Rodrigo

Roderico or Rodrigo (Gothic: Hroþareiks, Latin: Rodericus and Arabic: لذريق‎, Ludharīq; 688-711), named in numerous classical sources as Don Rodrigo, was king Visigoth between the years 710 and 711. He came to the throne violently, which caused the secession of part of the kingdom. He was defeated by the Muslims at the battle of Guadalete, due to a betrayal between the king's own Visigothic opponents.^{[citation needed ]}

Sources

The Mozarabic Chronicle of 754 offers few data on the events that occurred immediately after the reign of Witiza. It indicates that Rodrigo seized the throne and that he reigned for a year. He adds that there was a civil war before the Arab invasion and that he was betrayed by some of his troops. However, he does not mention Agila II, nor that Witiza's supporters carried out the betrayal, nor that there was a request for help to dethrone Rodrigo.

The Chronica regum Visigothorum records the names of the Visigothic kings and the years of their reigns. After the enthronement of Ervigio, the manuscripts differ in the continuation of the following kings.

The Continuatio codicis C Parisini, which appears in a manuscript from the 12th century, does not he mentions Rodrigo and indicates that Agila succeeded Witiza and after three years Ardo succeeded him. But the Continuatio Legionensis, which appears in a manuscript from the XI century, indicates that Witiza was Rodrigo succeeded, who reigned for seven years and six months. However, it is not known when they were first compiled, and since they assign different reign lengths to Ervigio's successors, it is possible that there may have been misprints. transcription. But ultimately it is implied that Witiza was succeeded by two kings who controlled different parts of the kingdom.

Don Rodrigo, King of the Visigoths (Museo del Prado, Madrid)

As for the Arab chronicles, the first version of the conquest of Hispania comes from around 860. In the work of Ibn Abd al-Hakam it is related that the lord of Ceuta, eager to take revenge on Rodrigo, offered to transport Tariq ibn Ziyad to the Iberian Peninsula. The Visigothic king went to stop his advance, but was defeated and Rodrigo was killed. The rest of the Arab chronicles share this vision: the role of the lord of Ceuta and the defeat of Rodrigo in a battle. For their part, the Asturian Chronicles —the Crónica albeldense and the Crónica de Alfonso III— presented the kingdom of Asturias as continuation of the Visigothic kingdom of Rodrigo and blamed the Arab conquest on the Witizians, to whom he assigns the conspiracy for which they called the Arabs. The Chronicle of Alfonso III dates from the IX. The Rotense version indicates that Rodrigo was the grandson of Chindasvinto and son of Teodofredo, who had been assassinated by Égica to prevent him from being a rival to the throne. In addition, it indicates without further details that Rodrigo succeeded Witiza and in the third year of his reign he was defeated by the Arabs and the betrayal of the sons of Witiza. The Sebastianense version adds that the sons of Witiza asked the Arabs for help to expel Rodrigo from the throne, but that they perished with Rodrigo. Since the Chronicle of Alfonso III indicates that Witiza was the son of Egica and Cixilo, at the time that the one who ceased to reign would be about twenty-five years old and, therefore, his offspring would not be old enough at that time to betray anyone, with which the chronicle apparently it contradicts itself. However, it is possible that she was not referring to the children themselves, but to the relatives or allies who guarded them.

Neither in the Mozarabic Chronicle nor in the later ones is there mention of Agila II, nor in the Arab chronicles. The situation arises that the chronicles written in the area of influence of Agila II were unaware of Rodrigo's existence until after the middle of the XIII century, when the work of Bishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada was translated. However, there has been a methodology that has tried to adjust the name of Agila with one of the characters in the Chronicles whose name is not given, as a possible son of Witiza, whose name does not appear in the Asturian chronicles, or as a relative of Witiza who was associated with the throne in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The Asturian chronicles, given their conception that Rodrigo had been the last Visigothic king and that the kingdom of Asturias identified himself as his successor, they do not recognize Agila, who reigned for two more years in part of the territory, and they added those years to Rodrigo's reign, so that the latter would have reigned for three years.

Succession of Witiza

There is no record of his death or the circumstances of Witiza's succession, although it can be deduced that it was not peaceful. According to the Chronica Regum Visigothorum, Witiza's reign ended in 710, while the Mozarabic Chronicle places it in 711. It is generally accepted that Witiza's reign ended with his death, even though it is not yet He would have been thirty years old, around his twenty-five years of age, according to whether it is considered that he was the son of Queen Cixilo; although if it is considered that Witiza was not the son of Cixilo, but of a previous marriage of Égica, then he would have been of a relatively advanced age.

