The dragon-and-pearl device of the shields of the Equites Taifali unit based in Britain. The dragon was blue, as was the "pearl" (the central boss). The band around the boss was red. The field was white.

The Taifals, Taifali, Taifalae, Tayfals, or Theifali were a barbarian people settled by the late Roman Empire in Poitou in the fourth century. "Barbarian" is a pejorative term for an uncivilized person either in a general reference to a member of a nation or Ethnos perceived The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century They served as dediticii and laeti in the Roman and subsequently Merovingian militaries. Laeti, the plural form of laetus, was a term used in the late Roman empire to denote communities of barbari (" Barbarians " literally The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin They were a nomadic, bellicose people, fighting primarily as cavalry. Nomadic people, (from the νομάδες nomádes, "those who let pasture herds" also known as nomads, are communities of people that The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on

Settlement in Oltenia

One of the earliest mentions of the Taifals puts them in the following of the Gothic king Cniva when he campaigned in Dacia and Moesia in 250 and the years following. The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s Cniva ( Kniwa, meaning "knees" perhaps from a childhood nickname (flourished mid- 3rd century CE was the Gothic king who invaded the Roman Dacia, in ancient geography was the land of the Dacians. It was named by the ancient Hellenes ( Greeks) " Getae " Moesia (Μοισία Moisía; Мизия Miziya; Moesia Мезија Mezija) was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the ^[1] They were probably not Germanic (though some sources consider them closely related to the Goths), but rather related to the Sarmatians, with whom they emigrated from the Central Asiatic steppes. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south ^[2]

In the late third century they settled on the Danube on both sides of the Carpathians, dividing the territory with the Goths, who maintained political authority over all of it. The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians (Carpaţi Czech, Polish and Slovak: Karpaty; Ukrainian: Карпати ^[3] In Spring 291 they formed a special alliance with the Gothic Thervingi, forming a tribal confederation from this date until 376,^[4] and fought the Vandals and Gepids: Tervingi, pars alia Gothorum, adiuncta manu Taifalorum, adversum Vandalos Gipedesque concurrunt. The Thervingi, Tervingi, or Teruingi (sometimes pluralised "Tervings" or "Thervings" were a Gothic people of the Danubian plains west The Gepids (Gepidae Gifðas ( Beowulf, Widsith) - possibly from * Gibiðos, "givers" or gepanta, see below were ^[5][6] Along with the Victufali, the Taifals and Thervingi were the tribes mentioned as having possessed the former Roman province of Dacia by 350 "at the very latest". The Victohali, Victovali, Victufali, Victuali, or Victabali were a People group of Late Antiquity. ^[6] Archaeological evidence suggests that the Gepids were contesting Transylvania, the region around Szamos, with the Thervingi and Taifals. Transylvania (Ardeal or ro ''Transilvania'' Erdély, see also other denominations) is a Central European region located in the eastern half of the Carpathian The river Someş in Romanian or Szamos in Hungarian, flows through Romania and Hungary. ^[6] The Taifals were subsequently made foederati of the Romans, from whom they obtained the right to settle in Oltenia. Foederatus (pl foederati) is a Latin term whose definition and usage drifted in the time between the early Roman Republic and the Oltenia ( Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions with the alternate Latin names Wallachia Minor, Wallachia Alutana, Wallachia Caesarea ^[7] They were at that time independent of Gothia. ^[8]

In 328 Constantine the Great conquered Oltenia and the Taifals, probably taking this opportunity to resettle a large number in Phrygia, in the diocese of Nicholas of Myra. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine In antiquity Phrygia (Φρυγία was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. Saint Nicholas (Άγιος Νικόλαος, Agios Nikolaos, "victory of the people" is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a Christian Saint ^[9][10] In 332 he sent his son Constantine II to attack the Thervingi, who were routed. Constantine II may refer to Antipope Constantine II, antipope from 767 &ndash 768 Constantine II (emperor (317 &ndash 340 Roman According to Zosimus (ii. Zosimus ( ''fl'' 490s-510s was a Byzantine historian who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius 31. 3), a 500-man Taifal cavalry regiment engaged the Romans in a "running fight", and there is no evidence that this campaign was a failure. ^[9][10] Nonetheless, the Taifals largely fell into the hands of the Romans at this time.

