Goar
Goar (born pre 390; died (446â€"450)) was a leader of the
Alans in
5th century Gaul. He led his followers over the
Rhine during the multi-tribe invasion of Gaul in
406, but quickly joined the
Romans, and subsequently played a role in the internal politics of Gaul.
Goar is first mentioned in
Gregory of Tours's description of the barbarian invasion across the frozen Rhine on
December 31 406. A number of tribes took part in this invasion, including Goar's Alans, another party of Alans led by
Respendial, the
Asding Vandals led by
Godigisel, the
Siling Vandals, and several groups of
Suevi. It is not stated where these groups originated from, though most historians identify these Alans with those settled by
Theodosius I in
Pannonia c. 380.
According to Gregory, the Roman-allied
Franks attacked the Asding Vandals while they were in the midst of crossing, killed Godigisel, and were on the verge of exterminating the tribe. But at that point the other Alan king, Respendial, came to the Vandals' rescue and defeated the Franks, "although Goar had gone over to the Romans." It's unclear from Gregory's account whether Goar actually joined the Franks in fighting his co-invaders; but in any case, he remained in Gaul while the Vandals, Sueves, and Respendial's Alans continued into
Spain.
Goar next appears in
411, when he and
Gundahar, king of the
Burgundians, joined in setting up the Gallo-Roman senator
Jovinus as
Roman Emperor at
Mainz (as described by
Olympiodorus of Thebes). At the time, another usurping emperor,
Constantine III, was being besieged at
Arles by
Honorius' general, the future emperor
Constantius III. Constantine's supporters in northern Gaul defected to Jovinus, contributing to Constantine's defeat. Jovinus then threatened Constantius with "Burgundians,
Alamanni, Franks, Alans, and all his army" (presumably including Goar). Jovinus' usurpation was put down two years later, however, when the
Visigoths entered Gaul after their sack of
Rome the previous year. The Visigothic king
Athaulf, after a period of indecision, sided with the government of
Honorius in
Ravenna and defeated Jovinus at
Valentia. The Alan and Burgundian response to this defeat is not recorded.
After defeating Jovinus, the Visigoths came into renewed conflict with Honorius; this conflict culminated with the siege of
Bazas in
414. According to
Paulinus of Pella, who was among the besieged at the time, the Visigoths were supported by a group of Alans (whose king he describes, but does not name). Paulinus, who had previously established a friendship with the Alan king, persuaded him to break with the Goths and side with the Roman defenders of the city. The Alan leader did so, turning over his wife and son to the Romans as hostages. The Visigoths thereupon withdrew from Bazas and retreated to Spain, while the Alans were settled as Roman allies.
Historians are divided as to whether Paulinus' unnamed Alan king should be identified with Goar, or with some other Alan leaderâ€"otherwise unknownâ€"who might have been accompanying the Visigoths since Italy or before. The former identification would imply that Goar had allied himself with Athaulf after the Goths' defeat of Jovinus; the latter hypothesis would imply that from this time on there was a second, distinct group of Alans in Gaul, in addition to those of Goar.
In his
Life of St. Germanus of Auxerre,
Constantius of Lyons describes a confrontation between Germanus and a king of the Alans c. 446. This king had been ordered by
Aetius to put down a revolt of
Bagaudae in
Armorica, but Germanus persuaded him to hold off his attack while he got confirmation of the orders from the emperor in Italy. Constantius gives the name of this king as "Eochar", but many historians identify him with Goar (since "Goar" appears in some sources as "Gochar"). Other historians object to this identification, since it would imply that Goar's career as leader of the Alans lasted over forty years.
Also, the
Chronica Gallica reports that another Alan leader,
Sambida, was given land around Valentia in
440, several years before Germanus' confrontation with the Alans. If only one kingdom of Alans is assumed to have existed in Gaul, this would imply that Goar had already been succeeded by Sambida before 440, and that Sambida was then succeeded by Eochar. If, on the other hand, two kingdoms are assumed, Eochar could be identical to Goar, a successor of Goar, or a successor of Sambida.
In any case, Goar's Alans are universally identified with the group of Alans near
Orleans that helped repel
Attila's invasion in
451, and who were led at that time by
Sangibanâ€"putting the end of Goar's reign, if the identification with Eochar is accepted, somewhere between 446 and 450.
* Agustí Alemany,
Sources on the Alans: A Critical Compilation. Brill Academic Publishers, 2000 ISBN 9004114424
