
"Rich Gallaecia sent its youths, wise in the knowledge of divination by the entrails of beasts, by feathers and flames— who, now crying out the barbarian song of their native tongue, now alternately stamping the ground in their rhythmic dances until the ground rang, and accompanying the playing with sonorous caetrae" (a caetra was a small type of shield used in the region).
Gallaecia, as a region, was thus marked for the Romans as much for its Celtic culture, the culture of the castros or castrexa — hillforts of Celtic origin—as it was for the lure of its gold mines. This civilization extended over present day Galicia, the north of Portugal, the western part of Asturias, the Berço, and Sanabria.
At a far later date, the mythic history that was encapsulated in Lebor Gabála Érenn credited Gallaecia as the point from which the Gallaic Celts sailed to conquer Ireland, as they had Gallaecia, by force of arms.
Pre-Roman Gallaecia
Strabo in his Geography mentions that the ancient people called Lusitania to the lands north of river Douro, the land that in its own time was known as Gallaecia. In another way he also mentions that for their fighting spirit not only the Gallaeci gave the name to the man who defeated them and the Lusitanians but also had, because of this, the majority of the Lusitanians called Gallaeci.
Roman Gallaecia
Roman Gallaecia under Diocletian's reorganization, 293 AD
Strabo in his Geography mentions that the ancient people called Lusitania to the lands north of river Douro, the land that in its own time was known as Gallaecia. In another way he also mentions that for their fighting spirit not only the Gallaeci gave the name to the man who defeated them and the Lusitanians but also had, because of this, the majority of the Lusitanians called Gallaeci.
Roman Gallaecia
Roman Gallaecia under Diocletian's reorganization, 293 AD
After the Punic Wars, the Romans turned their attention to conquering Hispania. The tribe of the Gallaeci 60,000 strong, according to Paulus Orosius, faced the Roman forces in 137 BC in a battle at the river Douro, which resulted in a great Roman victory, by virtue of which the Roman proconsul Decimus Junius Brutus returned a hero, receiving the agnomen Gallaicus. From this time, Gallaic fighters joined the Roman legions, to serve as far away as Dacia and Britain. The final extinction of Celtic resistance was the aim of the violent and ruthless Cantabrian Wars fought under the emperor Octavian from 26 to 19 BC. The resistance was appalling: collective suicide rather than surrender, mothers who killed their children before committing suicide, crucified prisoners of war who sang triumphant hymns, rebellions of captives who killed their guards and returned home from Gaul.
For Rome Gallaecia was a region formed exclusively by two conventus- the Lucensis and the Bracarensis - and was distinguished clearly from other zones like the Asturica, according to written sources.
In the 3rd century, Diocletian created an administrative division which included the conventus of Gallaecia, Asturica and, perhaps, Cluniense. This province took the name of Gallaecia since Gallaecia was the most populous and important zone within the province. In 409, as Roman control collapsed, the Suebi conquests transformed Roman Gallaecia into the kingdom of Galicia (the Galliciense Regnum recorded by Hydatius and Gregory of Tours).
Later Gallaecia
In Beatus of Liébana (d. 798), Gallaecia refers to the Christian part of the Iberian peninsula, whereas Hispania refers to the Muslim one. The emirs found it not worth their while to conquer these mountains filled with fighters and lacking oil or wine.
In Charlemagne's time, bishops of Gallaecia attended the Council of Frankfurt in 794. During his residence in Aachen, he received embassies from Alfonso II of Asturias, according to the Frankish chronicles.
Sancho III of Navarre in 1029 refers to Vermudo III as Imperator domus Vermudus in Gallaecia.
In Beatus of Liébana (d. 798), Gallaecia refers to the Christian part of the Iberian peninsula, whereas Hispania refers to the Muslim one. The emirs found it not worth their while to conquer these mountains filled with fighters and lacking oil or wine.
In Charlemagne's time, bishops of Gallaecia attended the Council of Frankfurt in 794. During his residence in Aachen, he received embassies from Alfonso II of Asturias, according to the Frankish chronicles.
Sancho III of Navarre in 1029 refers to Vermudo III as Imperator domus Vermudus in Gallaecia.
