Visigothic Kingdom: Map & History
The Visigothic Kingdom, Visigothic Spain or Kingdom of the Goths was a barbarian kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th century.
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The Visigothic Kingdom, Visigothic Spain or Kingdom of the Goths was a barbarian kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th century. One of the Germanic successor states to the Western Roman Empire, it was originally created by the settlement of the Visigoths under King Wallia in the province of Gallia Aquitania in southwest Gaul by the Roman government and then extended by conquest over all of Hispania. The Kingdom maintained independence from the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, whose attempts to re-establish Roman authority in Hispania were only partially successful and short-lived.
Modern Countries Once Part of Visigothic Kingdom
At its mapped extent, Visigothic Kingdom covered territory in 4 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Andorra458–717 CE · nearly all
- Portugal458–717 CE · most
- Spain458–723 CE · most
- France426–723 CE · a large part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Visigothic Kingdom's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Visigothic Kingdom in Depth
History
From 407 to 409 AD, an alliance of (East) Germanic Vandals, Iranian Alans and (Elbe) Germanic Suebi crossed the frozen Rhine and swept across modern France and into the Iberian Peninsula. For their part, the Visigoths under Alaric famously sacked Rome in 410, capturing Galla Placidia, the sister of Western Roman emperor Honorius.
Athaulf (king of the Visigoths from 410 to 415) spent the next few years operating in the Gallic and Hispanic countrysides, diplomatically playing competing factions of Germanic and Roman commanders against one another to skillful effect, and taking over cities such as Narbonne and Toulouse (in 413).
Culture and classical heritage
The Visigothic rule has often been misattributed to be a part of the so-called Dark Ages, a time of supposedly cultural and scientific decay. Through the course of their existence the Visigoths supposedly remained "men of the woods never strayed too far from there," as Thomas F. Glick puts it.
However, in fact, the Visigoths were preservers of the classical culture. The bathing culture of Andalusia, for example, often said to be a Muslim invention, is a direct continuation of Romano-Visigothic traditions. Visigothic Mérida housed baths supplied with water by aqueducts, and such aqueducts are also attested in Córdoba, Cádiz and Recopolis. Excavations confirm that Recopolis and Toledo, the Visigothic capital, were heavily influenced by the contemporary Byzantine architecture.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Visigothic Kingdom (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Visigothic Kingdom: Key Facts
| Capitals | Toledo, Barcelona |
|---|---|
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 476 CE |
| Dissolved | 718 CE |
Preceded by
Succeeded by
- al-Andalus
Facts from Wikidata Q126936 (CC0).
Visigothic Kingdom Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Visigothic Kingdom appears, with the other states of the time.
Visigothic Kingdom Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 689,712 km² in 500 CE.
Visigothic Kingdom: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Visigothic Kingdom exist?
The Visigothic Kingdom is dated to 426 CE – 723 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom?
The capital of the Visigothic Kingdom was Toulouse.
How large was the Visigothic Kingdom at its peak?
At its peak in 500 AD the Visigothic Kingdom covered about 689,712 km².
How did the map of the Visigothic Kingdom change over time?
The Visigothic Kingdom appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 500 CE to 600 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.