The Mozarabic Chronicle seems to indicate that the next king, Rodrigo, seized the throne violently with the support of a significant part of the aristocracy that made up the secular and ecclesiastical elite of the kingdom that intervened in the election of the king. In this way Witiza would have been overthrown and most likely assassinated. If he had died of natural causes and Rodrigo had been elected, then the conflictive situation would not have occurred. Although it could have been the case that Witiza died of natural causes and that Rodrigo would have risen up to prevent Witiza's relatives from designating one of their members to the throne. It has been supposed that there could have been an interregnum of several weeks or months during which a state of war would have existed between Rodrigo and other claimants. to the throne.

However, the truth (according to the sources) is that this coup d'état weakened the consensus among the aristocracy, and that Rodrigo's accession to the throne produced internal conflicts that occurred at the time when the Arabs had begun to attack populations in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. The noble elite would have been divided and as it already happened with the succession of Chindasvinto in 653 and Recesvinto in 672, there was a regional rebellion of territories that did not recognize Rodrigo's authority, so it is possible that Rodrigo would have had to face the division of the kingdom with Agila II in the northeast, since the coins minted in the name of Agila come from the northeast of the kingdom - from Narbonense and Tarraconense - without there being a geographical overlap with the coins minted in the name of Rodrigo.

Muslim conquest

King Don Rodrigo sanding his troops in the battle of GuadaleteBernardo Blanco, 1871 (Museo del Prado, Madrid).

Cover The Chronicle of King Don Rodrigowhich gathers the traditions over the last Visigoth king and the loss of Spain.

There are Arab sources that indicate that Rodrigo was campaigning against the Basques at the time of the Arab landing commanded by Táriq ibn Ziyad. It is feasible if a prestigious expedition is considered to consolidate his power in a reign that has just begun. However, the Chronicle of 754 does not indicate that there was any military expedition, and therefore the army was summoned to face the Arabs. Arab sources create exaggerated figures to magnify the Arab victory, but an approximate figure may be a figure somewhat larger than the army summoned by Wamba to subdue Count Paulo, from 12,000 to 14,000 Visigoths against 10,000 Arabs.

While the Arab chronicles speak of the existence of a single Arab raid, the Mozarabic Chronicle of 754 indicates that the Arabs were making a series of raids when Rodrigo went on the offensive to confront them. The situation of the battle is unclear., Isla Frez indicates that the Visigothic army followed the route from Córdoba to the bay of Algeciras, which marginalized Seville, where the Chronicle of Abu Bakr Ibn Umar Al-Qutiyya indicates that there were relatives of Witiza, and where Rodrigo would not expect to find support.

The result was the complete debacle of the Visigothic army and the death of the monarch himself. It can be seen that the outcome of that battle was decided by a betrayal, of which he does not give any name, which produced a desertion in the ranks Visigoths. The betrayal of the king not only appears in the Mozarabic Chronicle, but also in the Arab ones, which can be corroborated in the sense that Rodrigo would not have decided to give battle to the Arabs if he had not had a numerical and logistical advantage, hence, the final result would have been the result of a betrayal. However, given that Rodrigo had acceded to the throne in a conflictive way against Witizano interests and had not yet asserted his authority, and that in the Visigothic army there would be noble clienteles affected by Witiza's family, they would have abandoned the king at the very moment of the battle, which would have sentenced the final disaster. The intention of the traitors would be for the king to be eliminated or greatly weakened, so so that they could seize power, and therefore it was not to hand over the kingdom to the invaders, but to obtain the change of the king.

But their plan did not go as expected and they perished in the same battle, or shortly after in other episodes such as the taking of Toledo; which points to the lack of prior agreements and would deny the accusations of the Asturian chronicles that established that the Arabs were claimed by the witizanos. Accusations that would have come from the rapprochement between the Arabs and witizanos after the conquest, in which the latter would have wanted to ensure the maintenance of their political and economic position.

A second attempt by the Visigothic army to stop the Muslims occurred in Écija soon after, with a new defeat, which annulled all Visigothic resistance. The Mozarabic Chronicle may suggest that the defeat of King Rodrigo sparked a war civil in the Visigoths, and that Rodrigo would have lost control of Toledo by Oppas, the son of Egica, who, according to Roger Collins, could have been crowned king at the time Rodrigo went to stop the Arabs or later of having been defeated by them. However, the expulsion of Oppas from Toledo by the high aristocracy in favor of Rodrigo that remained there, would record the lack of support that the witizana faction would have for such an attempt.

The death of the king and the court elite, both supporters and opponents of Rodrigo, as well as the capital paralyzed the political system, and the regional nobility submitted to the invaders negotiating the preservation of their political and economic status., the elimination of a significant part of the Visigothic aristocracy facilitated mixed marriages with the invaders, such as that of the widowed queen Egilona with Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa, vali of Al-Andalus.

Narratives and legends

There are much later narrations originating in Egypt from an unreliable oral tradition, which link Don Rodrigo with the count of Ceuta, Don Julián, who sent his daughter Florinda la Cava to the court of Toledo to be educated, and also with the idea that it was a good place to find a husband among the children of other nobles.

