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The '''Gepids''' (]: ''Gepidae'', ]: ''Gifðas'' ('']'', '']'') - possibly from *''Gibiðos'', "givers" or ''gepanta'', see below) were an ] ] most famous in history for defeating the ] after the death of ]. The state of the Gepids was commonly known as '''Gepidia'''<ref>], '']'', : ''Haec Gotia, quam Daciam appellavere maiores, quae nunc ut diximus Gepidia dicitur'' ("This ], which our ancestors called ], we now call ].").</ref> or '''Kingdom of the Gepids'''. The '''Gepids''' ({{lang-la|Gepidae}}, {{lang-ang|Gifðas}} ('']'', '']'') - possibly from *''Gibiðos'', "givers" or ''gepanta'', see below) were an ] ] most famous in history for defeating the ] after the death of ]. The state of the Gepids was commonly known as '''Gepidia'''<ref>], '']'', : ''Haec Gotia, quam Daciam appellavere maiores, quae nunc ut diximus Gepidia dicitur'' ("This ], which our ancestors called ], we now call ].").</ref> or '''Kingdom of the Gepids'''.


==History== ==History==
The Gepids were first mentioned around A.D. 260, when they participated with the ] in an invasion in ], where they were settled in ]' time, the mid 6th century. Their early origins are reported in Jordanes' ''Origins and Deeds of the Goths'', where he claims that their name derives from their later and slower migration from Scandinavia: The Gepids were first mentioned around A.D. 260, when they participated with the Goths in an invasion in Dacia, where they were settled in Jordanes' time, the mid 6th century. Their early origins are reported in Jordanes' ''Origins and Deeds of the Goths'', where he claims that their name derives from their later and slower migration from Scandinavia:
<blockquote>
:''You surely remember that in the beginning I said the Goths went forth from the bosom of the island of ] with ], their king, sailing in only three ships toward the hither shore of Ocean, namely to ]. One of these three ships proved to be slower than the others, as is usually the case, and thus is said to have given the tribe their name, for in their language gepanta means slow.''. (xvii.94-95) ''You surely remember that in the beginning I said the Goths went forth from the bosom of the island of ] with ], their king, sailing in only three ships toward the hither shore of Ocean, namely to ]. One of these three ships proved to be slower than the others, as is usually the case, and thus is said to have given the tribe their name, for in their language gepanta means slow.''. (xvii.94-95)<ref></ref></blockquote>
<!--It has been hypothesized that Jordanes tacitly offered another explanation for the name when he mentions that all the Goths drew their descent from "Gapt, who begat Hulmul..." (Jordanes, xiv.79). The most common inpretation is, however, that '']'' was a corruption or misspelling of '']'' (]), in ], the founder of the kingdom of the ], a tribe that is often considered to be Goths remaining in Scandinavia (Scandza). NOTE: this Gapt derivation of Gepid seems like original research. Does anyone have references for this?--> <!--It has been hypothesized that Jordanes tacitly offered another explanation for the name when he mentions that all the Goths drew their descent from "Gapt, who begat Hulmul..." (Jordanes, xiv.79). The most common inpretation is, however, that '']'' was a corruption or misspelling of '']'' (]), in ], the founder of the kingdom of the ], a tribe that is often considered to be Goths remaining in Scandinavia (Scandza). NOTE: this Gapt derivation of Gepid seems like original research. Does anyone have references for this?-->


The first settlement of the Gepids were at the mouth of the Vistula River, which runs south to north from the Polish Carpathian mountains. The first settlement of the Gepids were at the mouth of the ] River, which runs south to north from the Polish ].
<blockquote>
:''These Gepidae were then smitten by envy while they dwelt in the province of Spesis on an island surrounded by the shallow waters of the Vistula. This island they called, in the speech of their fathers, Gepedoios ]; but it is now inhabited by the race of the Vividarii, since the Gepidae themselves have moved to better lands.'' ''These Gepidae were then smitten by envy while they dwelt in the province of Spesis on an island surrounded by the shallow waters of the Vistula. This island they called, in the speech of their fathers, Gepedoios ]; but it is now inhabited by the race of the Vividarii, since the Gepidae themselves have moved to better lands.''</blockquote>


Their first named king, Fastida, stirred up his quiet people to enlarge their boundaries by war and overwhelmed the ], almost annihilating them in the 4th century, then fruitlessly demanded of the Goths a portion of their territory, a demand which the Goths successfully repulsed in battle. Like the Goths, the Gepids were converted to ]. Their first named king, Fastida, stirred up his quiet people to enlarge their boundaries by war and overwhelmed the ], almost annihilating them in the 4th century, then fruitlessly demanded of the Goths a portion of their territory, a demand which the Goths successfully repulsed in battle. Like the Goths, the Gepids were converted to ].


