Joining the Romans Goar is first mentioned as 'Goare' in the
Frigeridus fragment, embedded in
Gregory of Tours's work, describing the
Vandal–Frankish war that preceded the
Crossing of the Rhine (the crossing was dated to 31 December 406 by
Prosper of Aquitaine). According to Frigeridus, the Roman-allied
Franks were inflicting heavy casualties on the Vandals over the course of probably several battles, killing 20,000 Vandal warriors and their king
Godigisel, and were on the verge of exterminating the tribe. At that point – according to MacDowall (2016) probably in the summer or autumn of 406 – another Alan king, Respendial, came to the Vandals' rescue and defeated the Franks, It is not stated where these groups originated, although most historians identify these Alans with those settled by
Gratian in
Pannonia c. 380.
Usurpation of Jovinus Goar next appears in 411, when he and
Gundahar, king of the
Burgundians, joined in setting up the Gallo-Roman senator
Jovinus as
Roman Emperor at
Mainz (as described by
Olympiodorus of Thebes). At the time, another usurping emperor,
Constantine III, was being besieged at
Arles by
Honorius' general, the future emperor
Constantius III. Constantine's supporters in northern Gaul defected to Jovinus, contributing to Constantine's defeat. Jovinus then threatened Constantius with "Burgundians,
Alamanni, Franks, Alans, and all his army" (presumably including Goar). Jovinus' usurpation was put down two years later, however, when the
Visigoths entered Gaul after their sack of Rome the previous year. The Visigothic king
Athaulf, after a period of indecision, sided with the government of Honorius in
Ravenna and defeated Jovinus at
Valentia. The Alan and Burgundian response to this defeat is not recorded.
Siege of Bazas After defeating Jovinus, the Visigoths came into renewed conflict with Honorius; this conflict culminated with the siege of
Bazas in 414. According to
Paulinus of Pella, who was among the besieged at the time, the Visigoths were supported by a group of Alans (whose king he describes, but does not name). Paulinus, who had previously established a friendship with the Alan king, persuaded him to break with the Goths and side with the Roman defenders of the city. The Alan leader did so, turning over his wife and son to the Romans as hostages. The Visigoths thereupon withdrew from Bazas and retreated to Spain, while the Alans were settled as Roman allies. Historians are divided as to whether Paulinus' unnamed Alan king should be identified with Goar, or with some other Alan leader—otherwise unknown—who might have been accompanying the Visigoths since Italy or before. The former identification would imply that Goar had allied himself with Athaulf after the Goths' defeat of Jovinus; the latter hypothesis would imply that from this time on there was a second, distinct group of Alans in Gaul, in addition to those of Goar.
Bishop Germanus of Auxerre In his
Life of St. Germanus of Auxerre,
Constantius of Lyon describes a confrontation between Germanus and a king of the Alans c. 446. This king had been ordered by
Aetius to put down a revolt of
Bagaudae in
Armorica, but Germanus persuaded him to hold off his attack while he got confirmation of the orders from the emperor in Italy. Constantius gives the name of this king as "Eochar", but many historians see this as a scribal error for "Gochar" (since Goar's name appears in some sources in this form). Other historians object to this identification, since it would imply that Goar's career as leader of the Alans lasted over forty years. Also, the
Chronica Gallica of 452 reports that another Alan leader,
Sambida, was given land around
Valentia in 440, several years before Germanus' confrontation with the Alans. If only one kingdom of Alans is assumed to have existed in Gaul, this would imply that Goar had already been succeeded by Sambida before 440, and that Sambida was then succeeded by Eochar. If, on the other hand, two kingdoms are assumed, Eochar could be identical to Goar, a successor of Goar, or a successor of Sambida. The
Chronica Gallica describes another grant of land to Alans by
Aetius two years later (442), in which the Romans occupying the land opposed the grant and had to be driven out by force. Neither the leader of these Alans, nor the location of the land, is mentioned in the
Chronica; but many historians associate this event with Goar as well. In any case, Goar's Alans are universally identified with the Alans of
Orléans, who helped repel
Attila's invasion in 451, and who were led at that time by
Sangiban—putting the end of Goar's reign, if the identification with Eochar is accepted, somewhere between 446 and 450. == Explanatory notes ==