Bétique

The Roman province of Bétique ( Hispania Baetica ) covers the south of Spain, east corresponds about to the Andalusia. It is resulting from old the Hispanie Ultérieure, and draws its name from Betis, Latin name of the Guadalquivir river.

It is a senatorial Province managed by old a Préteur, whose capital is Corduba (Cordoue).

See the later Hispanie for the period preceding the Christian era.

Bétique under the Roman Empire

This province is prosperous, thanks to its agriculture, with the facility of navigation on Baetis (Guadalquivir) and with its money and black leads of the Morena Sierra and Rio Tinto. It exports corn, wine, saltings, Garum, considered olive oil, packed in famous the Amphore S Spanish.

The Roman presence is old there, and the deep romanisation appears by its many cities (175, including 9 colony S, of the time of Pline) whose majority exist still today:

four seats of jurisdiction:

* Corduba (Cordoue), cradle of the Year, family of the Sénèques and Lucain, it is the capital of the betic province.

* Cadiz

* Hispalis (Seville)

* Astigi (Écija)

Gadès, old Carthaginian port and city of Roman law since Jules César, fatherland of Columelle
Italica (Santiponce), rested by Italian immigrants, and from where are originating the emperors Trajan and Hadrian
the colonies in Urso, Tucci
Bilbilis, fatherland of Martial

To the 1st century Vespasien grants the Latin right to all the municipes of Spain and creates a provincial assembly for Bétique, which meets once per annum to celebrate the imperial worship and to discuss the administration of the province.

Bétique remains in margin of political disturbances and the cruel threats which touch the Roman Empire from 161, except worms 180, when revolted Moors cross the Straits of Gibraltar, and devastate the province deprived of troops as a senatorial province. The legate Aufidius Victorinus restores the situation.

Invasions of the 5th century

In 408, the invasion of the Vandals, Suèves and Alains upsets Spain. Spain is divided by its invaders by drawing lot: Bétique is granted to the Silings Vandals. They are driven out by it into 417 by the Visigoths with the service of the Empire. The survivors join themselves the Hasdings Vandals in Galicia.

In 419, the Vandals and Alains return from Galicia in Bétique, without meeting Roman resistance
Into 425, the Vandals build a Mediterranean fleet and attack the Balearic Islands, then in 428 they seize Seville and of the port of Carthagène in Spain
In 429, the Vandals and Alains led by their king Genséric cross the Straits of Gibraltar to spread itself in North Africa. The vacuum thus creates is temporarily occupied by Suèves, then by the Visigoths, who found a stable kingdom

See the history of the Visigoths for the following period.

The Byzantine episode

In 554, the support brought by the Byzantines at the time of a quarrel of succession between applicants Visigoths makes it possible Justinien {{Ier}} to take again the control of Bétique. This return within the Byzantine Empire will be of short duration, the successors of Justinien Ier do not have the means of being maintained: the king Visigoth Sisebut recovers part of Bétique into 612, and Récared II puts an end to this Roman presence into 629.

Reference

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