Liuva I

Liuva I (Gothic: Liuba; d. 572) was king of the Visigoths (568–572), as successor of Atanagild.

Family

Son of Liuverico, count in 523 and 526. He considered that his brother Leovigildo was the most suitable person to reign, he shared the throne with him, moving to Septimania to prevent the advance of the Franks.

Choice

After a period of discussion among the nobility, probably already in the same year of Atanagildo's death (568) King Liuva was proclaimed, who was surely the duke (dux) of Gallia Narbonensis.

The Franks

The bad situation of the Visigothic kingdom must have been taken advantage of by the Franks, whose kings Sigebert I and Gontrán I approached Arles probably in 569. Gontrán besieged the square and after a victorious battle took it.

Return to Septimania

Liuva I associated his brother Leovigildo to the throne. It seems that then Liuva decided to personally control the border of Septimania, in order to avoid further losses, and reserved this province for himself. Perhaps also the part of Tarraconense under Visigothic rule, entrusting the government of the other provinces (part of Cartaginense, Lusitania and part of Baetica) to his brother Leovigildo, probably in 569, shortly after the events from Arles.

With this decision on the part of Liuva, the tendency of the previous Gothic kings was broken, who, as soon as they came to power, always tried to establish themselves in it. His mission in the north of the kingdom was to stop the Frankish incursions, which with the presence of Liuva in the area did not organize any more attempts to conquer Septimania, leaving Leovigildo pending the Byzantines who had possessions in the south and east of Hispania and threatened to try to conquer new territories. Liuva, with his decision to divide power, laid the foundations for an economic recovery of the Gothic kingdom, as well as preparing Leovigildo for his future reign alone.

Liuva probably died in 572, leaving his brother Leovigild as sole king.