Gesalec
Gesalic (Gothic: *𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃, romanized: Gaisalaiks, lit. 'dancing with spears'; Latin: Gesaleicus; Spanish and Portuguese: Gesaleico; Catalan: Gesaleic; c. 480 – 513) was a king of the Visigoths from 507 to 511, and died in 513.
Born~Died date unknown ~ 512Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 2:48 PM
Details
- Born ~ Died
- date unknown ~ 512
- Reign
- c. August 507 – 511
- Predecessor
- Alaric II
- Successor
- Theodoric the Great
- Born
- c. 480
- Died
- c. 513 (aged 33)
- Father
- Alaric II
- Religion
- Arian Christianity
Contents
Gesalic (Gothic: *𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃, romanized: Gaisalaiks, lit. 'dancing with spears'1; Latin: Gesaleicus; Spanish and Portuguese: Gesaleico; Catalan: Gesaleic; c. 480 – 513) was a king of the Visigoths from 507 to 511, and died in 513.
Biography
Although the illegitimate son of Alaric II, he had been elected king by the Visigoths after Alaric had been killed in battle by the Franks. Alaric's only legitimate son, Amalaric, was a child and too young to rule.2
Initially Gesalec was supported by the powerful Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great, but this support eventually faded. Between 508 and 511, he had one important Visigothic noble executed - Goiaric.3 Gesalec's rule was dealt a decisive blow when the Burgundians, led by their king Gundobad, captured and plundered Narbonne, his capital. Gesalec fled to Barcelona, where he remained until Theodoric deposed him.4 Theodoric took over the rule of the Visigothic kingdom for the next 15 years, collecting its taxes and appointing its officials, ostensibly in the name of Gesalic's half-brother, Amalaric, until he was old enough to rule.3
This page is based on “Gesalec” from English Wikipedia, (r1373721007) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 2:48 PM · r73762 · Text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.