Although it is briefly written in the division and destruction of the Roman Empire, it was the great migration of the Germanic people that had a great influence on the division of the Roman Empire.
What was the old Germanic society this time? What kind of country was created after the division of the Roman Empire due to the great migration? And so on.
European people
What kind of ethnic groups lived in Europe in the first place? I'm going to sort it out from here.
First of all, it was mainly Indo-European that was set in Europe. People.
Specifically, in Europe BC
- Mediterranean World: Greek (Greek, Macedonian, etc.) ・ Latin (Romans, etc.)
- Iberian Peninsula, north of the Alps: Celtic (Gauls, Britons, Scottish, etc.)
- Northern: Germanic (Burgundians, Angles, Saxons, Goths, Danes, Noor, etc.)
These people lived (* This is also classified by language).
From there Roman Empire Celtic was assimilated with the Roman conquest around AD as it expanded its power. People will narrow their area of activity (Britons and Scotts also extend to the Briton Islands).
Thus, the Mediterranean region is Latin , Western European Germanic Celts in northwestern Europe such as the tribes, the British Isles and Brutagne in France The distribution was completed.
In Eastern Europe, Slavic people Is living.
On the other hand, from Asia, Uralic / Altaic languages Don't miss the relationship with (Avars, Magyar, Turks, etc.). As a result of repeated contact with them, some European countries such as Hungary and Finland still have languages whose ancestors are nomads who migrated from Asia.
Old Germanic life
It was ancient Europe where these peoples lived, but it was the Germanic migration that changed the world. was. It is a great opportunity to change the era from ancient times to the Middle Ages.
Old Germanic society the Germanic society before such migration Or primitive Germanic society What are you calling?
The representative one that remains as a historical material to know this society is
- " Gallia Senki Caesar (mid-1st century BC)
- " Germania 』Tacitus (end of the 1st century)
.
The Germanic people known from these historical sources are
Economic activity- Mainly cattle breeding and hunting
- Cultivate grains such as barley and swallow, and vegetables such as peas and turnips in the sub.
- Form a small settlement on the land for short.
- About 50 tribal groups ( Civitas ) (← a kind of warrior corps)
- The hierarchy of aristocrats, commoners, and slaves has already been completed.
- Civitas had a king or several chiefs elected from the aristocrats
- The highest institution is the private assembly
- Small matters are discussed by the chiefs, important matters are discussed by the entire people
- If you are not satisfied:Rejected by buzz
- If you agree:Meeting a flamere (spear-thrower)
Praising with a weapon was the most prestigious way to agree
- The parliament was unanimous, but in reality the aristocratic decision was made.
I built this kind of life.
In addition, in old Germanic society retinue It is also known as a system called "a powerful aristocrat had a servant consisting of children of a commoner (or aristocrat) as a private soldier".
These basics also influenced the Germanic countries that were created later.
Above all, servant system Is the beneficium of the Roman Empire Together with the origin of the feudal master-slave relationship It is said that a medieval European society will be built under this feudal society.
Civitas As you can see from the fact that they created a group like the warrior corps and the case where the expression of approval by weapons was the highest honor, the Germanic people were a group where the fighting faction and the fighting faction were honored.
It seems no coincidence that most of the Roman army at the end of imperial Rome was occupied by Germanic mercenaries.
What is the religion that the old Germanic society worshiped?
The Germanic people, who became deeply involved with Rome, eventually became Christian . Will come to believe.
In addition, they were Arian in Christianity. It was a sect called. At that time, it was a heretical Christian teaching on the side exiled from Rome.
By being expelled from Rome, the missionary activities to the Germanic people in the remote areas became active, and it was supposed to be transmitted mainly to the East Germanic tribes.
Germanic classification
The language families are often divided into east, west, and north, but the Germanic people are mainly involved in the great migration of the Germanic people, the East Germanic and the West Germanic.
East Germanic- Burgundians
- Ostrogoths
- Visigoths
- Vandals
- Lombards (Lombards)
- Gepin people, etc.
- Franks
- Saxons
- Suebi
- Alemanni
- Angles
- Jutes, etc.
Germanic migration
Before the start of the major migration, a relatively small number of migrations were the main ones (it is certain that there were some who aimed at looting, but it seems that it was not a large one).
Civitas , a tribal group that had about 50 while a small number of movements continued Will be consolidated up to about 10 and the power of the king and the chief will be strengthened along with such changes.
This large tribe that came to be aggregated is Stam Since the beginning of the latter half of the 4th century, the great migration has been carried out in units of Stamm.
The direct cause of the migration is the Huns from Asia. It is said that there was an invasion of.
Why Huns I don't know the details if it was moving. However, Huns The cause of the invasion was cooling that occurred at a similar time. Is the food shortage theory by the most influential? Seems to be considered.
"Invasion of foreigners from the east" So, the first influences were East Germanic peoples . was.
So, by the time the West Germanic peoples began to make great migrations, the East Germanic tribes had already settled in the Hungarian Plains (Pannonia) and the step zones on the north coast of the Black Sea, far from their homeland. Many of the remaining people in the vicinity of the native country will be the Western Germanic tribes.
Establishment of a nation by the Germanic people
The Roman Empire that had already begun to decline Is completely divided due to the great migration of the Germanic people. In 395, it was divided into east and west.
By the way, Germanic migration Started in earnest in 375 .. You can see that I was influenced by everything.
Of the Roman Empires after the division, the Western Roman Empire was greatly influenced by the Germanic people. Repeated invasions made it difficult to even maintain the Italian peninsula, and finally in 476, the Germanic mercenary captain Odoacer . Will be destroyed by.
* Detailed World History Research Yamakawa Publishing Co., Ltd. Revised "Europe in the 5th Century" and "Anglo-Saxon Seven Kingdoms"
Trends of nations created by the Germanic people- Birth of the Ostrogothic Kingdom in 375 The Ostrogoths are chased by the Huns and move to Pannonia (Hungarian Plain) next to the Lower Pete Kingdom
- 418 The birth of the Visigothic Kingdom The Visigoths dominate southern France-Iberian Peninsula
- 429 Birth of the Vandal Kingdom Vandals dominate North Africa-Mediterranean
- Birth of the Kingdom of Burgundians in 443 The Burgundians who had already invaded Gaul (← area name, now around France) began to rule in earnest
- Around 449? Birth of the Seven Kingdoms of Anglo-Saxons In the Briton Islands, an era has begun in which many nations of Anglo-Saxons and small nations of indigenous Britons compete for victory.
- 476 or 480 The fall of the Western Roman Empire Germanic mercenary Odoacer expelled Emperor Romulus
- 476 Birth of the Kingdom of Odoacer Odoacer establishes a kingdom on the Italian peninsula
- 481 Birth of the Frankish Kingdom The Merovingian dynasty of the Salian unifies the small nations created by the Franks. Dominated northern France today
- 493 The Ostrogothic Kingdom invades Italy The Ostrogoths destroy the Odoacer Kingdom and establish the Ostrogothic Kingdom
After the migration, these Germanic nations were born, but many ended up in short-lived governments. The country that made a clear distinction is the Frank Kingdom . was.
Frank Kingdom Later Kingdom of France , Kingdom of Italy , Holy Roman Empire It will become the mother body of the world and will make its presence in medieval Europe.