Kingdom of the Suebi

409–585 Germanic kingdom in northwestern Iberia

Kingdom of the Suebi Regnum Suevorum ( Latin)
409–585
Greatest extent of the Suebian Kingdom c. 455 AD
Capital	Braga
Common languages	Suebi (spoken among elite) Latin (administrative/liturgical)
Religion	Germanic paganism (initially among elite and rural) Arianism (mostly among elite) Chalcedonian Christianity (among commoners)
Government	Monarchy
King
• 409–438	Hermeric
• 585	Malaric
History
• Suebian leader Leovigild of the Visigothic Kingdom	585
Preceded by Succeeded by Western Roman Empire Visigothic Kingdom
Today part of	Gibraltar Spain Portugal

The Kingdom of the Suebi (

Latin: Galicia suevorum regnum^[1]), was a Germanic post-Roman kingdom that was one of the first to separate from the Roman Empire. Based in the former Roman provinces of Gallaecia and northern Lusitania, the de facto kingdom was established by the Suebi about 409,^[2] and during the 6th century it became a formally declared kingdom identifying with Gallaecia. It maintained its independence until 585, when it was annexed by the Visigoths, and was turned into the sixth province of the Visigothic Kingdom

in Hispania.

History

Origins

Little is known about the

Alamanni,^[6] or simply with Germans,^[7] whilst the 4th century Laterculus Veronensis

mentions some Suevi side by side with Alamanni, Quadi, Marcomanni and other Germanic peoples.

Additionally it has been pointed out that the lack of mention of the Suevi could mean that they were not per se an older distinct ethnic group, but the result of a recent ethnogenesis, with many smaller groups—among them part of the Quadi and Marcomanni—coming together during the migration from the Danube valley to the Iberian Peninsula.^[8][9] Other groups of Sueves are mentioned by Jordanes and other historians as residing by the Danube regions during the 5th and 6th centuries.^[8]

Although there is no clearly documented reason behind the migration of 405 , a widely accepted theory is that the migration of the various Germanic peoples west of the Rhine was due to the westward push of the Huns during the late 4th century, which forced the Germanic peoples westward in response to the threat.^[10] This theory has created controversy within the academic community, because of the lack of convincing evidence.^{[citation needed]}

Whether displaced by the Huns or not, the Suevi along with the

Constantine, who had recently been elevated to the title of Augustus, set off to Hispania to deal with the rebellion. Gerontius responded by stirring up the barbarians in Gaul against Constantine, convincing them to mobilize again, and, in the summer of 409, the Vandals, Alans, and Suevi began pushing south towards Hispania.^[13][14][15]

Settlement and integration

The civil war that erupted in the Iberian Peninsula between the forces of Constantine and Gerontius left the passes through the Pyrenees either purposely or inadvertently neglected, leaving southern Gaul and the Iberian Peninsula vulnerable to barbarian attack. Hydatius documents that the crossing into the Iberian Peninsula by the Vandals, Alans, and Suevi took place on either 28 September or 12 October 409.^[16] Some scholars take the two dates as the beginning and the end of the crossing of the formidable Pyrenees by scores of thousands, since this could not have been accomplished in one day.^[17] Hydatius writes that upon entering Hispania, the barbarian peoples, and even the Roman soldiers, spent 409–410 in a frenzy, plundering food and goods from the cities and countryside, which caused a famine that, according to Hydatius, forced the locals to resort to cannibalism: "[driven] by hunger human beings devoured human flesh; mothers too feasted upon the bodies of their own children whom they had killed and cooked with their own hands."^[18] In 411 the various barbarian groups brokered a peace and divided the provinces of Hispania among themselves sorte, "by lot". Many scholars believe that the reference to "lot" may be to the sortes, "allotments," which barbarian federates received from the Roman government, which suggests that the Suevi and the other invaders had signed a treaty with Maximus. There is, however, no concrete evidence of any treaties between the Romans and the barbarians: Hydatius never mentions any treaty, and states that the peace in 411 was brought about by the compassion of the Lord,^[19][20] while Orosius asserts that the kings of the Vandals, Alans and Sueves were actively pursuing a pact similar to that of the Visigoths at a later date.^[21] The division of the land among the four barbarian groups went as such: the Siling Vandals settled in Hispania Baetica, the Alans were allotted the provinces of Lusitania and Hispania Carthaginensis, and the Hasding Vandals and the Suevi shared the northwestern province of Gallaecia.^[20]

