Flavius Paulus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (July 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Paul was a Hispano-Roman duke of Wamba, king of the Visigoths in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, modern Spain and Portugal).

In 672, when sent to crush the rebellion of Hilderic of Nîmes and the Jews in Septimania and Catalonia, he converted to Judaism and proclaimed himself king in Narbonne as Flavius Paulus.

Some weeks after ascending the throne in 672 Wamba had to face a revolt from Hilderic, governor of Nimes, who had himself aspired to the kingship. Hilderic was supported by Gunhild, Bishop of Maguelonne, and a large body of Jews eager to rise up against their persecution. So Wamba sent Flavius Paulus to put down the hostilities. But upon his arrival at Narbonne, Flavius Paulus became a rebel himself, inducing his officers to renounce their loyalty to Wamba. Soon his army elected him king and he was joined by Hilderic and his followers.

Flavius Paulus then sent emissaries to the Basques, inciting them to rebellion as well, which forced Wamba to personally lead an army into the western Pyrenees and reduce the Basques to submission.

A few weeks into his rebellion Flavius Paulus was crowned by his supporters using a golden crown given by the late King Reccared to the church of Gerona. With this, the Visigothic cities in Gaul and a large part of northeastern Hispania came over to Paulus' side. The rebellion thus became wide ranging, with nobles opposed to Wamba organizing large units that fought the royal armies in the field. Meanwhile, Paulus converted to Judaism^{[citation needed]} and Jewish revolutionary groups assassinated nobles loyal to the king.

In response, Wamba marched into the Narbonensis and Tarraconensis regions, the center of the revolt, and in a few days turned most of the cities back to his side.

In 673, as part of his efforts against the rebellion, Wamba laid siege to and took Castellum Cauclibéri, a strategic Catalan port located where the Pyrenees reach the Mediterranean (today called Collioure, in the southernmost corner of France). Following this, and a signal naval victory on the coast, the rebellion was isolated from its external supporters amongst Jewish commercial interests and Islamic piratical groups.

When Wamba moved on Narbonne, Paulus placed a general, Wittimer, over that city and retired himself to Nimes. But Wamba's forces quickly subdued Narbonne and then, after some difficulty, secured the surrender of Nimes on September 3, 673. This included the surrender of Paulus and the other rebel leaders who, three days later, were brought to trial and, for their crimes, scalped and imprisoned for life.