Genial

Genial, Genialis, or Genealis was the Duke of Gascony ("Vasconia") from 602 to his death in 627. The chief source for his existence is Fredegar.

Genial was probably a Frank or a Gallo-Roman when Theuderic II and Theudebert II appointed him "dux" over the Basques ("Vascones") of southwestern Aquitaine:

:cquote|Theudebert and Theuderic sent an army against the Wascones and with God's help defeated them, subjected them to their overlordship, and made them pay tribute. They appoited a duke named Genialis, who ruled them well. [Fredegar, 4.21, p 14.]

Some scholars believe Genial was more of a tribal leader over whom the Frankish sovereigns exercised a vague suzerainty than a Frankish court official sent to the outskirts of the realm to lord it over a subject people. [Lewis, p 396.] Sometime around 612, Sisebut, king of the Visigoths, recaptured the transpyrenean portion of his realm. [Collins, p 91. This included Biscay and Guipúzcoa.] He was succeeded by Aeghyna.

Notes

ources

*Collins, Roger. "The Basques". Blackwell Publishing: London, 1990.
*Wallace-Hadrill, J. M., translator. " [http://www.bu.edu/english/levine/grch4+5.htm The Fourth Book of the Chronicle of Fredegar with its Continuations] ". Greenwood Press: Connecticut, 1960.
*Lewis, Archibald R. " [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0038-7134%28197607%2951%3A3%3C381%3ATDITRF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-8 The Dukes in the Regnum Francorum, A.D. 550-751.] " "Speculum", Vol. 51, No. 3. (Jul., 1976), pp. 381-410.
* [http://www.euskomedia.org/aunamendi/38128 Auñamendi Encyclopedia: Ducado de Vasconia] .
* [http://books.google.com/books/pdf/Histoire_de_la_Gascogne.pdf?id=sHW_kCR87l8C&output=pdf&sig=KDJUp8tgj00AvnNhQuhkFl1Daow Monlezun, Jean Justin. "Histoire de la Gascogne". 1846.]
*Higounet, Charles. "Bordeaux pendant le haut moyen age". Bordeaux, 1963.