THE SUEBIC KINGDOM OF GALLAECIA
The Suebic Kingdom of Galicia was the first independent barbarian Christian kingdom of Western Europe and the first to separate from the Roman Empire, as well as the first one to mint coins. Based in Gallaecia, it was established in 410 and lasted as independent state until 584, after a century of slow decline. It reached political relevance, even after the fall of the visigothic kingdom -a century after the last Suebic king was deposed-, as last administrative and religious ditch against the Muslim invasion.
The history and importance of Suebic Galicia was long marginalised and obscured mainly by political reasons; it was left to a German scholar to write the first connected history of the Suebi in Galicia, as writer-historian Xoán Bernárdez Vilar has pointed out.
The history and importance of Suebic Galicia was long marginalised and obscured mainly by political reasons; it was left to a German scholar to write the first connected history of the Suebi in Galicia, as writer-historian Xoán Bernárdez Vilar has pointed out.
Origins
Little is known about the Suevi before they crossed the Rhine on the night of 31 December 406 A.D. and entered the Roman Empire. It is speculated that the Suevi are the same group as the Quadi, who are mentioned in early writings, and lived north of the middle Danube located today in lower Austria and western Slovakia. The reasoning behind the belief that the Suevi and Quadi are the same, or at least related groups comes from a letter written by St. Jerome to Ageruchia, listing the invaders of the 406 crossing into Gaul, in which the Quadi are listed and the Suevi are not. The argument for this theory, however, is based solely on the disappearance of mention of the Quadi in Gaul and the emergence of the Suevi. Additionally the lack of mention of the Suevi could mean that they are not a distinct ethnic group. Perhaps the Suevi were the result of many smaller groups who banded together during the migration from central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula.
Little is known about the Suevi before they crossed the Rhine on the night of 31 December 406 A.D. and entered the Roman Empire. It is speculated that the Suevi are the same group as the Quadi, who are mentioned in early writings, and lived north of the middle Danube located today in lower Austria and western Slovakia. The reasoning behind the belief that the Suevi and Quadi are the same, or at least related groups comes from a letter written by St. Jerome to Ageruchia, listing the invaders of the 406 crossing into Gaul, in which the Quadi are listed and the Suevi are not. The argument for this theory, however, is based solely on the disappearance of mention of the Quadi in Gaul and the emergence of the Suevi. Additionally the lack of mention of the Suevi could mean that they are not a distinct ethnic group. Perhaps the Suevi were the result of many smaller groups who banded together during the migration from central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula.
Migration
Although there is no clearly documented reason behind the migration of 406, a widely accepted theory is that the migration of the various Germanic peoples west of the Rhine is due to the westward push of the Huns during the late 4th century. The reasoning being that the activities of the Huns disrupted and threatened the existing peoples of the region forcing them to uproot. It should be noted that this theory has created controversy within the academic community, because of the lack of convincing evidence.
Whether displaced by the Huns or not the Suevi along with the Vandals and Alans crossed the Rhine on the night of 31 December 405. Their entrance into the Roman Empire could not have been at a more opportune time. At the moment, the Roman West was experiencing a series of invasions and civil wars beginning in 405. Between 405 and 406, the Western regions of the empire saw the invasion of Italy by Goths under Radagaisus, as well as a steady stream of usurpers. This allowed the invading barbarians to enter Gaul with little resistance, consequently allowing for the barbarians to cause considerable damage to the northern provinces of Germania Prima, Belgica Prima, and Belgica Secunda before the empire saw them as a threat. In response to the barbarian invasion of Gaul, the usurper Constantine III, halted the masses of Vandals, Alans, and Suevi, who remained confined to northern Gaul. But in the spring of 409, Gerontius led a revolt in Hispania and set up his own emperor, Maximus. Constantine, who had recently been elevated to the title of Augustus, set off to Hispania to deal with the rebellion. Gerontius responded by stirring up the barbarians in Gaul against Constantine, convincing them to mobilize again, and, in the summer of 409, the Vandals, Alans, and Suevi began pushing south towards Hispania.
Although there is no clearly documented reason behind the migration of 406, a widely accepted theory is that the migration of the various Germanic peoples west of the Rhine is due to the westward push of the Huns during the late 4th century. The reasoning being that the activities of the Huns disrupted and threatened the existing peoples of the region forcing them to uproot. It should be noted that this theory has created controversy within the academic community, because of the lack of convincing evidence.
