Theodemir orTheudimer[1] (died 743) was aVisigothiccomes (count) prominent in the southeast ofCarthaginensis (the region aroundMurcia[2]) during the last decades of the Visigothic kingdom and for several years after theArab conquest. He ruled seven cities in southeastern Spain, mentioned in theTreaty of Orihuela that was preserved by the Andalusian historianIbn Adarí in the thirteenth century:[3]Orihuela, Valentila (possibly an equivalent forValencia),Alicante,Mula,Bigastro, Eyya (probablyOjós), andLorca.[4]
Sometime probably during the joint reign ofEgica andWittiza, aByzantine fleet raided the coasts of southern Iberia and was driven off by Theudimer. The dating of this event is disputed: it may have occurred as part ofLeontios' expedition to relieveCarthage, under assault by theArabs, in 697;[5] perhaps later, around 702;[6] or perhaps late in Wittiza's reign.[7] What is almost universally accepted is that it was an isolated incident connected with other military activities (probably against theArabs) and not an attempt to reestablish the province ofSpania, lost in the 620s. AsE. A. Thompson states, "We know nothing whatever of the context of this strange event."[6]
After the defeat of kingRoderic at theBattle of Guadalete in 711 or 712, Theudimer resisted the invading Arabs, but he was eventually defeated in pitched battle and made peace with the MuslimemirAbd al-Aziz ibn Musa.[8] "The text of the treaty he signed has been preserved in at least three separate sources, including a fourteenth-century biographical dictionary, and is dated to 5 April 713 (4 Recheb 94 AH)."[4] The treaty allowed that Christians whosubmitted to Muslim rule ("the patronage of God") would be spared their lives and allowed to continue living with their families according to their mores and practising their Catholic faith in their churches, but they were required to paya tributeper capita and to turn over any enemies of the conquerors to the government.[4] The tribute consisted of onedinar, four measures (or jugfuls) each of wheat, barley, grape juice, and vinegar, plus two of honey and oil; and half this for slaves.[4] Theudimer retained his land and his local authority.[4][9]
Theudimer later travelled toDamascus to have his treaty confirmed by theUmayyad Caliph.[10] However, it is unknown how long this treaty lasted in practice, whether it continued until Theudimer's death (which is recorded in theChronicle of 754) or after, or was cut short before his death.[11] His prominence in the region is testified by the number of later Gothic nobles in the same region who tried to claim descent from him.[11] The region itself was given the commemorative name Tudmir by the Arabs.[11] Theudimer left a son, Athanagild, who was described as very wealthy by theChronicle, but whether or not he was his successor is debated by scholars.[11] If he did succeed, he would have done so around 740, but his fate is unknown and the region of Tudmir had lost its independence by the 780s.[12]
In thehistorical novelAmaya o los vascos en el siglo VIII (1879), the characters mentionTeodomiro "duke of Aurariola and Baetica, general prevost of the army" as one of those who successfully resist Islamic dominance along withPelayo of Asturias andGarcía Jiménez ofNavarre.[13]