King Erwig

Visigothic King Wamba ruled from 672 to 680, when something happened to him. There are different stories about how he ended his reign. The main one is that he fell ill, took up monastic vows to save his soul while on his supposed deathbed, then recovered, but could not renounce the vows and had to abdicate.

Two centuries later a history says he was poisoned, but had to step down after recovering. Another version is that he slept (possibly being given a sleeping potion), whereupon Erwig shaved his head. A shaved head meant he was not allowed to rule, but he was glad to step away from the responsibility and join a monastery, where he lived until he died in 687. It was said that he named Erwig as his successor.

The abdication took place on 14 October. His successor, Erwig, was anointed king on 31 October—rather quickly.

A few months later, Erwig opened the Twelfth Council of Toledo. The Council confirmed that the abdication of Jamba and succession of earwig were legitimate, but historians think the speed with which earwig was anointed suggest there was a plan all along to replace Wamba. A later story suggests that Julian of Toledo, a monk who was (suspiciously) named Primate of the Visigothic Church by Erwig, was involved in administering whatever was given to Wamba to incapacitate him..

Erwig had married the daughter of an earlier Visigothic king, but his appointment was viewed with suspicion by the nobles. A Thirteenth Council of Toledo in 683 and a Fourteenth Council in 684 were called to (among other things), confirm Erwig's legitimacy and to pass laws to protect him and his queen and family.

The Twelfth Council also eliminated Wamba's attempt to create a diocese whose bishop would be episcopus sub regula, "a bishop under a rule" who would not have the secular power of typical bishops.

Something held in common by Erwig and Wamba and the Twelfth Council of Toledo was their hatred of the Jews. We will examine that tomorrow.