Around 336 they revolted against Constantine and were put down by the generals Herpylion, Virius Nepotianus, and Ursus. ^[11] By 358 the Taifals were independent foederati of Rome and Oltenia lay outside Roman control. ^[12] They launched campaigns as allies of the Romans from their own Oltenic bases, against the Limigantes (358 and 359) and the Sarmatians (358). ^[13] However, campaigns against the Thervingi by the emperor Valens in 367 and 368 were inhibited by the independence of Oltenia. This article is about the Roman Emperor For other people called Valens see Valens Flavius Julius Valens ( Latin: DOMINVS ^[12] It is possible, however, that the Taifals at this time were still fighting alongside the Goths. ^[14] In 365 the emperor ordered the construction of defensive towers in Dacia Ripensis, but whether this was Oltenia is unclear. Dacia ripensis ( Greek: Ρειπήσιος English translation: "from the banks of the Danube" was the name of a Roman province (part of Dacia ^[15] Archaeological evidence evidences no sedes Taifalorum (Taifal settlements) west of the river Olt. ^[4]

Crossing the Danube

With the Iazyges and the Carpi the Taifals were harassing the Roman province of Dacia in the mid fourth century. The Iazyges ( Jazyges is an orthographic variant were a nomadic tribe The Carpi or Carpians were a Dacian tribe that were originally located on the Eastern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains, in what is now Bacău County However, the arrival of a new threat—Huns—from Central Asia changed the political layout of Dacia: "the Huns threw themselves upon the Alans, the Alans upon the Goths, and the Goths upon the Taifali and Sarmatae. The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy "^[16] Athanaric had refused to extend his defensive preparations to the Taifalian territory and the Huns forced the Taifals to abandon Oltenia and western Muntenia by 370. Athanaricus (died 381 was king of several branches of the Thervings for at least two decades in the fourth century. Muntenia (or Greater Wallachia) is a historical province of Romania, usually considered Wallachia -proper ( Muntenia, Ţara Românească ^[17][18] The Taifals allied with the Greuthungi of Farnobius against Rome; they crossed the Danube in 377, but were defeated in late autumn that year. The Greuthungs, Greuthungi, or Greutungi were a Gothic people of the Black Sea Steppes in the third and fourth centuries Farnobius was a Gothic chief who died by the hand of Frigeridus 's troops in 377 while trying to take over the town of Illyricium. The Battle of the Willows ( 377) took place at a place called ad Salices ("town by the willows" or according ^[19] The Taifals were prominent among the survivors of Farnobius' coalition. After the Visigothic victory at Adrianople (378), their king Athanaric began to assail the Taifals. The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East The second Battle of Adrianople ( August 9 378) sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between a Roman army led by the Athanaricus (died 381 was king of several branches of the Thervings for at least two decades in the fourth century. ^[16] Athanaric had not included the Taifals in his defensive construction efforts against the Huns earlier (376). ^[20] The breaking of the alliance between Thervingia and Taifal may have had something to do with disagreements over tactics in light of the Huns and the crossing of the Danube, the Taifals being horsemen and the Thervingi infantry. ^[21]

Sometime before their conversion to Christianity, Ammianus Marcellinus wrote:

It is said that this nation of the Taifali was so profligate, and so immersed in the foulest obscenities of life, that they indulged in all kinds of unnatural lusts, exhausting the vigour both of youth and manhood in the most polluted defilements of debauchery. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Amiricanus Gambilinus (325/330-after 391 was a fourth-century Roman historian. But if any adult caught a boar or slew a bear single-handed, he was then exempted from all compulsion of submitting to such ignominious pollution. ^[22]

The Taifals were probably never Arians. Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius (c AD 250-336 who was ruled a heretic by the Christian church at the Council of Nicea. Their conversion to the Catholic faith probably occurred through Roman evangelism in the mid fifth century. The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of ^[23]

Colonii and laeti of the Empire

Subsequent to their defeat and falling out with Athanaric, the Taifals were officially resettled as colonii to farm lands in northern Italy (Modena, Parma, Reggio, Emilia) and Aquitaine by the victorious general Frigeridus. This article is about a type of political territory For other uses see Colony (disambiguation. Related categories Central Italy Southern Italy Insular Italy Northeast Italy Modena (ˈmɔːdena Mòdna in Modenese dialect is a city and a Comune ( Municipality) on the south side of the Po valley, in the Parma is a City in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna near Modena famous for its Architecture and the fine countryside around it For the city in the southern Italy See Reggio Calabria. For the basketball club "Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia" see Pallacanestro Reggiana. Emilia-Romagna is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Bologna. Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of ^[24] Abandoned Oltenia was settled by the Huns c. The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy 400. Some Taifals allied with the Huns as early as 378, and some were later still allied with them at the Battle of Chalons (451). However, the victory of Adrianople in 378 meant that those Taifals who remained with the Visigoths fought against their cousins at Chalon. The second Battle of Adrianople ( August 9 378) sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between a Roman army led by the In 412, the Taifals entered Aquitaine in the train of the Visigoths. Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of

