Assessing visigoth latinity in the late sixth century: The contribution of Reccared's letter to Gregory I

Abstract

In the final years of the sixth century, the Gothic chieftain, Reccared, wrote a letter to Pope Gregory the Great-a letter that offers a unique insight into that generation of Visigoths who abandoned their native tongue, embraced Catholicism, and established the kingdom of Spain. The letter demonstrates that Reccared was reasonably fluent in Latin, although commentators have, for some centuries now, felt compelled to point out just how many mistakes the warlord made and how egregious these mistakes were. These errors are particularly troubling given that, at the Third Synod of Toledo conducted in 589, Reccared had purportedly addressed the assembly in perfect, even slightly archaised, Latin. This article compares Reccared's letter with a selection of other early Germanic literature, especially those elements of the corpus that seek to translate Greek or Latin predecessors, in order to contextualise his errors and to offer some opinions as to why those mistakes might have been made.