At that time, the Visigothic king Don Rodrigo suffered from scabies and Florinda was chosen to clean the scabies with a delicate gold pin. This is how King Don Rodrigo began to notice her, wanting to possess her, but not in marriage. With time and guided by lust, he forced the young woman. She, after the consummation of the act, sends her father a series of gifts among which she lays a rotten egg. Don Julián, receiving it, understood what had happened. He went to Toledo to claim his daughter, although in order not to arouse suspicion, he says that he should take Florinda with him, since her wife was terribly ill and only the sight of her daughter could make him recover something. her health. Don Rodrigo does not distrust and gives the girl to her father. Don Julián returned to Ceuta and, more offended than ever, entered into talks with Musa ibn Nusair to disembark in the Iberian Peninsula and dethrone Rodrigo.

King Don Rodrigo spying from the bushes on the left to Florinda la Cava bathing, daughter of Count Don Julián. Painting Florinda (1853) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter

Another version, referring to what both the legend and the Ballads relate, Florinda la Cava was a young woman of great beauty who was sent by her father, count of the city of Ceuta (at that time called Septem), to the Visigothic court, in Toledo, in order to receive a good education. At that time, it should be remembered that Visigothic Spain was ruled by Rodrigo, the last Visigothic king, who was reputed to be a womanizing king. At court, Florinda met Rodrigo, who instantly fell in love with her beauty and began courting her.

"La Cava, called like that by the Arabs and whose name means "bad woman", had gone out with her maids through the gardens of her residence and decided to take a bath without noticing that Don Rodrigo was watching her. The vision of the beautiful young woman "burned" the monarch who, obsessed with the girl, would end up forcing her. «Florinda lost her flower, the king suffered punishment», says the Spanish Ballads, which attributes the subsequent disaster in the battle of Guadalete and the end of the Visigothic kingdom to this outrage: «From the loss of Spain / here was a disastrous beginning».& #3. 4;

"“She says there was strength; / him, what a shared pleasure”, says the Romancero without clarifying whether or not there was rape, something that is indicated in other chronicles, such as in The true story of King Don Rodrigo (1589), by Miguel de Luna. Other versions affirm, instead, that it was the young woman who seduced Don Rodrigo and that he managed to "lay down with her" under the promise of marriage, but he did not fulfill his promise.

Anyway, Florinda, far from wanting to be with the king, rejected him. The enraged and raging king kidnapped Florinda and forced her to have sex. Florinda reported everything that had happened to her father, who decided to take revenge on Rodrigo. Don Julián met with the Muslims ("Don Julián is in Ceuta, / in Ceuta the well-named one, / who through the streets of Allende, / comes to bring the embassy") providing them with the necessary boats to access the Iberian peninsula through Ceuta. This set of "loves, hates and revenge" It was the legendary origin of the Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. The troops of Táriq ibn Ziyad, the Muslim general of Muza, defeated the hosts of Don Rodrigo in the momentous battle of Guadalete in the summer of 711. Defeat is sung in a famous romance: "Don Rodrigo's troops / fainted and fled / when in the eighth battle / his enemies were victorious..." The end of the last Visigothic king is controversial and legendary. A tradition to be confirmed ensures that his remains were transferred to the church of San Miguel de Fetal, in Viseo (Portugal), where a tombstone with an inscription that the knight Fuas Roupinho already spoke of in the XII: “Hic iacet Rudoricus, ultimus Rex gothorum”.

A legend, transmitted by Ibn al-Qutiyya in his History of the Conquest of al-Andalus tells that a king of Spain built a tower in Toledo in which he locked up a secret with a padlock and he imposed on his successors the obligation to add one more padlock. King Rodrigo, determined to find out the secret, had the chamber opened and in it were painted on the walls figures of Arab knights, in the middle of the room there was a richly carved table on which it was engraved that it was King Solomon's table., and on the table was a chest with a scroll that said: «If this chamber is violated and the enchantment contained in this chest is broken, the people painted on these walls will invade Spain, overthrow their kings and subdue all the world. country".

In art and literature

The Scottish writer Walter Scott and the English Walter Savage Landor and Robert Southey, based on the legends associated with the character, wrote various works: Scott, his poem The Vision of Don Rodrigo, in 1811; Landor, the tragedy of he Count Julian , in 1812; and Southey, Rodrigo, the Last of the Goths, in 1814.

The American writer Washington Irving, during his stay in Spain, referred to Don Rodrigo again in his Moorish Chronicles: Legends of the Conquest of Spain (1835): "The legend of Don Rodrigo", "The legend of the subjugation of Spain" and "The legend of Count Julián and his family".

Don Rodrigo has also given title to several operas among which stand out: Rodrigo by Georg Friedrich Händel (1707), El Rodrigo by Manuel de Sumaya (1708) (lost, the first opera in Mexico), and Don Rodrigo by Alberto Ginastera.