Then in ] they had to submit to the ] along with their Ostrogoth overlords. They became the favored Hun vassals. Under their king ], warriors of the ''Gepidae'' joined ]'s forces in the ] (the "Catalaunian fields") in Gaul (]). On the eve of the main encounter between allied hordes, the Gepidae and ] met each other, the Franks fighting for the Romans and the Gepidae for the Huns, and seem to have fought one another to a standstill, with 15,000 dead reported by Jordanes, our main source. Then in 375 they had to submit to the Huns along with their Ostrogoth overlords. They became the favored Hun vassals. Under their king ], warriors of the ''Gepidae'' joined Attila the Hun's forces in the ] (the "Catalaunian fields") in Gaul (451). On the eve of the main encounter between allied hordes, the Gepidae and ] met each other, the Franks fighting for the Romans and the Gepidae for the Huns, and seem to have fought one another to a standstill, with 15,000 dead reported by Jordanes, our main source.


Such loyalties were personal bonds among kings, and after Attila's death of a drunken nosebleed in 453, the Gepids and other people allied to defeat Attila's horde of would-be successors, who were dividing up the subjugated peoples like cattle, and led by ] the king, they broke the Hunnic power in the ] in ]: Such loyalties were personal bonds among kings, and after Attila's death of a drunken nosebleed in 453, the Gepids and other people allied to defeat Attila's horde of would-be successors, who were dividing up the subjugated peoples like cattle, and led by Ardaric the king, they broke the Hunnic power in the ] in 454:
<blockquote>
:''a most remarkable spectacle, where one might see the Goths fighting with pikes, the Gepidae raging with the sword, the ] breaking off the spears in their own wounds, the ] fighting on foot, the Huns with bows, the ] drawing up a battle-line of heavy-armed and the ] of light-armed warriors.'' (Jordanes, l.259) ''a most remarkable spectacle, where one might see the Goths fighting with pikes, the Gepidae raging with the sword, the ] breaking off the spears in their own wounds, the ] fighting on foot, the Huns with bows, the ] drawing up a battle-line of heavy-armed and the ] of light-armed warriors.'' (Jordanes, l.259) </blockquote>


After the victory they finally won a place to settle in the ]. After the victory they finally won a place to settle in the Carpathian Mountains.
<blockquote>
:''The Gepidae by their own might won for themselves the territory of the Huns and ruled as victors over the extent of all Dacia, demanding of the Roman Empire nothing more than peace and an annual gift as a pledge of their friendly alliance. This the Emperor freely granted at the time, and to this day that race receives its customary gifts from the Roman Emperor.'' (Jordanes, l.262) ''The Gepidae by their own might won for themselves the territory of the Huns and ruled as victors over the extent of all Dacia, demanding of the Roman Empire nothing more than peace and an annual gift as a pledge of their friendly alliance. This the Emperor freely granted at the time, and to this day that race receives its customary gifts from the Roman Emperor.'' (Jordanes, l.262)</blockquote>


Not long after the battle at the Nedao the old rivalry between the Gepids and the ] spurred up again and they were driven out of their homeland in ] by ]. Not long after the battle at the Nedao the old rivalry between the Gepids and the ] spurred up again and they were driven out of their homeland in 504 by ].


They reached the zenith of their power after ], settling in the rich area around ]. For a short time, the city of ] was the center of the Gepide State and the king ] minted golden coins in it. In ] the ] allied themselves with the ] to expel the Gepids from this region. They reached the zenith of their power after 537, settling in the rich area around ]. For a short time, the city of ] was the center of the Gepide State and the king ] minted golden coins in it. In 546 the ] allied themselves with the ] to expel the Gepids from this region.
In ] the Gepids suffered a disastrous defeat from ] in the ] and were finally conquered by the Lombards in ]. In 552 the Gepids suffered a disastrous defeat from ] in the ] and were finally conquered by the Lombards in 567.


Alboin let a cup made from the skull of Cunimund, which was the reason of his death later in Italy. (story in ], in ] and in ] how he offered her wife, Rosamund (Cunimunds daughter), from the cup before and how she killed him). Alboin let a cup made from the skull of Cunimund, which was the reason of his death later in Italy. (story in ], in ] and in ] how he offered her wife, Rosamund (Cunimunds daughter), from the cup before and how she killed him).


Many Gepids followed Alboin to Italy (see ]), but many remained, in 630 ] reports that Byzanine Army entered the territory of the ] and attacked a Gepid feast capturing 30.000 Gepids (they met no Avars). Recent excavation at the ] at ] brought up a Gepid noble from a Avar period grave who were also wearing Turkic - Avar pieces next to his traditional Germanic clothes he was burried. Many Gepids followed Alboin to Italy (see Paulus Diaconus), but many remained, in 630 ] reports that Byzanine Army entered the territory of the ] and attacked a Gepid feast capturing 30.000 Gepids (they met no Avars). Recent excavation at the ] at ] brought up a Gepid noble from a Avar period grave who were also wearing Turkic - Avar pieces next to his traditional Germanic clothes he was buried.


==Archeological sites in Romania== ==Archeological sites in Romania==

Revision as of 13:54, 30 September 2007

File:Carphatianbasin gepidia.png
Gepidia

The Gepids (Template:Lang-la, Template:Lang-ang (Beowulf, Widsith) - possibly from *Gibiðos, "givers" or gepanta, see below) were an East Germanic Gothic tribe most famous in history for defeating the Huns after the death of Attila. The state of the Gepids was commonly known as Gepidia or Kingdom of the Gepids.