Whether displaced by the Huns or not the Suevi along with the Vandals and Alans crossed the Rhine on the night of 31 December 405. Their entrance into the Roman Empire could not have been at a more opportune time. At the moment, the Roman West was experiencing a series of invasions and civil wars beginning in 405. Between 405 and 406, the Western regions of the empire saw the invasion of Italy by Goths under Radagaisus, as well as a steady stream of usurpers. This allowed the invading barbarians to enter Gaul with little resistance, consequently allowing for the barbarians to cause considerable damage to the northern provinces of Germania Prima, Belgica Prima, and Belgica Secunda before the empire saw them as a threat. In response to the barbarian invasion of Gaul, the usurper Constantine III, halted the masses of Vandals, Alans, and Suevi, who remained confined to northern Gaul. But in the spring of 409, Gerontius led a revolt in Hispania and set up his own emperor, Maximus. Constantine, who had recently been elevated to the title of Augustus, set off to Hispania to deal with the rebellion. Gerontius responded by stirring up the barbarians in Gaul against Constantine, convincing them to mobilize again, and, in the summer of 409, the Vandals, Alans, and Suevi began pushing south towards Hispania.
The suebian migration
Settlement and integration
Suebic kingdom in Gallaecia and Lusitania.
There were periods of control of territories south of the Tagus river as far as the Algarve.
The civil war that erupted in the Iberian Peninsula between the forces of Constantine and Gerontius had left the passes through the Pyrenees either purposely or consequently neglected, making southern Gaul and the Iberian Peninsula susceptible to barbarian attack. Hydatius documents that the crossing into the Iberian Peninsula by the Vandals, Alans, and Suevi took place on either the 28 September or the 12 October 409. Some scholars take the two dates as the beginning and the end to the crossing of the Pyrenees mountain range into the Iberian Peninsula, since the crossing over of such a formidable barrier by scores of thousands could not have possibly been done in a twenty-four hour time frame. Hydatius writes that upon entering of Hispania the barbarian peoples spent two years 409–410 in a frenzy, plundering food and goods from the cities and countryside causing a famine in the process that, according to Hydatius, forced cannibalism amongst the locals, “[driven] by hunger human beings devoured human flesh; mothers too feasted upon the bodies of their own children whom they had killed and cooked with their own hand. In 411 the various barbarian groups decided on the establishment of a peace and divided the provinces of Hispania among themselves sorte, “by lot”. Many scholars believe that the reference to “lot” may be to the sortes, “allotments,” which barbarian federates received by the Roman government, which suggests that the Suevi and the other invaders were under a treaty with Maximus’s government. There is, however, no concrete evidence of any treaties between the Roman’s and the barbarians. Hydatius never mentions any treaty, and states that the peace in 411 was brought about by the compassion of the Lord. The division of the land between the four barbarian groups went as such: the Siling Vandals settled in Hispania Baetica, the Alans were allotted the provinces of Lusitania and Hispania Carthaginensis, and the Hasding Vandals and the Suevi shared the far northwestern province of Galicia.
The division of Galicia between the Suevi and the Hasding Vandals placed the Suevi in the far northwestern corner of the province, which they took by force. They settled in the cities of Braga (which would become the Suevic capital until 439), Astorga, and Lugo, with no evidence suggesting that the Suevi inhabited any other cities residing in the province from 411–438. The relationship between the Galicians and the Suevi was an opportunistic one for the Suevi, who, under their king, Hermeric, would spend the next 27 years (411–438) plundering the Galicians of food and valuables.
Another Germanic group that accompanied the Suebi and settled in Galicia were the Buri. They settled in the region between the rivers Cávado and Homem, in the area known as Terras de Bouro (Lands of the Buri).
