Wamba's reign began under duress — he reportedly refused the kingship and only accepted after being physically threatened by Visigothic nobles unwilling to leave Toledo without a crowned successor. His coinage from the Toledo mint reflects a period of genuine military pressure, including a serious rebellion led by Duke Paul in Septimania and the northeast in 673, which Wamba suppressed with unusual speed. The tremissis issued during his reign carries the authority of a king who spent much of his time on campaign rather than court.
He was deposed in 680 while reportedly unconscious — allegedly drugged — and forced into monastic tonsure, which by Visigothic law barred him permanently from rule.
Wamba's reign began under duress — he reportedly refused the kingship and only accepted after being physically threatened by Visigothic nobles unwilling to leave Toledo without a crowned successor. His coinage from the Toledo mint reflects a period of genuine military pressure, including a serious rebellion led by Duke Paul in Septimania and the northeast in 673, which Wamba suppressed with unusual speed. The tremissis issued during his reign carries the authority of a king who spent much of his time on campaign rather than court.
He was deposed in 680 while reportedly unconscious — allegedly drugged — and forced into monastic tonsure, which by Visigothic law barred him permanently from rule.