Rechiar facts for kids

A statue of Rechiar, a Suevic King, in Royal Palace of Madrid, Spain.

Rechiar (born after 415 – died December 456) was an important king of the Suevi people. He ruled the region of Gallaecia (which is now part of Spain and Portugal) from 448 until his death. He was special because he was the first Suevic king to be born in Gallaecia itself. Rechiar was known for being very active and often went to war. Some old writers called him a "barbarian," but this idea is now seen as unfair.

Rechiar's Faith

Rechiar's father was a pagan, meaning he followed older, non-Christian beliefs. However, Rechiar became a Christian before he became king. He converted to a type of Christianity called Trinitarianism, which is similar to what most Catholics believe today. This was a big deal because he converted about 50 years before Clovis, another famous king of the Franks, became Christian.

Rechiar married a princess from the Visigoths who followed a different Christian belief called Arianism. Even though Rechiar was Christian, his people mostly kept their old pagan beliefs. Later, many Suevi people converted to Arianism, not the type of Christianity Rechiar followed.

How Rechiar Ruled

Rechiar was a powerful king. He was the first Germanic ruler to make his own coins. These coins had his name on them, showing that he was in charge. This was a very important step for a king at that time.

Rechiar was born in Gallaecia and had a good education, similar to Roman leaders. This helped him connect with the local people. His main city, or capital, was Braga.

Rechiar's Battles

Rechiar was a king who loved to fight. He often went to war against his neighbors. In 448, at the start of his rule, a Roman official was killed in Seville by a Suevic nobleman. Some people think this was connected to Rechiar's plans to fight Rome.

He even teamed up with local rebel groups called the Bagaudae. Together, they attacked the Ebro valley. In 449, he fought against the Basques. Later that year, he raided the Ebro valley again, attacking cities like Caesaraugusta and Ilerda. He took many prisoners, but he couldn't fully conquer the region.

Rechiar did not take part in the famous battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451.

After some important Roman leaders died in 455, Rechiar attacked Roman provinces in Hispania. He wanted to conquer them all. However, his brother-in-law, Theodoric II, who was the king of the Visigoths, came to stop him. Theodoric had a large army of Goths, Franks, and Burgundians.

On October 5, 456, Theodoric defeated Rechiar in a big battle near Astorga. Rechiar was hurt and tried to escape. He fled to Porto, a city in his own kingdom. But he was captured there and executed in December of that year. After Rechiar's death, the Suevic kingdom became weak and broke into different groups.

See also

In Spanish: Requiario para niños