THE IMPOSITION OF UNITY 39real one. Certainly the Visigoths had twice been prevented from
invading the African provinces in the fifth century, in 410 and 418.
Now, with the Vandal kingdom removed and the Byzantine forces
deeply embroiled in conflict with the Berbers, renewed Visigothic
ambitions in that direction presented a serious threat. Whether the
Visigoths were still capable of and willing to uproot themselves from
Spain to move into Africa is more problematic, but from their point
of view Byzantine concern was justified. So they took the opportunity
of establishing a military presence along the coast from which previ-
ous invasions of Africa had come. Their principal strongholds were
Medina Sidonia, Malaga and Cartagena, the last of which was the seat
of the governor and the probable site of a small mint that operated
in the early seventh centuryP
With the removal of Agila, the way was opened for a general
acceptance of Athanagild (551/554-568) as king by the Visigoths.
His reign is perhaps more significant than our sources may care to let
us believe. He is generally credited with the responsibility for inviting
the Byzantines into the peninsula, on the explicit testimony of Isidore
in his History of the Goths, written in the mid 620s. However, it is
interesting to note that in both of the emperor justinian's other
western interventions, Africa in 533 and Italy in 535, he came in
ostensibly to uphold the rights of legitimate monarchs against usurp-
ers. Now the account of the Gothic historianJordanes, probably writing
in Constantinople in 551, the year of the despatch of the expedition
to Spain, suggests that this was what Justinian was doing again, and
that it was the legitimately elected ruler Agila he was aiding against
the rebel Athanagild.^18 Conceivably Jordanes is merely repeating the
distorted version of imperial propaganda, but it is equally possible
that Isidore's later account reflects the hostility towards the dynasty of
Athanagild felt by subsequent Visigothic rulers. However, whether or
not Athanagild was responsible for the summoning of the Byzantines,
he ·,.as the first Visigothic ruler to take the offensive against them. He
was also involved in diplomatic relations with the Franks. His two
daughters, Brunechildis and Galswintha, were married to Sigebert of
Austrasia (561-575) and Chilperic of Neustria (561-584) respectively.
The subsequent murder of Galswintha by her husband initiated a
great blood feud in the Merovingian dynasty that lasted for three
generations and claimed at least ten royallives.^19 Brunechildis played
an important role in Frankish politics throughout her life in Gaul,
and was probably the dominant figure for much of the years