Ataulf (c.45; r.411-415), King of the Visigoths
Just before Rome fell in 410, Aelia Galla Placidia (62; fl.394-450), daughter of Theodosius-I, had been captured by Alaric and she had travelled with Visigoths in their move to Gaul in 412. Now, through Constantius, Honorius made an arrangement with Ataulf that for the return of Placidia the Visigoths would receive federal status, land in Gaul, and a large supply of grain to alleviate the Visigoths’ shortage of food.
An insurrection in North Africa cutting off Italy’s grain supply meant that Constantius could not quite fulfil this last promise and with winter approaching Ataulf led his people south to the coast. He surrounded the walled city of Massilia (=Marseille), hoping someone would treacherously open the gate, but as he approached he was struck by a javelin allegedly thrown by a general named Bonifacius (fl.413-432).
When he recovered, Ataulf headed west to another coastal town, Narbo Martius (=Narbonne), which he took without a fight, and followed this with the capture of the interior cities of Tolosa (=Toulouse) and Burdigala (=Bordeaux). He was now well placed to sit out a mild winter in southern Gaul, while controlling sea routes in the Mediterranean.
In January 414, Ataulf married Placidia. Constantius was furious, probably because he had intended to marry Placidia himself, and began to take measures against the Visigoths. He set up his headquarters in Arelate, from where he could guard the passes back into Italy, and blockaded Narbonne with his fleet. Frustrated, Ataulf raised Priscus Attalus to augustus once again, but this was only a token gesture since Attalus no longer had any support in Italy. Short of food once more, Ataulf had to move his people again and he looked southwestwards to Spain. Attalus tried to escape in a ship, but he was captured and held until 416 when Honorius sent him into exile on the island of Lipari.
Hispania
As all the barbarians eventually discovered, a life of plundering lasted only until the local land could no longer support the tribe and it had to move on. Once in Hispania the barbarians divided the land between them and settled down.
The southern province of Hispania Baetica was taken the Silingi Vandals (411-418); the southwestern province of Hispania Lusitania and the southeastern province of Hispania Carthaginensis were taken by the Alani (411-418); and the northwest province of Hispania Gallaecia (≈Galicia) was shared by the Asdingi Vandals in the north (411-420) and the Suebi to the south (411-585).
In 419 in Gallaecia the Vandal chief Gunderic (49; r.407-428), needing extra territory to accommodate his newly acquired people, expanded to the south and then blocked the Suebi and their king Hermeric (r.419-438; d.441) at the Battle of the Nervasos Mountains (exact location unknown).
In 420 the comes Hispaniarum Asterius (fl.420-422) was sent with a Roman Army to put down the second uprising of Maximus of Hispania to and confront Gunderic. The Vandals retreated northwards towards Bracara Augusta (=Braga). Asterius’ vicarius (deputy) Maurocellus intercepted and killed some of them, after which the Vandals left Gallaecia and went in search of a new settlement in Hispania Baetica.
In 422 the magister militum 56Flavius Castinus (fl.422-424) was sent to attack the Vandals in Baetica. The Roman general Bonifacius (fl.413-432) was supposed to have joined the expedition, but a quarrel between the two men caused Bonifacius to go to Africa instead. Castinus’ campaign was at first a great success, but when his Gothic auxiliaries deserted in an open battle he was defeated and forced to flee to Tarraco (=Tarragona) on the northeast coast.
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