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Visigothic Kingdom

From the III Century The Roman Empire was weaker and weaker, the borders were difficult to keep

The Middle Ages began in the 5th century when four Germanic tribes, the Visigoths, the Suebi, the Vandals and the Alans settled in Hispania.

In the 6th century, the Visigoths conquered the other three tribes, and took control of most of the Iberian Peninsula. The Visigoths established the capital of their kingdom in Toledo and adopted some of the Roman ways of life. They learnt Latin and followed Roman laws, but they kept some of their own customs too. The Visigoth king, Recaredo I, converted his kingdom to Catholicism.

Visigoth society consisted of a king, nobles and peasants. The nobles came from wealthy families, often relatives of the king, who owned land and had considerable power. The king and nobles held councils to discuss any problems in the kingdom. The rest of the population were mostly peasants, who worked in the countryside on nobles’ land in exchange for food and a place to live. The Visigoths built small stone churches and were excellent metal workers.

By Social Science ByMe MacmillanIberica S.A.