Lesson 2. The barbarian migration in West and Central Europe Learning tasks: by completing this unit of study, the student will be able to: Present the situation of the Germanic tribes in the first centuries A.D.; Retain the main chronological landmarks of the great migration of the Germanic tribes (4th and 5th centuries); Reveal the important moments of The formation of the Germanic kingdoms; Identify consequences of the great migration of the Germanic tribes to Western and Central Europe. 1. The Germanic tribes in the first centuries A.D. In the first centuries A.D., the Germanic tribes occupied large regions between the Rhine, the upper and middle Danube and Vistula, and also in southern Scandinavia and the northern Black Sea. The main historical sources relating to the Germanic tribes in the first century AD are the archaeological discoveries and the work of the Roman historian Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, De Origine et situ Germanorum (circa 98 A.D.) The main occupation of the Germanic tribes was animal growing and plant cultivation. They cultivated wheat, barley, oats, rye, millet and textile plants like flax and hemp. An important role it had fishing on the coasts of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea and in rivers and ponds and also hunting. In the first centuries A.D., the Germans have made some progress in the ore extraction (copper, iron, silver) and in the development of crafts. Crafts were still attached to agriculture and were related to metalworking, woodworking, animal leather processing, textile plants processing, and ceramics. During the first centuries A.D. the Germans had a sedentary lifestyle. They lived in villages. The Germans had no towns or fairs. Between the third century and the fifth century the German tribes were divided into three branches: The Western branch: the Franks - the lower and middle Rhine; the Alemanni - the Upper Rhine; the Saxons - the North Sea, the Jutes - Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History Jutland Peninsula; the Frisians - the Netherlands; the Langobards -the lower Wesser and Elbe, The Angles - the North Sea and the Suebi - between Elbe and Oder. The Eastern branch: the Rugians, the Heruli, the Scirii - the Lower Oder; the Burgundians and the Vandals - the middle and upper reaches of the Oder; the Gepids - between the Oder and Vistula, the Goths - in the North of Black Sea. The Northern branch: the Danes and the Swedes - in southern Scandinavia. Between the third century and the fifth century, there have been several major unions Germanic tribes, like those of Alemanni, Franks, Saxons, Bavarians and Goths. Among important Germanic deities were: Wōden (West Germanic) or Odin Óðinn (North Germanic), considered the supreme god; Týr (Old Norse) or Tīw, Tīg (both Old English) who was the war god; Thor: Þórr (North Germanic) or Donar (Southern Germanic areas) who was the god of thunder and Frigg (sometimes anglicized as Frigga), goddess who protect the family. In the second half of the fourth century Arianism began to spread to the Goths and in the first half of the fifth century at the German tribes who had settled in the Western Roman Empire. In contrast, in the territory of Germany Christianity almost no penetrated. * 2. The great migration of the Germanic tribes (4th and 5th centuries ) Unlike to the incursions of the Germanic tribes into the Roman Empire from 3rd and 4th centuries, their great migration of the fifth century has resulted the penetration of the Roman fortified lines on the Rhine and on the upper Danube and the establishment of the Germanic migrators in almost all provinces of the Roman Empire. Chronologically, the migration of the Germanic tribes, from the last decades of the fourth century and the first decade of the fifth century, is as follows: 375 - the Ostrogoths were defeated by Huns; 376 - the Visigoths, defeated by Huns, moved to the south of the Danube; 377 - the Ostrogoths moved to the south of the Danube; 377-378 - takes place the Visigoths uprising against the Roman authorities. This uprising culminates with their victory at Adrianople (378), where Valens, the Roman Emperor, is killed; 380 - the Ostrogoths are seated in Pannonia as foederati of the Roman Empire. 2 Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History 382 - the Visigoths are seated in Thrace as foederati of the Roman Empire; 401 - under the leadership of Alaric I, the Visigoths penetrated into northern Italy; 403 - following the conclusion of a treaty, the Visigoths are becoming foederati of the Western Roman Empire and they received the region between Dalmatia and Pannonia; 405 -the Ostrogoths and other Germanic tribes entered in northern Italy, which for several months is devastated and robbed; 406 - the Suebi, the Vandals and the Alans crossed the Rhine and they occupied Mainz, Trier, Reims, reaching in Aquitaine; the Burgundians settled along the Rhine, in the region of the cities Worms, Speyer and Mainz; 408 - the Visigoths led by Alaric I enter again in Italy; 408-409 - the Romans buy twice the Visigoths withdrawal in Rome; 409 - the Vandals, the Suebi and the Alans cross the Pyrenees and settled in Spain; 410, August 24 - Rome was conquered and robbed for three days by the Visigoths. * 3. The formation of the Germanic kingdoms; The Fall of the Western Roman Empire The establishment of the Germanic tribes in almost all the provinces of the Roman Empire was followed from the first decades of the fifth century by the formation of the Romano-Germanic kingdoms. These consequences were either immediately, from the fifth century, or later, their effects appeared in the following centuries. Chronologically, the situation is as follows: 412 - the Visigoths enter in southern Gaul and in a few decades they occupied the southern and central of this province and Spain. During the King Euric (466-485) the Visigoth kingdom became the most powerful barbarian state from the West of Europe; 429 - the Vandals, led by the King Geiserich (Genseric) (428-477), passing Gibraltar and landed in North Africa. Until the mid-fifth century the Vandals occupy northwestern Africa and the Balearic Islands, Sardinia and Corsica, creating a strong and stretched barbarian state. Mid-fifth century- the Ripuarian Franks settled in the region of Köln; 451 - a huge army, made up of Huns and the armed contingents of the subjected tribes crossed Germany, passed the Rhine, occupied and plundered the cities of Metz, Reims and Troyes and besieged 3 Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History Orléans. Under the leadership of the Roman general Aetius, the Roman army had forced Huns to raise the siege of Orléans. Also, Aetius defeated the Huns in the bloody battle of Campus Mauriacus, the west of Troyes. 453 - After the death of Attila, the tribes union of the Huns is falling apart. 454 - broke out a revolt of the subjected tribes by the Huns: Ostrogoths, Gepids, Alans. They crushed the Huns army on Nedao River, in Pannonia; The Ostrogoths settled in Panannonia as foederati of the Western Roman Empire; 471 - The Ostrogoths settled in Moesia Inferior as foederati of the Eastern Roman Empire; Fifth century (5th -7th decades) - the Burgundians occupies Savoy and the southeastern Gaul, including the city of Lyon, creating the Burgundian kingdom; Fifth century - after the Roman withdrawal from Britain (407) the Celtic and Celtic-Roman population leads a hard battle against the tribes of the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, migrated from the northern shores of Germany and the Jutland Peninsula. In the mid- seventh century the Angles and the Saxons end broadly the conquest of Britain; 476, September 4th -the German mercenaries (Rugians, Scirians, Herulians and Turchilingi), who formed the imperial army, led by Odoacer revolted and deposed the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus. After that, Odoacer sent the imperial insignia to Constantinople, acknowledging the authority of the Eastern Roman Empire. Zeno, the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (474 -475; 476-491), granted him the rank of patrician. This moment marks the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and also the end of the Antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages; 481-511 - during the reign of Clovis I, from the Merovingian dynasty, the Salian Franks take possession the most parts of Gaul. Clovis I defeats Siagrius, a former Roman governor, and annexed northwestern Gaul (486). Then, Clovis I beat the Alemanni and annexed their kingdom from Alsace (496). In the Battle of Vouillé (507) Clovis I defeats the Visigoths led by King Alaric II and, except Provence and Septimania, the Frankish king occupies all the Visigothic possessions from Gaul; 489-493 -interested in creating an Ostrogoth state in Italy, Theoderic the Great, the king of the Ostrogoths, defeats Odoacer (489). Then, Theoderic besiege Odoacer at Ravenna (490-493) and forces him to share the authority over Italy. The condominium ended by removing 4 Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History Odoacer by Theodoric (493), who remained the only ruler of Italy (493–526). * 4. Consequences of the great migration of the Germanic tribes to Western and Central Europe The great migration of the Germanic tribes had consequences for both the Roman provinces, where the Germans settled, as well as for the territory of Germany, from where most of them had gone: With the coming of the Germanic tribes in the provinces of the Roman Empire began the formation process of the Neo-Latin peoples in Europe: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French. Between the 5th century and the 9th century the romanized population from Italy, Gaul and Spain assimilated the German tribes of the Franks, Burgundians, Visigoths, Ostrogoths and Longobards. In contrast, in Britannia, where the romanization was very poor, the Anglo-Saxon tribes assimilated the Celtic-Roman population, resulting English people, of Germanic origin; Migration had hurried the formation of the natural economy.