The division of Gallaecia between the Suevi and the Hasding Vandals placed the Suevi in the west of the province, by the

Minho river,^[23] with no evidence suggesting that the Suevi inhabited any other cities in the province prior to 438.^[24] The initial relation between Gallaeci and Suevi were not as calamitous as sometimes suggested,^[25] as Hydatius mentions no conflict among the locals between 411 and 430. Furthermore, Orosius affirmed that the newcomers "turned their swords into ploughs" once they received their new lands.^[26]

The Suebi spoke a Germanic language and classical sources refer to a Suebian language. In particular, the Suebi are associated with the concept of an "Elbe Germanic" group of early dialects spoken by the Irminones, entering Germany from the east, and originating on the Baltic. In late classical times, these dialects, by now situated to the south of the Elbe, and stretching across the Danube into the Roman empire, experienced the High German consonant shift that defines modern High German languages, and in its most extreme form, Upper German.^[27] Based on some toponymical data,

Buri in the region between the rivers Cávado and Homem, the area known as Terras de Bouro

(Lands of the Buri), named Burio until the High Middle Ages.

The kingdom during the 5th century

Part of a series on the
History of Galicia
Prehistoric Galicia Gallaeci (Celtic tribe) Roman Gallaecia Suebi Kingdom Brythonic Galicia Kingdom of Galicia Compostelan Era Rexurdimento Galician Modern Age Galicia in the 20th century Galicia at Present
Timeline Monarchs / Consorts
v t e

King Hermeric

In 416, the Visigoths entered the Iberian Peninsula, sent by the emperor of the West to fight off the barbarians arriving in 409. By 418, the Visigoths, led by their king,

Aquitania, a conflict arose between the Vandals under Gunderic, and the Suevi, led by king Hermeric. Both armies met in the Battle of the Nerbasius mountains, but the intervention of Roman forces commanded by the comes Hispaniarum Asterius ended the conflict by attacking the Vandals and forcing them to move to Baetica,^[31]

in modern Andalusia, leaving the Suevi in virtually sole possession of the whole province.

In 429, as the Vandals were preparing their departure to Africa, a Swabian warlord named Heremigarius moved to Lusitania to plunder it, but was confronted by the new Vandal king Gaiseric. Heremigarius drowned in the river Guadiana while retreating; this is the first instance of an armed Suebi action outside the provincial limits of Gallaecia. Then, after the Vandals left for Africa, the Swabians were the only barbarian entity left in Hispania.

King Hermeric spent the remainder of his years solidifying Suevic rule over the entire province of Gallaecia. In 430 he broke the old peace maintained with the locals, sacking central Gallaecia, although the barely romanised Gallaeci, who were reoccupying old

hill forts, managed to force a new peace, which was sealed with the interchange of prisoners. However, new hostilities broke out in 431 and 433. In 433 king Hermeric sent a local bishop, Symphosius, as ambassador,^[32]

this being the first evidence for collaboration between Sueves and locals. However, it was not until 438 that an enduring peace, which would last for twenty years, was reached in the province.

King Rechila

In 438 Hermeric became ill. Having annexed the entirety of the former Roman province of

Carthaginensis.^[34] It has been said,^[35]

however, that the Suevi conquest of Baetica and Carthaginensis was limited to raids, and Suevi presence, if any, was minute.

In 446, the Romans dispatched to the provinces of Baetica and Carthaginensis the

pagan

, leaving the crown to his son, Rechiar.

King Rechiar

Gulf of Biscay, which was still under Roman rule) sometimes acting in coalition with local bagaudae (local Hispano-Roman insurgents). In Lleida he also captured prisoners, who were taken as serfs back to the Sueves' lands in Gallaecia and Lusitania.^[39] Rome then sent an ambassador to the Sueves, obtaining some concessions, but in 455 the Sueves plundered lands in Carthaginensis which had been previously returned to Rome. In response, the new emperor Avitus and the Visigoths sent a joint embassy, remembering that the peace established with Rome was also granted by the Goths. But Rechiar launched two new campaigns in Tarraconensis, in 455 and 456, returning to Galicia with large numbers of prisoners.^[40]

The emperor Avitus finally responded to Rechiar's defiance in the autumn of 456, sending the Visigoth king

Gundioc and Hilperic.^[41] The Suevi mobilized and both armies met on 5 October, by the river Órbigo near Astorga. Theoderic II's Goths, on the right wing, defeated the Suevi. While many Sueves were killed in the battle, and many others were captured, most managed to flee.^[42] King Rechiar fled wounded in the direction of the coast, pursued by the Gothic army, which entered and plundered Braga on 28 October. King Rechiar was later captured in Porto while trying to embark, and was executed in December. Theodoric continued his war on the Suevi for three months, but in April 459 he returned to Gaul, alarmed by the political and military movements of the new emperor, Majorian, and of the magister militum Ricimer—a half-Sueve, maybe a kinsman of Rechiar^[43]—while his allies and the rest of the Goths sacked Astorga, Palencia

and other places, on their way back to the Pyrenees.

