Information related to Military Matters in the Visigothic Kingdom. Some Initial Considerations

RUCHESI, FERNANDO

Visigothic Symposia

Networks and Neighbours

Lugar: Leeds; Año: 2018 p. 72 - 87

Battles, as well as the information related to military matters, were always an important part of the Visigothic history. Such information was transmitted among different political circles, thus, there existed different interpretations of the most important events in the history of the Visigoths. For example, the majority of the contemporary and non-contemporary sources of the period describe the Battle of Vouillé and its consequences as a catastrophic event for the kingdom of the Visigoths. The negative portrayal of the episode is magnified by two events that are present in most of the sources: the death of King Alaric II, and the theft of the royal Visigothic treasure. The aim of this essay is to analyse the manner in which narrative sources composed in Hispania, as well as sources written outside the Regnum (particularly Frankish) describe warfare and military events related to the Visigoths during VI and VII Centuries. In addition, I will focus on the intentions (political, ideological, and cultural) behind these fragments of military information, and how they were used to foster social cohesion within the Visigothic Kingdom.