As the Suebi quickly adopted the local Hispano-Roman language, few traces were left of their Germanic tongue, but some examples in the Galician language and Portuguese language remained, like laverca in Portuguese and Galician (synonyms of cotovia – lark)
The civil war that erupted in the Iberian Peninsula between the forces of Constantine and Gerontius had left the passes through the Pyrenees either purposely or consequently neglected, making southern Gaul and the Iberian Peninsula susceptible to barbarian attack. Hydatius documents that the crossing into the Iberian Peninsula by the Vandals, Alans, and Suevi took place on either the 28 September or the 12 October 409. Some scholars take the two dates as the beginning and the end to the crossing of the Pyrenees mountain range into the Iberian Peninsula, since the crossing over of such a formidable barrier by scores of thousands could not have possibly been done in a twenty-four hour time frame. Hydatius writes that upon entering of Hispania the barbarian peoples spent two years 409–410 in a frenzy, plundering food and goods from the cities and countryside causing a famine in the process that, according to Hydatius, forced cannibalism amongst the locals, “[driven] by hunger human beings devoured human flesh; mothers too feasted upon the bodies of their own children whom they had killed and cooked with their own hand. In 411 the various barbarian groups decided on the establishment of a peace and divided the provinces of Hispania among themselves sorte, “by lot”. Many scholars believe that the reference to “lot” may be to the sortes, “allotments,” which barbarian federates received by the Roman government, which suggests that the Suevi and the other invaders were under a treaty with Maximus’s government. There is, however, no concrete evidence of any treaties between the Roman’s and the barbarians. Hydatius never mentions any treaty, and states that the peace in 411 was brought about by the compassion of the Lord. The division of the land between the four barbarian groups went as such: the Siling Vandals settled in Hispania Baetica, the Alans were allotted the provinces of Lusitania and Hispania Carthaginensis, and the Hasding Vandals and the Suevi shared the far northwestern province of Galicia.
The division of Galicia between the Suevi and the Hasding Vandals placed the Suevi in the far northwestern corner of the province, which they took by force. They settled in the cities of Braga (which would become the Suevic capital until 439), Astorga, and Lugo, with no evidence suggesting that the Suevi inhabited any other cities residing in the province from 411–438. The relationship between the Galicians and the Suevi was an opportunistic one for the Suevi, who, under their king, Hermeric, would spend the next 27 years (411–438) plundering the Galicians of food and valuables.
Another Germanic group that accompanied the Suebi and settled in Galicia were the Buri. They settled in the region between the rivers Cávado and Homem, in the area known as Terras de Bouro (Lands of the Buri).
As the Suebi quickly adopted the local Hispano-Roman language, few traces were left of their Germanic tongue, but some examples in the Galician language and Portuguese language remained, like laverca in Portuguese and Galician (synonyms of cotovia – lark)
Hairstyle of a suebian woman.
Swebic kingdom
In 416, the Visigoths entered the Iberian Peninsula, sent from Gallia Aquitania by the Emperor of the West to fight off the barbarians from the 409 invasion. The Visigoths led by their king, Wallia, devastated both the Siling Vandals and Alans. By 418, both the Siling Vandals and Alans were practically exterminated, leaving the Hasding Vandals and the Suevi, who had remained undisturbed by Wallia’s campaign as the two remaining forces in the Iberian Peninsula. After the departure of Willia in 418 the Hasding Vandals and the Suevi seemed to have occupied themselves as they had done sense they began the sharing of Galicia, with the starting of a war in 419. In 420, however, the comes Hispaniarum Asterius attacked the Hasding Vandals, forcing them to break off their conflict with the Suevi, moving out of Galicia in pursuit of Asterius. In 429, the Hasding Vandals would leave to Africa and the Suevi would be the only barbarian entity on Hispania. King Hermeric would spend the remainder of his able years solidifying Suevic rule over the entire province of Galicia.
In 438, Hermeric became ill. Having annexed the entirety of Galicia, he made peace with the local Hispano-Roman population. Hermeric’s illness made him unable to rule, and in 438, his son Rechila became king. Rechila saw an opportunity for expansion and began pushing to other areas of the Iberian Peninsula. The same year, Rechila campaigned in Baetica. A year later, in 429, the Suevi invaded Lusitania and took Mérida, making it the new capital of the Suevi kingdom. Rechila would continue the expansion of the kingdom and by 441, the Suevi controlled Galicia, Baetica, Lusitania, and Carthaginensis. However, the Suevi conquest of Baetica and Carthaginensis was limited to raids, and Suevi presence, if any, was minute.
In 416, the Visigoths entered the Iberian Peninsula, sent from Gallia Aquitania by the Emperor of the West to fight off the barbarians from the 409 invasion. The Visigoths led by their king, Wallia, devastated both the Siling Vandals and Alans. By 418, both the Siling Vandals and Alans were practically exterminated, leaving the Hasding Vandals and the Suevi, who had remained undisturbed by Wallia’s campaign as the two remaining forces in the Iberian Peninsula. After the departure of Willia in 418 the Hasding Vandals and the Suevi seemed to have occupied themselves as they had done sense they began the sharing of Galicia, with the starting of a war in 419. In 420, however, the comes Hispaniarum Asterius attacked the Hasding Vandals, forcing them to break off their conflict with the Suevi, moving out of Galicia in pursuit of Asterius. In 429, the Hasding Vandals would leave to Africa and the Suevi would be the only barbarian entity on Hispania. King Hermeric would spend the remainder of his able years solidifying Suevic rule over the entire province of Galicia.
