Gothic revolt of Theodoric I

The cause of the uprising must be sought on the one hand in the settlement of the Goths in Gallia Aquitania close to the Gallic capital Arles by Constantius III and was intended to keep an eye on the senatorial nobility. On the other hand, the political situation of the empire underpinned the insurrection.

After the Goths campaigned in Spain for the Romans in the period 416-418 (Gothic war in Spain), they were assigned a settlement area by Emperor Honorius in 418 in the province of Gallia Aquitania with Toulouse as their capital.^[2][3] Main reason for the settlement was that Constantius III, the architect of the settlement treaty, considered the Gallic senatorial class a greater danger to imperial power in Ravenna than the Gothic presence. In the previous period he should have campaigned against a series of usurpers (including Constantine and Jovinus) who received much support from the Gallic elite. With the settlement of the Goths as potential forces close to the center of Gaul, he hoped to better control the senators. Nevertheless, with the establishment of the Goths, Constantius had created a new power group that sought more influence within late Roman Gaul. They Goths were part of the Roman state system, acted within that state system and tried to exert pressure and control as much as possible from within.^[4]

With the death of Constantius III in 421 and of Honorius in 423, the Western Roman Empire ended up in a new crisis that would have major consequences for the relationship between imperial power and the army. Because the emperor was still a child, the western part of the empire was governed by mother Galla Placidia who was strongly under the influence of her generals. The Eastern Emperor Theodosius II (her cousin) also exerted great influence on her policies. There were several candidates who went to the position of commander-in-chief, which initiated a development that is described as the 'semi-privatization' of the Roman army.^[5] That situation made it possible for Theodoric I, the leader of the Gothic foederati, to realize his plans for more power. He emerged as an ambitious prince who acted in the same line as his infamous predecessors. The first signs of this ambition could already be seen during the Spanish campaign of 422 in which the Goths participated.

History is extremely sparsely narrated about the course of Gothic-Roman relations in the period between 418 and 439. There are a number of events in which the Goths were involved, but cause and effect are missing. The little that has been written down is by Prosper and Hydatius. From 422, the Goths turn out to be disappointing allies, but their presence proved sufficient to keep the Gallic nobility calm. The Goths, on the other hand, needed a series of imperial expeditions to be restrained. In 425 they marched to Arles, but were stopped by Aetius.^[6]

The first years of Theoderics' semi-autonomous reign went smoothly. In 418 he succeeded his father as king of the Visigoths in Aquitaine, who had died shortly before. After years of leading a wandering existence, the Goths were finally able to settle down. Under Roman rule they enjoyed many advantages, in return the Goths had to provide military assistance. These peaceful years came to an end with the death of the Western Roman fellow emperors Constantius III in 421.

The policies of the Western Roman Emperor Honorius had always relied heavily on the work of his brother-in-law Constantius, who had been appointed co-emperor seven months earlier. The disappearance of this mainstay mainly caused unrest within the army, with which Theoderic could take advantage. Two important generals Castinus and Bonefatius went to the army's supreme command, thus providing difficulties.^[7] Gothic Foederati accompanied them in 422 during a campaign against the Vandals in Baetica in southern Spain. According to chronicler Hydatius, the Goths worked militarily against the Romans and is said they caused the defeat for the Romans.^[8] Some historians assume that Theoderic withheld Castinus from the support of the Visigothic auxiliary troops, as a result of which he suffered a heavy defeat in the battle of Tarraco in Baetica against Gunderic, the king of the Vandals who thus became the undisputed masters of Hispania.^[9] Probably Theodoric worked together with Boniface.