The Visigoths were a large Germanic barbarian group who invaded the Roman Empire in 268 AD. They established a small empire in Dacia but rebelled against the Romans in 376 AD, resulting in the destruction of half of the Balkans. The war ended in a truce, but the killing of Visigothic soldiers’ families caused Alaric to declare war, conquer Rome, and become the most powerful nation in the Iberian Peninsula. The Visigoths fell to the Muslim conquest in the early eighth century.
The Visigoths were an East Germanic tribe closely related to the Ostrogoths. Together, they are considered the largest Germanic barbarian group in Old Europe. Little is known about the Visigoths until the year 268 AD, when they led a deadly invasion of the Roman Empire. They wreaked havoc by conquering several Italian provinces, before being defeated near the Slovenian border. The Visigoths then withdrew to Dacia, a Roman province they had conquered several months earlier, where they established a small empire that remained intact until the year 376.
In 376 AD the Gothic Wars were underway. Under frequent attacks from the Huns and seeking to relocate, the Visigoths asked the Roman Empire for permission to move south. While the request was granted, the Roman emperor Valens later refused to let the Visigoths settle. When famine struck, the emperor did not deliver the promised supplies. The Visigoths, who had been peaceful for over a hundred years, rebelled, starting a deadly war that resulted in the destruction of half of the Balkans, as well as the death of the traitor emperor.
While the war ended in a truce, the Romans viewed it as a defeat. Years later, this little war would be credited with ushering in the end of the Roman Empire. Over the next two decades, the Roman emperor Theodosius I and the king of the Visigoths, Alaric I, did their best to keep the peace. Occasional conflicts were quickly resolved and both groups remained in relative friendship. When Theodosius left the throne in the hands of his sons, however, everything changed. In previous years, over 30,000 Visigoths had joined the Roman army.
This was seen as a good diplomatic move by both sides and a guarantee of respect for the other group. After Theodosius’ death, and following never confirmed conflicts caused by the Visigoths, his sons ordered the killing of the families of all Visigothic soldiers who served in the Roman army. The massacre caused Alaric to declare war, conquer Rome and eventually become the most powerful nation in the Iberian Peninsula. It wasn’t until 507 AD that the Visigoths lost another battle.
The last kingdom of the Visigoths survived until the early eighth century. After King Roderic was killed in battle, the Visigoths struggled to stick together and finally fell to the Muslim conquest who took over the whole area by the year 8 AD
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