‘Put All Your Trust in Ansemundus’ : Look at Distrust in Visigothic-Byzantine Diplomatic Relations

The phrase in the title comes from a letter sent by the Visigoth king Sisebut to the Byzantine Patrician Cesarius on the occasion of the exchange of emissaries in order to achieve a peace treaty. It is the first time we have directly documented diplomatic contacts between Visigoths and Byzantines in the 70 years of the Byzantine presence in the Iberian Peninsula; the fact remains that the letter reveals initial mutual mistrust. Previous documents concerning pacts between Visigoths and Byzantines provide the same perception. This contribution examines the relations and diplomatic correspondence between Sisebut and Cesarius and the possible covenants made by them, bearing in mind those previously signed between Visigoths and Byzantines.