Page:Bury J B The Cambridge Medieval History Vol 2 1913.djvu/201

587-612] Recared's internal policy of appeasing the Spanish-Roman element manifested itself in another direction. According to Isidore of Seville, Leovigild reformed the primitive legislation of the Visigoths, which dated from the time of Euric, by modifying a few laws, suppressing others which were unnecessary, and adding some which had been omitted from Euric's compilation. Since the text of this reform has not come down to us, we know only that it actually existed.

From the tone of approval in which Isidore of Seville tells of the reforms accomplished by Leovigild, it has justly been inferred that they were a decided attempt at conciliation, and that it was intended to proceed with them until the differences between Visigoths and Spanish-Romans had been lessened or suppressed. There is more reason to suppose that Recared worked in this direction, but for this we have no such contemporary evidence as that which refers to Leovigild.

The three monarchs who successively occupied the Visigothic throne after Recared were of no great individual importance, but their history gives proof of the disturbed condition of the country. In fact, Recared's son, Liuwa II, who was elected king on the death of his father and who continued his father's Catholic policy, only reigned for two years. In 603 he was dethroned and slain in an insurrection headed by Count Witteric, who gained the support of the Arian party and attempted to restore the ancient religion of the Gothic people. In 610, in consequence of a reaction on the part of the Catholics, Witteric forfeited his crown and his life. The crown was bestowed on Gundemar, a representative of the nobles. He only reigned for two years, during which time he waged two wars, one with the ever-restless Vascons, and the other with the Byzantines. Both these wars were continued by Sisebut, who succeeded him in 612. He, like Gundemar, was a Catholic and he pursued the militant policy of Leovigild. When he had suppressed the Vascon insurrection, Sisebut marched against the imperial forces, and, in a brief campaign, after defeating their general Asarius in two battles, took possession of all the eastern provinces of the Byzantines, that is to say, of the land between Gibraltar and the Sucro (Jucar). The Emperor Heraclius sued for peace, which Sisebut granted on condition of annexing that province to his kingdom, leaving to the Byzantines only the west, from the Straits to the Algarves.

As concerns internal order, the most important event of Sisebut's reign was the persecution of the Jews. They had lived in the Peninsula in great numbers since the time of the Empire under the protection