In 438, Hermeric became ill. Having annexed the entirety of Galicia, he made peace with the local Hispano-Roman population. Hermeric’s illness made him unable to rule, and in 438, his son Rechila became king. Rechila saw an opportunity for expansion and began pushing to other areas of the Iberian Peninsula. The same year, Rechila campaigned in Baetica. A year later, in 429, the Suevi invaded Lusitania and took Mérida, making it the new capital of the Suevi kingdom. Rechila would continue the expansion of the kingdom and by 441, the Suevi controlled Galicia, Baetica, Lusitania, and Carthaginensis. However, the Suevi conquest of Baetica and Carthaginensis was limited to raids, and Suevi presence, if any, was minute.
In 448, Rechila died, leaving the crown to his son, Rechiar. Rechiar would become the first Germanic king to become a Catholic Christian, as well as the first barbarian king to mint coins in his own name. Some believe minting the coins was a sign of Suevi autonomy, due to the use of minting in the late empire as a declaration of independence.[22] Rechiar would make a series of bold political moves throughout his reign. The first was his marriage to the daughter of the Gothic king Theodoric I in 448, in an attempt to improve the relationship between the two peoples. Rechiar would then go on to make a treaty with Rome in 452, which was renewing in 454. During the first seven years under Rechiar, the Sueves seem to have been content as major raids and conflicts were recorded during this time. In 455, Rechiar invaded Hispania Tarraconensis, which was the last portion of the Iberia still under Roman rule. The emperor, Avitus, would respond, sending Theodoric I to repel the invasion. In autumn of 456, Theodoric led an army of Goths into northern Hispania and marched on Galicia, and on 5 October, Theodoric defeated and captured Rechiar near the river Urbicus. After the execution of Rechiar, Theodoric continued his war on the Suevi and, in less than a year, the Goths had removed and occupied Lusitania, Baetica, Carthaginensis, and parts of southern Galicia, thus confining the Suevi back in the far northwestern corner of Galicia.[20][23]
When the Visigoths disposed of Rechiar, the royal bloodline of Hermeric vanished and the conventional mechanism for Suevi leadership died with it. In 456, Aioulf took over the leadership of the Sueves. The origins behind Aioulf’s ascension are not clear Hydatius wrote that Aioulf was a Goth deserter, while the historian Jordanes wrote that he was a Warni appointed by Theodoric to govern Galicia. In that same year, Hydatius stated that, in response to the situation, “the Sueves set up Maldras as their king.” This statement suggests that the Suevi as a people may have had a voice in the selection of a new ruler. The election of Maldras would lead to a schism among the Suevi, with some choosing to follow Framtane.
The Suevi would continue to be split, and from 460–464, neither Suevi faction appeared to have recognized a king. In 464, Remismund, an ambassador who traveled between Galicia and Gaul, became King of the Suevi. Remismund was able to unite the factions of the Suevi under his rule. He was also recognized, perhaps even approved of, by Theodoric, who sent him gifts and weapons along with a wife. Under the leadership of Remismund, the Suevi would again raid the surrounding country, plundering even the walled cities of Astorga, Lisbon, and Coimbra, which they did so twice, once in 465 and again in 468. After the death of Remismund in 469, and throughout the remainder of the 5th century, the Suevic Kingdom would continue to flounder as its neighbors continued to expand.
The Suebi remained mostly pagan and their subjects Priscillianist until an Arian missionary named Ajax, sent by the Visigothic king Theodoric II at the request of the Suebic unifier Remismund, converted them in 466 and established a lasting Arian church which dominated the people until their conversion to Catholicism in the 560s.
The Suebi remained mostly pagan and their subjects Priscillianist until an Arian missionary named Ajax, sent by the Visigothic king Theodoric II at the request of the Suebic unifier Remismund, converted them in 466 and established a lasting Arian church which dominated the people until their conversion to Catholicism in the 560s.