Competing kings

Conimbriga

was abandoned after being assaulted by the Suevi in 468

When the Visigoths disposed of Rechiar, the royal bloodline of Hermeric vanished and the conventional mechanism for Suevi leadership died with it. In 456, one Aioulf took over the leadership of the Sueves. The origins behind Aioulf's ascension are not clear: Hydatius wrote that Aioulf was a Goth deserter, while the historian Jordanes wrote that he was a Warni appointed by Theodoric to govern Gallaecia,^[44] and that he was persuaded by the Suevi into this adventure. Either way, he was killed in Porto in June 457, but his rebellion, together with the armed actions of Majorian against the Visigoths, eased the pressure on the Suevi.

In 456, the same year as the execution of Rechiar, Hydatius stated that "the Sueves set up Maldras as their king."^[45] This statement suggests that the Suevi as a people may have had a voice in the selection of a new ruler.^[46] The election of Maldras would lead to a schism among the Suevi, as some followed another king, named Framta, who died just a year later.^[47] Both factions then sought peace with the local Gallaeci.

In 458 the Goths again sent an army into Hispania, which arrived in Baetica in July, thereby depriving the Sueves of this province. This field army stayed in Iberia for several years.

In 460 Maldras was killed, after a reign of four years during which he plundered Sueves and Romans alike, in Lusitania and in the south of Gallaecia past the valley of the Douro river. Meanwhile, the Sueves in the north chose another leader, Richimund, who plundered Gallaecia in 459 and 460. This same year they captured the walled city of Lugo, which was still under the authority of a Roman official. As a response, the Goths sent their army to punish the Suevi who dwelt in the outskirts of the city and nearby regions, but their campaign was revealed by some locals, whom Hydatius considered traitors.^[48] From that very moment Lugo became an important centre for the Sueves, and was used as capital by Rechimund.

In the south Frumar succeeded Maldras and his faction, but his death in 464 closed a period of internal dissent among the Sueves, and permanent conflict with the native Gallaecian population.

King Remismund

Conimbriga

, Portugal

In 464, Remismund, an ambassador who had travelled between Gallaecia and Gaul on several occasions, became King. Remismund was able to unite the factions of Suevi under his rule, and at the same time restore peace. He was also recognized, perhaps even approved of, by Theodoric, who sent him gifts and weapons along with a wife.^[49] Under the leadership of Remismund, the Suevi would again raid the nearby countries, plundering the lands of Lusitania and the Conventus Asturicense, whilst still fighting Gallaeci tribes like the Aunonenses, who refused to submit to Remismund. In 468 they managed to destroy part of the walls of Conímbriga, in Lusitania, which was sacked^[50] and then mostly abandoned after the inhabitants fled or were taken back to the north as slaves.^[51] The next year they captured Lisbon, which was surrendered by its leader, Lusidio. He later became ambassador of the Suevi to the Emperor. The end of the chronicle of Hydatius in 468 doesn't let us know the later fate of Remismund.

The Suevi probably remained mostly pagan until an Arian missionary named Ajax, sent by the Visigothic king Theodoric II at the request of the Suebic unifier Remismund, converted them in 466 and established a lasting Arian church which dominated the people until their conversion to Catholicism in the 560s.

The Arian period

Little is known of the period between 470 and 550, beyond the testimony of Isidore of Seville, who in the 7th century wrote that many kings reign during this time, all of them Arians. A medieval document named Divisio Wambae mentions one king named Theodemund, otherwise unknown.^[52] Other less reliable and very posterior chronicles mention the reign of several kings under the names of Hermeneric II, Rechila II and Rechiar II.^[53]

More trustworthy is a stone inscription found in Vairão Portugal, recording the foundation of a church by a Benedictine nun, in 535, under the rule of one Veremund who is addressed as the most serene king Veremund,^[54] although this inscription has also been attributed to king Bermudo II of León. Also, thanks to a letter sent by Pope Vigilius to the bishop Profuturus of Braga circa 540, it is known that a certain number of Catholic Orthodox had converted to Arianism, and that some Catholic Orthodox churches had been demolished in the past in unspecified circumstances.^[55]

