Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Alanus]

But this dead Goth-Taifalus supports the idea that Theithfallt/Thiudebalth was certainly a Visigoth, as was his son Tewdrig/Theodoric.

No more than it adds fuel to the fringe opinion that the name Vortigern has a relation to the name Fritigern. Vortigern, it may be needed to add, was linked to Gloucester by a 9th-c. source quoting an earlier pedigree.

I agree with half of your idea. There is linguistic confusion in reading the name Vortigern, which in Britonic must have meant something like "overlord" or "elevated tigernus," and Fritigern/Frithigernus which in Gothic meant "he who is desirous of faith" or something along that line. In the same vein, there are several interpretations of Riothamos, which could mean "prince of renewal" in Romano-Greek classical terms. But I find it difficult to assign Thiudebalth to P-Celtic, Frankish, or Saxon, or even the Ostrogoths. The name translates straight as the "the lordly Balth" or "princely Balth." The later spelling used by Morris-- Thiudebald-- is old High German, which did not exist in this timeframe. In some pedigrees (according to Darrell Wolcott) the man was born around 350-360, and in others around 470. As such, the earlier pedigree places his son Theodoric on par with the Visigothic Theodoric I, second ruler of the Kingdom of Toulouse, born around 390-400 and long before the name arrived in the western Germanic kingdoms. Perhaps I was too general in calling these men Visigoths, since they were born in the Tryfingi period and before the later designation.

Some historians might not agree, such as Sims-Williams, but I don't believe the scenario is a "fringe opinion." It is a "differing" opinion, just as we see in other endeavors such as those by Leslie Allcock and Francis Pryor. :wink:

In the same vein, there is no "proof" that either ala of the Equites Taifali reached Britain. If that's the case, then John Conyard has difficutly finding something to ride on. :lol:
I would rather think positive. It then accounts for two importand symbols, the dragon and the bear. And it gives the Welsh a flag to fly.