The Visigoths were one of the two main branches of the Goths, a Germanic people. According to Jordanes, a sixth century Roman historian of Gothic heritage, the Goths originated in Scandinavia. Though the Goths were said to have formed in one place, they were known to be a migratory people that took over territories through battle. In the mid third century AD, the Goths in the region of the Black Sea launched attacks upon Asia Minor and the Roman Balkans. After these invasions, the Goths split into two tribes, the Visigoths, meaning Western Goths, and the Ostrogoths, meaning Eastern Goths.
Map of Scandinavia
After this separation, the Visigoths settled west of the Black Sea, and soon after, the Huns invaded the area. Some Visigoths fled into the mountains of Transylvania, while about 200,000 others, after receiving sanctuary from the Roman Emperor Valens, settled in an area near the Danube River in 376 CE. The Visigoths were different from other groups that Valens had given sanctuary because instead of assimilating, which Valens would have preferred, the Visigoths settled as an individual tribe in Roman territory. Due to exploitation by Roman governors and widespread discontent among the people, open rebellion broke out, leading to the plundering of neighboring Roman towns. In response to this event, Emperor Valens attacked the Visigoths in a series of skirmishes known as the Gothic Wars. At the Battle of Adrianople in 378 CE, a Visigothic victory turned the tides of the wars, and Emperor Valens was killed in battle.
The Visigoths advanced onto Thrace, where in 382 CE, Theodosius I, the new emperor of the Western Roman Empire, offered a peace treaty. After concluding the peace treaty, Theodosius I instituted Visigothic governors and tried to unite the Visigoths and Romans through Christianity, which did not end up successful. This peace lasted until the death of Theodosius I in 395 CE. Following his death, the Visigoths rejected Roman rule and announced Alaric I their king.
Theodosius in his tenth year
Alaric I attempted to connect the Visigoths and Romans through introducing Roman customs and culture in their regions. Alaric’s soldier tendencies surpassed his administrative skills when in 395 and 396 CE he led troops through the Balkans and down into Greece, conquering such cities as Argos, Athens, Corinth, and Sparta. He then turned around to Italy and sacked Rome in 410 CE. He died soon after this expedition.
Funeral of King Alaric I
Alaric I’s successor Athaulf led the Visigoths out of Italy into Gaul in 412 CE, establishing the Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse. After Athaulf, King Wallia expanded the kingdom between the Garonne and the Loire, and his successor Euric expanded it to include the southern part of Gaul and a large portion of Spain. At this time, the Visigoths practiced Arian Christianity, which had been taught to them in the 300s by Ulfilas, an apostle and missionary for the Goths who translated the Bible into his own alphabet. The Spaniards at the time were Nicene Christians, otherwise known as Catholics. Euric was just towards most Catholics but took steps against individual bishops and clergy who stimulated disputes and were political opponents of the kingdom. After Euric’s death, Alaric II became king. At this same time, Clovis of the Franks sought to drive the Arian Visigoths from the region.
Clovis Kills Alaric II
In 507 CE, Alaric II was defeated in battle by Clovis, and the Visigothic Kingdom became Frankish. The capital was established at Toledo, and the cultures began to merge between the Romans and the Visigoths. In 711 CE, Muslim forces conquered Spain, which accelerated the assimilation of the Visigoths and Franks into one united group against the conquerors. Over time, the native Romans of Hispania and the Visigoths became the united culture of Spain.
Left: Muslim invaders conquer Visigothic Kingdom