Germanic people of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages
Visigoths
Visigothi
The eagles represented on these fibulae from the 6th century, and found in Tierra de Barros (Badajoz), were a popular symbol among the Goths in Spain.[a]
Religion
Gothic paganism, Arianism, Nicene Christianity, Roman paganism
Related ethnic groups
Ostrogoths, Crimean Goths, Vandals, Gepids
Detail of the votive crown of Recceswinth from the Treasure of Guarrazar (Toledo, Spain), hanging in Madrid. The hanging letters spell [R]ECCESVINTHVS REX OFFERET [King R. offers this].[b]
The Visigoths (/ˈvɪzɪɡɒθs/; Latin: Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian[1] military group united under the command of Alaric I. Their exact origins are believed to have been diverse but they probably included many descendants of the Thervingi who had moved into the Roman Empire beginning in 376 and had played a major role in defeating the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople in 378.[2] Relations between the Romans and Alaric's Visigoths varied, with the two groups making treaties when convenient, and warring with one another when not.[3] Under Alaric, the Visigoths invaded Italy and sacked Rome in August 410.
The Visigoths were subsequently settled in southern Gaul as foederati to the Romans, a relationship that was established in 418. This developed as an independent kingdom with its capital at Toulouse, and they extended their authority into Hispania at the expense of the Suebi and Vandals who had taken control of large swathes of Roman territory. In 507, Visigothic rule in Gaul was ended by the Franks under Clovis I, who defeated them in the Battle of Vouillé.
It is within what is now Spain and Portugal that the Visigoths created the polity for which they are best remembered. During their governance of Hispania, the Visigoths built several churches that survived and left many artifacts, items which have been discovered in increasing numbers by archaeologists in recent years. The Treasure of Guarrazar of votive crowns and crosses are the most spectacular among the finds thus far. In or around 589, the Visigoths under Reccared I converted from Arian Christianity to Nicene Christianity, gradually adopting the culture of their Hispano-Roman subjects.[4] Their legal code, the Visigothic Code (completed in 654), abolished the longstanding practice of applying different laws for Hispano-Roman population and Visigoths. Once legal distinctions were no longer being made between Romani and Gothi, they became known collectively as Hispani. In the century that followed, the region was dominated by the Councils of Toledo and the episcopacy. In 711, an invading force of Arabs and Berbers defeated the Visigoths during the Battle of Guadalete. The Visigoth king, Roderic, and many members of the Visigothic governing elite were killed and their kingdom rapidly collapsed.[5] This was followed by the subsequent formation of the Kingdom of Asturias in northern Spain and the beginning of the Reconquista by Christian troops under Pelagius.[6]
The Visigoths founded the only new cities in western Europe from the fall of the Western half of the Roman Empire until the rise of the Carolingian dynasty. Many Visigothic names are still in use in the modern Spanish and Portuguese languages. Their most notable legacy, however, was the Visigothic Code, which served, among other things, as the basis for court procedure in most of Christian Iberia until the Late Middle Ages, centuries after the demise of the kingdom.
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Alaric's Visigoths varied, with the two groups making treaties when convenient, and warring with one another when not. Under Alaric, the Visigoths invaded...
mountains, and by some Visigoths, who had fled from the Muslims and taken refuge in Asturias, where they joined Pelagius. The Visigoths and their early kings...
Alarīks, "ruler of all"; c. 370 – 411 AD) was the first king of the Visigoths, from 395 to 410. He rose to leadership of the Goths who came to occupy...
emerge, the Visigoths and Ostrogoths. Visigoths means the "Goths of the west", while Ostrogoths means "Goths of the east". The Visigoths, led by the Balti...
The names of only a few of the queens of the Visigoths are known. As the Gothic monarchy was elective, all queens were such only as consorts of their...
fourth through fifth centuries complicated the situation. In 376, the Visigoths, fleeing before the Ostrogoths, who in turn were fleeing before the Huns...
able to resist the temptation to move against the Visigoths, for many Nicene Christians under Visigoth yoke were unhappy and implored Clovis to make a move...
Latin: Theodericus; c. 390 or 393 20 or 24 June 451) was the King of the Visigoths from 418 to 451. Theodoric is famous for his part in stopping Attila the...
(Gallia Aquitania) to the Visigoths as a vassal federation. Honorius removed the local imperial governors, leaving the Visigoths and the provincial Roman...
surrender. In the spring of 367, Valens crossed the Danube and attacked the Visigoths under Athanaric. The Goths fled into the Carpathian Mountains, and the...
the Germanic Visigoths. The Emperor Flavius Honorius conceded land in Aquitania to the Visigoths . According to some sources the Visigoths were Roman foederati...
dominate Aeminium (Coimbra) as well, and there were Visigoths to the south. The Suebi and the Visigoths were the Germanic tribes who had the most lasting...
during the reign of Wittiza and bearing his (rough) effigy King of the Visigoths Reign 694 – 710 Predecessor Egica Successor Roderic Co-ruler Egica (694...
with the Visigoths after he'd been deposed—Athaulf led his followers out of Italy. Moving north into a momentarily pacified Gaul, the Visigoths lived off...
were pushing the disorganized Visigoths after the death of their king Theodoric. Thorismund led his force of Visigoths in a decisive charge which, according...
were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman...
needed] Even after the fall of Rome and the invasion of the Germanic Visigoths and Suebi, Latin was spoken by nearly all of the population,[citation...
In 456, the Romans persuaded the Visigoths to fight the Suevi, who had broken their treaty with Rome. The Visigoths and a force of Burgundians and Franks...
420 – 28 December 484), son of Theodoric I, ruled as king (rex) of the Visigoths, after murdering his brother, Theodoric II, from 466 until his death in...
Ingonde, Ingund, Ingunda, or (in Latin) Ingundis (c. 499 in Thuringia – 546) was a queen of the Franks by marriage to Chlothar I, son of Clovis. She was...
Mataswintha, also spelled Matasuintha, Matasuentha, Mathesuentha, Matasvintha, or Matasuntha, (fl. 550) was a daughter of Eutharic and Amalasuintha. She...
the Visigoths out of Gaul. He captures the usurper Priscus Attalus, and sends him under military escort to Ravenna.[citation needed] The Visigoths invade...
Visigoths. 453 – Theodoric II becomes King of the Visigoths. 454 – The Ibero-Roman population ask for the help of King Theodoric II of the Visigoths against...
of the Celts, Celtiberians, Iberians, Milesians, Carthaginians, Suebi, Visigoths, Spaniards and Roman and Greek mythology. Cuento Legend of la Encantada...
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