Athanaric

Athanaric (318-381) was a judge of the Tervingians and other confederate tribes, considered by the Visigoths as their founding king.

Biography

Atanaric was the son of Aorico. He supported the usurper Procopius against the emperor Valens, despite the Gothic defeats and the devastation in the Gothic territory, the emperor was under pressure from the Persians, and both agreed to peace in 369 whereby the Thervingians stopped paying tribute to the Romans.

The judge's mandate was limited in time and had to be renewed periodically from 365. Athanaric's mandate threatened both the Tervingian aristocracy and the Romans, and it turned out that Fritigernos became his rival, and became a Christian Arianic to gain the support of Valens. Many Thervingians had converted to Arianism during the 3rd and 4th centuries, but Athanaric continued to maintain the old pagan religion of the Germans because he felt that Christianity would undermine Gothic traditions.

With the invasion of the Huns, the defensive measures taken by Athanaric proved ineffective against the Huns and the Tervingian judge was defeated in 376, which led to the devastation of the territory and ended with the institution of the Tervingian judge. Most of the Tervingi defected from Athanaric and led by Fritigerno and Alavivo were admitted by Valens into the Empire, but Alavivo is mentioned as the leader of the Tervingi ahead of Fritigerno, possibly because he would have the highest aristocratic position. who remained faithful to Athanaric took refuge in the Carpathians.

Due to a conspiracy instigated by Fritigernos, Athanaric was driven from his refuge and submitted to the emperor. He was received by Emperor Theodosius I himself shortly before he died on January 25, 381. He had a younger brother named Rocestes.