Conversion to Catholic Orthodoxy

St Martin of Braga, (c.510 - 580). Codex Vigilanus or Albeldensis, Escurial library

Dahn equated Chararic with Theodemar, even saying that the latter was the name he took upon baptism.[56] It has also been suggested that Theodemar and Ariamir were the same person and the son of Chararic.^[56] In the opinion of some historians, Chararic is nothing more than an error on the part of Gregory of Tours and never existed.^[62] If, as Gregory relates, Martin of Braga died about the year 580 and had been bishop for about thirty years, then the conversion of Chararic must have occurred around 550 at the latest.^[58] Finally, Ferreiro believes the conversion of the Suevi was progressive and stepwise and that Chararic's public conversion was only followed by the lifting of a ban on Orthodox synods in the reign of his successor, which would have been Ariamir; while Theodemar would have been responsible for beginning a persecution of the Arians in his kingdom, to root out their heresy.^[63]

Finally, the Suebic conversion is ascribed not to a Suebe, but to a Visigoth, by the chronicler

Sometime late in the 5th century or early in the sixth century, a group of Romano-Britons escaping the Anglo-Saxons settled in the north of the Suebi Kingdom of Gallæcia^[64] in lands which subsequently acquired the name Britonia.^[65] Most of what is known about the settlement comes from ecclesiastical sources; records from the 572 Second Council of Braga refer to a diocese called the Britonensis ecclesia ("British church") and an episcopal see called the sedes Britonarum ("See of the Britons"), while the administrative and ecclesiastical document usually known as Divisio Theodemiri or Parochiale suevorum, attribute to them their own churches and the monastery Maximi, likely the monastery of Santa Maria de Bretoña.^[65] The bishop representing this diocese at the II Council of Braga bore the Brythonic name Mailoc.^[65] The see continued to be represented at several councils through the 7th century.

King Ariamir and king Theodemar

On 1 May 561, king Ariamir, who was in the third year of his reign, called the First Council of Braga, being styled The most glorious king Ariamir in the acts. The first Orthodox Council held in the Kingdom, it was almost entirely devoted to the condemnation of Priscillianism, making no mention at all of Arianism, and only once reproving clerics for adorning his clothes and for wearing granos, a Germanic word implying either pigtails, long beard, moustache, or a Suebian knot, a custom declared pagan.^[66] Of the eight assistant bishops only one bore a Germanic name, bishop Ilderic.

Later, on 1 January 569, Ariamir's successor, Theodemar, held a council in Lugo,

On the death of Miro, his son

This same year, 585, a man named Malaric rebelled against the Goths and reclaimed the throne, but he was finally defeated and captured by the generals of Liuvigild, who took him in chains to the Visigothic king.

Annexation

After the conquest, king Liuvigild reintroduced the Arian Church among the Sueves,^[85] but this was a short-lived institution, because after his death in 586 his son Reccared openly promoted the mass conversion of Visigoths and Sueves to Catholicism. Reccared's plans were opposed by a group of Arian conspirators; its leader, Segga, was exiled to Gallaecia, after his hands were amputated. The conversion occurred during the Third Council of Toledo, with the assistance of seventy-two bishops from Hispania, Gaul and Gallaecia. There, eight bishops renounced their Arianism, among them four Suevi:^[85] Argiovittus of Porto, Beccila of Lugo, Gardingus of Tui and Sunnila of Viseu. The mass conversion was celebrated by king Reccared: "Not only the conversion of the Goths is found among the favours that we have received, but also the infinite multitude of the Sueves, whom with divine assistance we have subjected to our realm. Although led into heresy by external fault, with our diligence we have brought them to the origins of truth".^[86] He was styled as "King of the Visigoths and of the Suevi" in a letter sent to him by Pope Gregory the Great soon after.^[87]

Under the Goths, the administrative apparatus of the Suevi Kingdom was initially maintained —many of the Suevi districts established during the reign of Theodemar are also known as later Visigothic mints^[88]— but during the middle years of the seventh century an administrative and ecclesiastical reform led to the disappearance of most of these mints, with the exception of that of the cities of Braga, Lugo and Tui. Also the northern Lusitanian bishoprics of Lamego, Viseu, Coimbra and Idanha-a-Velha, in lands which had been annexed to Gallaecia in the fifth century, were returned to the obedience of Mérida. It has been also pointed out that no visible Gothic immigration took place during the 6th and the 7th century into Gallaecia.^[89]

The last mention of the Sueves as a separate people dates to a 10th-century gloss in a Spanish codex:^[90] "hanc arbor romani pruni vocant, spani nixum, uuandali et goti et suebi et celtiberi ceruleum dicunt" ("This tree is called plum-tree by the Romans; nixum by the Spaniards; the Vandals, the Sueves, the Goths, and the Celtiberians call it ceruleum"), but in this context Suebi probably meant simply Gallaeci.

