The Visigoths are one of the offshoots of the Goth peoples.
Their name means “Western Goths”, to differentiate themselves from the Ostrogoths or East Goths.
Its origin is on the shores of the Black Sea, in present-day Romania, constituting one of several Germanic (or barbarian) peoples that occupied the territory of the Western Roman Empire.
Around the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the Goths abandon their homeland and move towards Rome, as one of the federated peoples of the Empire. The Visigoths had already assimilated several Roman customs by living with the legions stationed on the Danube River.
They pass through the Italian Peninsula, head to the south of France and settle in the Iberian Peninsula. In the south of France, they arrived in 418 in the city of Toulouse and made it capital of the kingdom, until 507, when they were expelled by Clovis I.
Meanwhile, the Visigoths entered Hispania (Roman Spain) as allies of the Romans and helped them maintain the Iberian Peninsula from the 6th century onwards. Two Goth peoples, Suevi and Visigoth, manage to establish independent kingdoms.
With the defeat and expulsion of the Visigoths in the south of France, the Visigoths are concentrated in the Iberian Peninsula. Later, King Leovigildo (572-586) submits the Suevi, creating a kingdom whose capital will be Toledo, in Spain.
Visigothic Kingdom
The Visigothic kingdom lasted from 420 to 711 and occupied practically the entire territory of Spain and southeastern France.
The Visigoth monarchy was elective and the sovereign was chosen by an assembly of nobles and members of the clergy. The king was the supreme judge, head of the army and legislator, and he ruled supported by the King's Council, which was made up of nobles at the top of the hierarchy.
However, because it was of an elective and not hereditary nature, power struggles were frequent.
To give you an idea, out of thirty-four Visigothic kings, ten died murdered by their relatives, nine by courtiers and only fifteen died a natural death.
Religion
Initially, the Visigoths were polytheists, but from the year 240, they converted to Arian Christianity (Arianism) preached by Bishop Ulfilas.
Arianism asserted that Christ did not have the same nature as God and was considered a heresy from the Council of Nicaea in 325. From then on these two strands of Christianity will face each other on the battlefield.
The religious wars, in the Visigothic kingdom, would only end with the conversion of King Recaredo I. This confirmed the resolution of the Third Council of Toledo, in 589, which banished the Arian doctrine. In this way, he managed to unify the religion in Hispania, becoming a leader of the Church and at the same time he could count on its help.
Economy of the Visigoths
The economic activities of the Visigoths were centered on the cultivation of cereals and it was they who brought the cultivation of spinach, hops and artichokes to the Iberian Peninsula.
Following the organizational model at the end of the Roman Empire, cities lost importance and landowners began to live in large “villages”.
These consisted of houses, churches and cultivation areas, which were privately managed and had their own army.
Initially, the Visigoths relied on slaves, but gradually they were replaced by settlers.
We also have these texts on the same subject :
- Germanic Peoples
- Barbarian Peoples
- Formation of Portugal
Bibliographic References
QUERALT, Maria Pilar &PIQUER, Mar - Gran Libro de los Reyes de España. Servilibro Editions. 2006.
CORTÁZAR, Fernando García de - &VESGA, José Manuel Gozález:Brief History of Spain, Alianza Editorial:Madrid. 1995.
New history of España.Chapter 3. The Visigoth kingdom. Consulted on 09.09.2020.