History

The Gepids were first mentioned around A.D. 260, when they participated with the Goths in an invasion in Dacia, where they were settled in Jordanes' time, the mid 6th century. Their early origins are reported in Jordanes' Origins and Deeds of the Goths, where he claims that their name derives from their later and slower migration from Scandinavia:

You surely remember that in the beginning I said the Goths went forth from the bosom of the island of Scandza with Berig, their king, sailing in only three ships toward the hither shore of Ocean, namely to Gothiscandza. One of these three ships proved to be slower than the others, as is usually the case, and thus is said to have given the tribe their name, for in their language gepanta means slow.. (xvii.94-95)

The first settlement of the Gepids were at the mouth of the Vistula River, which runs south to north from the Polish Carpathian mountains.

These Gepidae were then smitten by envy while they dwelt in the province of Spesis on an island surrounded by the shallow waters of the Vistula. This island they called, in the speech of their fathers, Gepedoios ]; but it is now inhabited by the race of the Vividarii, since the Gepidae themselves have moved to better lands.

Their first named king, Fastida, stirred up his quiet people to enlarge their boundaries by war and overwhelmed the Burgundians, almost annihilating them in the 4th century, then fruitlessly demanded of the Goths a portion of their territory, a demand which the Goths successfully repulsed in battle. Like the Goths, the Gepids were converted to Arian Christianity.

Then in 375 they had to submit to the Huns along with their Ostrogoth overlords. They became the favored Hun vassals. Under their king Ardaric, warriors of the Gepidae joined Attila the Hun's forces in the Battle of Chalons (the "Catalaunian fields") in Gaul (451). On the eve of the main encounter between allied hordes, the Gepidae and Franks met each other, the Franks fighting for the Romans and the Gepidae for the Huns, and seem to have fought one another to a standstill, with 15,000 dead reported by Jordanes, our main source.

Such loyalties were personal bonds among kings, and after Attila's death of a drunken nosebleed in 453, the Gepids and other people allied to defeat Attila's horde of would-be successors, who were dividing up the subjugated peoples like cattle, and led by Ardaric the king, they broke the Hunnic power in the Battle at the River Nedao in 454:

a most remarkable spectacle, where one might see the Goths fighting with pikes, the Gepidae raging with the sword, the Rugii breaking off the spears in their own wounds, the Suevi fighting on foot, the Huns with bows, the Alani drawing up a battle-line of heavy-armed and the Heruli of light-armed warriors. (Jordanes, l.259)

After the victory they finally won a place to settle in the Carpathian Mountains.

The Gepidae by their own might won for themselves the territory of the Huns and ruled as victors over the extent of all Dacia, demanding of the Roman Empire nothing more than peace and an annual gift as a pledge of their friendly alliance. This the Emperor freely granted at the time, and to this day that race receives its customary gifts from the Roman Emperor. (Jordanes, l.262)

Not long after the battle at the Nedao the old rivalry between the Gepids and the Ostrogoths spurred up again and they were driven out of their homeland in 504 by Theodoric the Great.

They reached the zenith of their power after 537, settling in the rich area around Belgrade. For a short time, the city of Sirmium was the center of the Gepide State and the king Cunimund minted golden coins in it. In 546 the Byzantine Empire allied themselves with the Lombards to expel the Gepids from this region. In 552 the Gepids suffered a disastrous defeat from Alboin in the Battle of Asfeld and were finally conquered by the Lombards in 567.

Alboin let a cup made from the skull of Cunimund, which was the reason of his death later in Italy. (story in Procopius, in Paulus Diaconus and in Andreas Agnellus how he offered her wife, Rosamund (Cunimunds daughter), from the cup before and how she killed him).

Many Gepids followed Alboin to Italy (see Paulus Diaconus), but many remained, in 630 Theophylact Simocatta reports that Byzanine Army entered the territory of the Avars and attacked a Gepid feast capturing 30.000 Gepids (they met no Avars). Recent excavation at the Tisza at Szolnok brought up a Gepid noble from a Avar period grave who were also wearing Turkic - Avar pieces next to his traditional Germanic clothes he was buried.

Archeological sites in Romania

In Vlaha, Cluj county, Romania, a necropolis was discovered in August 2004 with 202 identified tombs dated to the 6th century AD. 85% of the discovered tombs were robbed in the same period. The remaining artifacts are ceramics, bronze articles and an armory. Also in Romania at Miercurea Sibiului is another necropolis with rich artifacts. Other necropolis in Romania are:

Gepid treasures were also found at Someşeni and Şimleul Silvaniei.

Kings of the Gepids

References

Notes

  1. Jordanes, Getica, XII.74: Haec Gotia, quam Daciam appellavere maiores, quae nunc ut diximus Gepidia dicitur ("This Gothia, which our ancestors called Dacia, we now call Gepidia.").

External links

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