List of Galician Suebic monarchs

• Hermeric, c. 409–438
• Heremigarius, 427–429, leader in Lusitania
• Rechila, 438–448
• Rechiar, 448–456
• Aioulf, 456–457, foreigner, possibly appointee of the Visigoths
• Maldras, 456–460, in opposition to Framta after 457
• Framta, 457, in opposition to Maldras
• Richimund, 457–464, successor of Framta
• Frumar, 460–464, successor of Maldras
• Remismund, 464–469, succeeded Frumar, reunited the Suebi
• Period of obscurity
  • Hermeneric fl. c. 485
  • Veremund fl. 535
  • Theodemund fl. 6th century
• Chararic, after c.550–558/559, existence sometimes doubted
• Ariamir, 558/559–561/566
• Theodemar, 561/566–570
• Miro, 570–583
• Eboric, 583–584, deposed and put in a monastery by Audeca.
• Audeca, 584–585, deposed and put in a monastery by Liuvigild.
• Malaric, 585, opposed Liuvigild and was defeated.

Sources and controversies

Unlike some other barbarian peoples, such as the Vandals, Visigoths, Ostrogoths and Huns, which played an important part in Rome's loss of the western provinces, the Sueves—establishing themselves in Gallaecia and northern Lusitania, which were remote and extra-Mediterranean areas—seldom posed a threat to Rome and to Rome's interests; in fact, at times where we have more detailed knowledge of their history through a diversity of sources, that is precisely when they became a challenge, as it was under the reign of Rechila. Throughout their history as an independent nation, they maintained an important diplomatic activity,^[91] most notably with Rome, the Vandals, the Visigoths, and, later, with the Franks. Again, they become important players during the reign of Miro, in the last third of the 6th century, when they allied with other Catholic powers—the Franks and the Eastern Romans—in support of Hermenegild, and against the Visigothic king Liuvigild. Because of their relative isolation and remoteness, sources about the Suevi people are limited, with the number translated into English even fewer.

The most important source for the history of the Suevi during the 5th century is the chronicle written by the native bishop

Another important source for the history of the Sueves during the initial settlement phase is the Seven Books of History Against the Pagans, by Orosius, another local historian. He painted a very different picture of the initial settlement of Sueves and Vandals, less catastrophic than that narrated by Hydatius. In his narration, Sueves and Vandals, after a violent entrance into Hispania, resume a pacific life, while many poor locals joined them, fleeing from Roman taxes and impositions. However, as has been pointed out, his narration is also biased by his agenda, as he was trying to exculpate Christianity for the fall and decadence of Rome.^[97]

The conflict of Vandals and Sueves is also narrated by Gregory of Tours,^[98] who in the 6th century narrated the blockade, the death of Gunderic under unknown circumstances, and the resolution of the conflict in a champions' fight, with the defeated Vandals forced to leave Galicia. A somewhat different history apparently was told among the Vandals, as Procopius wrote that in their traditions king Gunderic was captured and impaled by Germans in Spain.^[7]

For the mid-fifth century we have also chapter 44 of Jordanes' Getica, which narrates the defeat of the Suevi king Rechiar at the hands of the Roman foederati troops commanded by the Visigoths. It is a vivid, if brief, narration, where Rechiar, a defiant man, has a purpose, a mood, and emotions, as do the rest of the protagonists.

The ending of the Chronicle of Hydatius, in 469, marks the beginning of a period of obscurity in the history of the Sueves, who don't re-emerge into historical light until the mid-sixth century, when we have plenty of sources. Among these, the most notable are the works of the

Of paramount importance is also the chronicle written by John of Biclaro, a Visigoth, circa 590.^[97] While probably partial,^[86] his accounts are precious for the last 15 years of independence of the Sueves, as well as for the first years of the Sueves under Visigothic rule.

