Walia

Walia or Wallia (?-418), ('chosen' or 'chosen', Gothic waljan 'choose, choose'), was king of the Visigoths between 415 and 418, acquiring a reputation as a brave warrior and prudent ruler. Of the Baltinga dynasty, son of Athanaric, and brother of Ataúlfo (according to Baronio, he was a son, but it is known that all of Ataúlfo's sons were young and all were killed by Sigerico), he was elected to the throne after his and of his successor Sigerico.

Access to the throne

After the assassination of Ataúlf in 415, a fight for the throne broke out between Sigeric and Walia. At first Sigerico came to power, who in his seven days in government gave unequivocal evidence of his intentions: he ordered the killing of Ataúlfo's six children, to avoid future descendants, and mercilessly attacked Gala Placidia, Ataúlfo's widow. This situation caused great discomfort among Walia's supporters, who assassinated Sigerico on the seventh day of his reign.

Reign

He tried to establish himself in North Africa but a storm ruined his expectations, and lacking food he signed peace with the Roman emperor Honorius and a treaty (foedus) with which Walia became He promised to hand over Gala Placidia (Honorio's sister kidnapped by Alaric I and who had been Ataúlfo's wife) and to expel from the Iberian Peninsula the barbarian peoples who had penetrated in the year 409.

For his part, the Emperor Honorius would deliver 600,000 modios of wheat to the Visigoths. In just over two years, the Visigoths annihilated the Silingo Vandals who were settled in Baetica and practically all the Alans of Lusitania. Of the four barbarian towns (Asdingo Vandals, Silingo Vandals, Swabians and Alans) that settled on the Peninsula, only two remained, but when it seemed that they would also be crushed by Walia, Honorio decided to change his plan and handed over Aquitaine to the Visigoths so that they settled there. He then set the capital of the Visigothic kingdom in Tolosa (the current city of Toulouse, in France).

He married a daughter of Ricomero, king of the Franks, and his wife Ascyla. His daughter married Requila, king of the Suevi, and together with him she was the mother of Ricimero.

He was succeeded by Theodoric I, son-in-law of Alaric I.