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EAGLES AND HAWKS


Many precise elements, mainly names, or the role of people quoted, are from christian chronicles, written at least 50 years later, or muslims historians, who wrote 100 years after that. The same person had many aspects, some different and that contradicted one another. To insure a minimum of coherence in this timeline, I had to choose arbitrarily these aspects or keep a blur for certain events.



This timeline was written before as "Lex Visigothorum" but some issues appeared : bad english, lack of precision, lack of realism. They're not solved, but i think it's an improvment here.



It's quite possible that the psychology of the characters doesn't match the reality, that events or battle are bad described of highly implausible. Please forgive me if my TL goes rubbish, i'm just fond of this era, and not a specialist.



I want to thanks a lot MNP for beta-reading and correcting
709 – 711
The last years of the Visigothic Kingdom

In 709, Hroderic, duke of Betica, was elected king by the visigothic nobles of Hispania and likely some bishops, church being in conflict with the previous king, Vitiza. He appears to have been dispossessed and killed by his successor, who usurped the right to the throne of ones of ones of the dead's relative, Agila.

Assured of his right to the throne and with the support of a traditionally rebellious nobility in North-East and nobles of Hispania hostile to Hroderic, Agila crowned himself and became the usurper's rival. However, his authority was recognized only in the provinces of Septimania (where he placed his court, in Narbona, which became capital anew) and in Tarraconensis, whereas Hroderic, loosing most of Betica, ensured his authority in Lusitania, in Asturias, and probably in Galicia, and in Cartaginensis around Toletum.

The nobles, already semi-independents, of the south-eastern peninsula, might have been supporting one of the two rivals, but they worried more about their own problems and minded their own business, There is the exception of the dukes, such as the vitizean, count in Septa, who lived too far from their suzerains to help them efficiently.

Although Church played a role in this civil war, supporting one rival or the other, the bishops of Hispania sensed the dangers of a new crisis, when in North, vascons became more rebellious, the frankish threat was still present, and, in South, islamic victories provided opportunities for the apparition of raids in Betica.

In 710, for the first time since the establishment of visigoths in Hispania, council was convened by the sole authority of the church in Toletum. Although the king (or the one who could assume this title) always presided it, in a formal way and participating to the decisions, always according to his interests. This XIX council of Toletum was presided by the Archbishop of the city.

Despite this particularity, Hroderic and Agila were talked into a truce, swearing on holy relics that no fight will oppose them anymore, and that one's adversary would become one for the other, although until this point, they were few fights which were mainly due to the threats mentioned above.

Even if Hroderic and Agila kept their royal titles, they decided to formalize the divide of the kingdom. Hroderic, "Lord in West" see his authority, although passably illegitimate, recognized. The territories of Agila, "Lord in East", corresponded to the ones of past rebellions, sometimes secessionists, but neither his title nor the unity of his kingdom were disputed.

This unity of a kingdom with two kings, is very close to the Regnum Francorum, confederation between two, three, maybe four frankish kings (engaged in perpetual and fratricidal wars), but it seems likely that the council wanted to avoid the question of legitimacy, until a future event that would be able tip the scale.

But if Hroderic and Agila have agreed to a truce, many nobles deemed themselves injured, mainly in vitizean faction, weakened by the departure of a great part of north-eastern nobility, that were satisfied of this statu-quo.

Oppa, brother or half-brother of king Vitiza, was supported by the ones who have been disappointed by Agila reversal, in large numbers in Cartaginensis and Betica. Although, Oppa, bishop of Hispalis, didn't seem to have been an opposition during the council (unless he didn't come by lack of will or because he was not invited, that seems very doubtful, of his proximity with the throne.)

On the other side of Pillars of Hercules, the Caliphate sees his territory growing, at the loss of the last byzantine enclaves, and Tingis/Tanja is taken in 710 by Tariq-ibn-Ziyad, recently converted.

This conquests cause raids in Betica to happen, the most remarkable of which is that of Tarif-ibn-Malluk, berber leader who, with 500 men, penetrates in the peninsula, enough to scout and have concrete contacts with vitizeans, likely with Julianus.

The ease of this raid and the little case of it made by visigoths (it is true that the raid took place in a territory that was avoiding central authority) was decisive to the future events.

The visigothic nobles hostile both to Hroderic and Agila (including Julianus, likely Oppa, maybe Theudimir) hope a future support from Ifryqya's governor, Musa-ibn-Nusaïr, to fight theirs adversaries.

The long awaited occasion took place in 711, when Hroderic went to Cantabria, to stop a vascon raid. Thanks to the support of visigothic nobles around Iberic Sea, an arabo-beber fleet, with 7000 men, crossed the sea and Tariq to arrive under the Calpe Mount.

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