Finally, of great interest is also a history written by Isidore of Seville.^[99] He used Hydatius's accounts, together with the Chronicle of John of Biclaro,^[100] to form an abridged history of the Suevi in Hispania. The controversy around Isidore's historiography is centered on his omissions and additions, which many historians and scholars consider too numerous to all be simply mistakes. Throughout Isidore's History of the Kings of the Goths, Vandals, and Sueves certain details from Hydatius are altered.^[101] Many scholars attribute these changes to the fact that Isidore may have had sources other than Hydatius at his disposal.^[102]

It has been said that the history and relevance of Suevic Galicia was long marginalised and obscured inside Spain, mainly for political reasons.^[103] It was left to a German scholar, Wilhem Reinhart, to write the first connected history of the Suebi in Galicia, or more accurately Gallaecia as the official separation between Galicia and Portugal^[104] would only take place in 1095 AD.

Cultural legacy

As the Suebi quickly adopted the local Vulgar Latin language, few traces were left of their Germanic tongue in the Galician and Portuguese languages. Distinguishing between loanwords from Gothic or Suevic is difficult, but there is a series of words, characteristic of Galicia and northern half of Portugal, which are attributed either to the Suebi^[105][106] or to the Goths, although no major Visigothic immigration into Gallaecia is known before the 8th century.^[89] These words are rural in nature, relative to animals, agriculture, and country life:^[26] laverca 'lark' (from Proto-Germanic *laiwazikōn^[107] 'lark'),^[108] meixengra 'titmouse' (same word as Old Norse meisingr 'titmouse', from *maisōn^[107] 'titmouse'),^[109] lobio or lóvio 'vinegrape' (to *lauban^[107] 'foliage'),^[110] britar 'to break' (from *breutanan^[107] 'to break'), escá 'bushel' (from ancient scala 'bowl', from *skēlō^[107] 'bowl'),^[109] ouva 'elf, spirit' (from *albaz^[107] 'elf'), marco 'boundary stone' (from PGmc *markan^[107] 'frontier, limit'), groba 'gully' (from *grōbō^[107] 'groove'),^[111] maga 'guts of fish' and esmagar 'to smash' (from PGmc *magōn 'stomach'),^[112] bremar 'to yearn' (from PGmc *bremmanan 'to roar'),^[113] trousa 'snowslide' (from PGmc *dreusanan 'to fall'),^[114] brétema 'mist' (from PGmc *breþmaz 'breath, vapour'),^[115] gabar 'to praise',^[116] ornear 'to bray' (from PGmc *hurnjanan 'to blow a horn'),^[117] zapa 'lid, cap' (from PGmc *tappōn 'tap'),^[118] fita 'ribbon',^[119] sá 'origin, generation' (from PGmc *salaz 'hall, dwelling'),^[120] among others.

Most notable were their contributions to local toponymy and anthroponymy, as personal names borne by the Sueves were in use among Galicians up to the Late Middle Ages, while East Germanic names in general were most common among locals during the High Middle Ages.^[121] From these names is derived also a rich toponymy, found mainly in northern Portugal and Galicia,^[26] and made up of several thousand place names derived directly from Germanic personal names, expressed as Germanic or Latin genitives:^[122] Sandiás, medieval Sindilanes, Germanic genitive form of the name Sindila; Mondariz from the Latin genitive form Munderici Munderic's; Gondomar from Gundemari and Baltar from Baltarii, both in Portugal and Galicia; Guitiriz to Witterici. Another group of toponyms which point to old Germanic settlements are the places named Sa, Saa, Sas, in Galicia, or Sá in Portugal, all derived from the Germanic word *sal- 'house, hall',^[106] and distributed mostly around Braga, Porto and in the Minho river valley in Portugal, and around Lugo in Galicia, totalling a few hundred.

In modern Galicia, four parishes and six towns and villages are still named Suevos or Suegos, from the medieval form Suevos, all of them from the Latin Sueuos 'Sueves', and referring to old Suevi settlements.

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Suebi Kingdom of Galicia.

TVG documentary (in Galician)
O reino suevo de Galicia. Episode 1
O reino suevo de Galicia. Episode 2

• The Chronicle of Hydatius is the main source for the history of the suevi in Galicia and Portugal up to 468.
• Medieval Galician anthroponomy
• Minutes of the Councils of Braga and Toledo, in Collectio Hispana Gallica Augustodunensis
• Orosius, Historiarum Adversum Paganos, Book VII - translated by I.W. Raymond