Hermenegildvs Rex: Prince, Usurper, and Martyr

Hermenegild’s rebellion and conversion remain highly debated, seen either as ambition or defence of true faith. This study examines its causes, consequences, and role in unifying Goths and Romans, laying groundwork for Reccared’s Catholic conversion and sacralising Visigothic kingship.

The rebellion of Hermenegild and his conversion form one of the most controversial and darkest episodes in the history of Spain. Even at the time, this event was the subject of widely differing interpretations which influenced subsequent versions. Today, there is still no consensus among researchers on the real reasons for the crisis that finally led to civil war between Leovigild and his son. However, from the outset, the issue was polarised between those who saw it as a simple usurpation motivated by ambition for the crown and those who considered the rebellion as a legitimate defence of the true faith. Beyond the controversy, the crisis caused by the prince’s royal anointing was a decisive episode in the historical development of the kingdom of Toledo, preparing the ground for the conversion of Reccared to Catholicism and accelerating the unification of Arians and Catholics, Goths and Romans. This study aims to provide a coherent response to the main questions raised by this important historical episode (the nature of the rebellion, the true motivations and reactions, personal responsibilities, political and religious consequences, etc.), as well as highlighting the importance of Hermenegild’s conversion in relation to the subsequent sacralisation of the Visigothic royal institution.

Evocation of St Hermenegild: a Silenced History, a Pending Claim Lights and Shadows around Hermenegild's Rebellion Hermenegild and the Ordinatio Principis in Visigothic Spain Conclusions: Hermenegild, King David and the Sacralisation of Gothic Royalty Annex 1. On the Location of the Monastery of Biclaro Annex 2. An image of St Hermenegild from the Visigothic Period? Two Rectifications and a New Reading of a Relief from the Lapidary Museum of Narbonne (or To Err is Human) Bibliography,

Evocation of St Hermenegild: a Silenced History, a Pending Claim

Lights and Shadows around Hermenegild’s Rebellion

Hermenegild and the Ordinatio Principis in Visigothic Spain

Conclusions: Hermenegild, King David and the Sacralisation of Gothic Royalty

Annex 1. On the Location of the Monastery of Biclaro

Annex 2. An image of St Hermenegild from the Visigothic Period? Two Rectifications and a New Reading of a Relief from the Lapidary Museum of Narbonne (or To Err is Human)

Bibliography

Rafael Barroso Cabrera holds a master’s degree in Prehistory and Archaeology from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. He specialises in the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo, to which he has dedicated much of his research and numerous publications. Within this framework, the author has participated in various research projects, with noteworthy contributions to the study of Visigothic art and collaborations in the research projects Sedes Regia Toletana. Jorge Morin de Pablos holds a PhD in Archaeology from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and is director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Resources of AUDEMA (Madrid). He has directed numerous archaeological excavations at various sites in Spain and abroad, with a particular focus on Late Antique sites in central Spain. His notable contributions to the archaeological knowledge of Toledo and its surroundings are highlighted through the Sedes Regia Toletana project of the Real Fundacion Toledo. He is currently the director of the excavations at the archaeological site of Los Hitos (Arisgotas, Toledo). Isabel Sanchez Ramos is a Lecturer in Archaeology at the Pablo de Olavide University of Seville. Her main scientific interests are phenomena related to urban societies undergoing transformation between the Roman period and the Early Middle Ages in the Western Mediterranean, the spaces and architectures of power linked to elites, and their impact on the evolution of urban landscapes. Likewise, the royal seat of Toledo and the palatine architectures linked to Hispanic aristocracies are also among her main lines of research. Between 2012 and 2019, she was director and principal investigator of the IDAVE (Idanha-a-Velha) Project.

• By (author) Rafael Barroso Cabrera
• By (author) Jorge Morín de Pablos
• By (author) Isabel Sánchez Ramos
• Translated by Ricardo López Fernebrand