Ergica

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Ergica or Egica (c.610–701) was a king of the Visigoths of Hispania who ruled from 687 until his death. He was married to Cixillo, the daughter of King Erwig, who preceded him on the throne.

Upon Ergica's marriage to Cixillo, Erwig made him swear an oath to protect Erwig's children. Before his death Erwig required a second oath to not deny justice to the people. Shortly after taking the throne, Ergica called the Fifteenth Council of Toledo at which he claimed the two oaths were contradictory and asked the council of bishops to release him from one or the other. When the council only partially rescinded the oath to protect the Erwig's children, Ergica called a second council of provincial bishops, which resulted in Erwig's widow, Liuvigoto, being sent to a convent.

In 691, Ergica oversaw the beginning of the building of the Church of San Pedro de la Nave in Zamara.

In 693, the Metropolitan of Toledo, Sisebert, led a rebellion against Ergica in favor of a man named Suniefred and coins were minted in the potential usurper's name. The rebellion failed and Sisebert was defrocked and excommunicated. Furthermore, any of his descendants were barred from holding any offices and any other rebel or descendant of a rebel who might rise up against Ergica was to be sold into slavery.

As Jewish power and resistance to Visigothic rule increasly gained helped from the Islamic Caliphate, 694, Ergica was ultimately forced to expend the kingdom's whole strength in a campaign against one or the other. As the Visigoth's prepared for the final invasion of Moors and Jews, Ergica attempted to rally his people. Finally, in 694 he learned that the Moors were already ready to invade in conjunction with a rebellion of the Jewish nation. Responsively, Ergica declared all Jewish-held land forfeit, all Jews to be slaves, and all Jewish children over the age of seven to be taken from their homes and raised as Christians. In towns where Jews were deemed indispensable to the economy, however, this law wasn't applied. Indeed, as a result of the disintergrating Visigothic power and the alliance of Jews and Moors, it was hardly enforced beyond the capital city of Toledo.

Meanwhile, in 698, Musa bin Nusair, a Yemeni general, was made the viceroy of North Africa and given the responsibility for conquering the remaining Berber resistance to Islamic Caliphate rule. Additionally, having been instructed to engage in jihad against all Christians in the Western Mediterraneum he had built a navy to harrass, pillage, and terrorise the various Gothic and Byzantine coastal areas. Finally, at the beginning of the 8th century his newly expanded navy managed to defeat the Byzantine navy and conquer it's chief naval bases on the islands of Ibiza, Majorca, and Minorca. These bases now became centers for expeditions to disrupt Visigothic power, support Jewish insurrection, and draw Christian assets from the large combined Jihadi and Jewish army of conquest forming in North Africa.

Shortly before he died, Ergica amended a law which stated that anyone accused of theft of goods worth 300 solidi was to undergo a trial by boiling water. Under Ergica's changes, anyone accused of theft for whatever amount would have to undergo this ordeal. At the same time, Ergica published several laws which dealt harshly with the issue of fugitive slaves.

Ergica was the father of King Wittiza, with whom he shared his rule from 693–701.