Theodoric I
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- For the Frankish king, see Theuderic I.
Theodoric I, sometimes called Theodorid and in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian Teodorico, was the King of the Visigoths from 419–451. He was the illegitimate son of Alaric. In 419 he succeeded King Wallia.
As king he completed the settlement of the Visigoths in Aquitaine and expanded his realm into Hispania. During his rule the Visigoths were enemies and then allies of the Roman Empire. The most renowned event in his reign was the Battle of Chalons, where he assisted Aëtius in forcing Attila the Hun to retreat and abandon his campaign to ransack the western empire. Jordanes records two different accounts of his death: one was that Theodoric was thrown from his horse and trampled to death; the second was that Theodoric was slain by the spear of the Ostrogoth Andag, who was the father of Jordanes's patron Gunthigis. (Getica 40.209).
Theodoric's son and later successor, Thorismund, assumed command of the Visigothic army and helped win the day.
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| Preceded by: Wallia |
King of the Visigoths 419–451 |
Succeeded by: Thorismund |