The Taifals were often teamed with the Sarmatians and the Citrati iuniores by the Romans and subsequently by Clovis I. Clovis I (c 466 &ndash 27 November 511) was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler According to the Notitia Dignitatum of the early fifth century, there was a unit called the Equites Taifali established by Honorius under the comes Britanniarum in Britannia between 395 and 398. The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries Flavius Honorius ( September 9, 384 &ndash August 15, 423) was Roman Emperor (393- 395 and then Western Roman Emperor Comes Britanniarum was a military post in Roman Britain, with command of the mobile field army from the mid 4th century onwards Britannia was the term originally used by the Romans to refer first to the British Isles, and later to the island of Great Britain. ^[25] Possibly this unit may have been sent to the island by Stilicho in 399, and they may have been the same unit as the Equites Honoriani seniores mentioned around the same time. Flavius Stilicho (occasionally written as Stilico) (ca 359 &ndash August 22, 408) was a high-ranking general ( Magister militum Thus, the Equites Honoriani Taifali seniores served in Britain while the Equites Honoriani Taifali iunores served in Gaul under the magister Equitum. The Master of the Horse was (and in some cases is a historical position of varying importance in several European nations They used the dragon-and-pearl device on their shields. ^[26]

Presence in Merovingian Gaul

Also according to the Notitia, there was a praefectus Sarmatarum et Taifalorum gentilium, Pictavis in Galia, that is, a Sarmatian and Taifal prefect in Poitiers in Gaul. Prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficere: "make in front" i Poitiers is a town on the Clain River in west central France. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western ^[27] The region of Poitou was even called Thifalia or Theiphalia (Theofalgicus) in the sixth century. The Taifals were instrumental in defeating the Visigothic cavalry hand to hand at the Battle of Vouillé in 507. The Battle of Vouillé or Campus Vogladensis was fought in the northern Marches of Visigothic territory at a small place near Poitiers ( Gaul ^[28] Finally, the Notitia refers to a troop called the Comites Taifali who were formed by the emperor Theodosius the Great and served in the Eastern Empire. Flavius Theodosius (January 11 347 – January 17 395 also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great ( Greek: Θεοδόσιος Α΄ ^[29]

Under the Merovingians, Theiphalia had its own dux (duke). Dux (plural duces) is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, 'to lead' and could refer to anyone who commanded troops such A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom ^[30] It is possible that the Taifal laeti who had served the Romans also served as garrisons for the Franks, but this is not referred to in primary records. ^[31] The laeti were formally integrated into the Merovingian military establishment under Childebert I. Childebert I ( Rheims, c496 &ndash 13 December 558) was the Frankish king of Paris, a Merovingian dynast one of the four ^[32] Gregory of Tours, the principal source fo the Taifals in the sixth century, says that a certain Frankish dux named Austrapius "oppressed" the Taifals (probably in the vicinity of Tiffauges); they revolted and killed him. Saint Gregory of Tours ( November 30, c 538 &ndash November 17, 594) was a Gallo-Roman historian and bishop of Tours ^[33] The last mention of the Taifals as a distinct gens dates from year 565,^[34] but their Oltenic remnants almost certainly took part in the Lombard migration and invasion of Italy in 568. The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from ^[35]

One of the most famous Taifals was Saint Senoch, who founded an abbey at the Roman ruins which are now called Saint-Senoch. Saint Senoch was a Taifal Abbot and Saint. He was born in Tiffauges, in Poitou. Saint-Senoch is a commune of the Indre-et-Loire département, in France. ^[36] The Taifal influence extended into the ninth century and their fortresses, like Tiffauges and Lusignan, continued in use under the Carolingians. Tiffauges is a Village and commune of the Vendée département in France. The Lusignan family originated in the Poitou near Lusignan in western France in the early 10th century. The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolings, or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the ^[37] It has even been suggested that the Asiatic Taifals and Sarmatians influenced the Germanic arts. Migration Period art is the artwork of Germanic peoples during the Migration period of 300 to 900 ^[38] They also left their mark in the municipal nomenclature of the region: asides from Tiffauges, mentioned above, Taphaleschat in Corrèze, Toufailles and Toufailloux in Aquitaine, and Chauffailles (formerly Taïfailia) in Burgundy owe their names to Taifal settlement. Corrèze ( Occitan: Corresa) is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River. Chauffailles is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire département, in the French region of Bourgogne. Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) Perhaps the town of Tafalla in the Navarre owes its name to these people, but if so, it is unknown if the Taifals were established in Hispania (probably to tame the Basques) by the Romans before 412 or by the Visigoths after that. Tafalla is a town and Municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. The town of Taivola in northern Italy was also a Taifal settlement. ^[39]

Sources

Notes