Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,586,559,864 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Roderick

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.04 sec.
Roderick (rŏd`ərĭk), d. 711?, last Visigothic king in Spain (710–711?). After the death of King Witiza, a group of nobles chose Roderick, duke of Baetica, as successor to the king. Having defeated Witiza's son, Roderick established himself on the throne. Little is actually known of his reign, but innumerable legends have developed around it. Most of the legends involve one Julian, governor of Ceuta, who—either for political motives or because his daughter had been violated by Roderick—joined the family of Witiza in requesting the help of the North African Muslims to overthrow Roderick. In any event, the Muslims under Tarik ibn Ziyad Tarik ibn Ziyad , fl. 711, Berber leader of the Muslim invaders of Spain. When the heirs of the Visigothic king, Witiza, requested help from the Moors of N Africa against the usurper Roderick, Tarik, with his Moorish army, crossed (711) from Africa to Gibraltar
..... Click the link for more information.
 crossed (711) the Strait of Gibraltar, and Roderick, campaigning in the north against the Franks and the Basques, hastened south only to be defeated (711) by Tarik near Medina Sidonia. Roderick was probably killed in the battle, but according to some, he continued to resist the Muslim conquest of Spain until he was slain in 713. The colorful legends about this "last of the Goths" gained a permanent place in Spanish literature and passed into English writing, most notably in the works of Washington Irving, Robert Southey, and Walter Savage Landor.


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Mentioned in?  References in classic literature?   Encyclopedia browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
Herkimer did know him; but it demanded all the intimate and practical acquaintance with the human face, acquired by modelling actual likenesses in clay, to recognize the features of Roderick Elliston in the visage that now met the sculptor's gaze.
Its proprietor, Roderick Usher, had been one of my boon companions in boyhood; but many years had elapsed since our last meeting.
I'm Fitzjames and he's Roderick Dhu, and we'll give you the broadsword combat some day.
 
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.