Barbarian Invasions

1. The Barbarian Invasions
The Migration Period in Europe,
300-700 C.E.

2. Content Goals and Objectives:
Goal 4 – Barbarian Invasions
The student will evaluate the invasions of Europe as a force for
change in medieval Europe.
 4.01  Trace and evaluate the effects of the Germanic invasions
during late antiquity including but not limited to the invasions of
the Goths, Huns, Lombards, and Franks.
 4.02  Outline the political achievements and developments of
the Merovingians in early medieval Europe.
 4.03  Evaluate the political developments and impact of the
Carolingian Empire on medieval Europe.
 4.04  Detail the Vikings invasions and assess their impact on the
cultural and political development of medieval Europe.
 4.05  Evaluate the role of the Islamic threat on the cultural and
political developments of medieval Europe.
 4.06  Summarize the influence of Magyar invasions on cultural
and political developments of medieval Europe.
 4.07  Assess the cultural and political results of the invasions of
early medieval Europe.

3. The Fall of the
Roman Empire
 Beginning of the Middle Ages
 Invasions of Barbarian Tribes
 End of the Roman emperors
 476 C.E. = end of the Roman Empire
 “Barbarian” Germanic general Odoacer deposed the last
Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus
 Who were these barbarians who are charged with
ultimately bringing down the Roman empire?

4. Barbarian
Invasions
 Areas of Settlement
 Angles/Saxons
 Came from Continental
Europe
 Settled in England
 Magyars
 Came from Central
Asia
 Settled in Hungary
 Vikings
 Came from
Scandinavia
 Many settled in Russia

5. Who were the
barbarians?
Barbarians – term applied by the Romans to any group
they considered uncivilized
 From a Greek word meaning“anyone who is not Greek”
Barbarians were all of the groups/tribes living in
Europe
 Different tribes were migrating around continent
 For example: “Germanic tribes” describes a lot of
different tribes who lived in the general area now
called Germany, but they did not think of themselves
as “Germans,” and went on to eventually found
completely different countries, such as the Germanic
Franks founding France

6. European Migrations
 First phase of migrations (circa 300-500 CE)
 Germanic peoples of northern Europe who settled
throughout Europe (territory and border lands of Roman
empire)
 Such as the Alamanni, Alans, Angles, Burgundians, Franks,
Goths (Ostrogoths and Visigoths), Jutes, Langobards,
Lombards, Saxons, Suebi, Vandals
 Second phase of migrations (circa 500-700 CE)
 Slavic tribes of eastern Europe
 Such as the Bulgars
 Division into phases not very important
 These tribes took centuries to eventually settle
 By the time they settled, a new migratory wave—the Viking
invasions—took place starting in the 700s

7. This map shows the movement southward of the tribes of northern Europe. For example, the
Goths originated in Scandinavia. By 150 C.E., the Goths were living on the southern shores of
the Baltic Sea. By 200 C.E., the Goths were in southeastern Europe along the Black Sea. Here,
the Goths split, with those living in the east called Ostrogoths, and those in the west called
Visigoths.

8. Germanic Culture
Economy
 Hunters and farmers
War culture
 Tribes always fighting one another
Religion
 Valhalla – warriors’ heaven
 Animal and human sacrifice
 Gods survive in our days of the week
 Gradually converted to Christianity through exposure
to the Roman empire and Christian missionaries

9. Germanic Justice
• Trial by ordeal
– Innocence proven by survival of a trial
– For example, retrieving an object from boiling water
or walking over hot coals
– If the person survived the ordeal, or healed quickly,
the verdict was innocent
– Modern era version: Salem Witchcraft Trials
• Trial by combat
– Winner of the fight is innocent of the crime, or
winner of the dispute
– Modern era version: Dueling
• These trials survived through the Middle Ages in
Europe

10. Angles, Saxons, and
Jutes
 400s
 Moved into Britannia as the Roman empire declined
 Gave the area its name
 England = “Angle’s land”
 Old English language -closely related to Frisian, a
German dialect
The Burgundians
Late 400s to 530s
Founded a kingdom in southern Gaul
(modern France) in the Valley of the Rhone

11. The Vandals
Led by Genseric (lived circa 389 CE-477 CE)
 Crossed Gaul, to Spain, to north Africa
 Established Vandal kingdom around Carthage and on
islands such as Corsica and Sardinia
Famously sacked Rome in 455 C.E.
 After murder of Emperor Valentinian III
 Plundered city’s riches – origin of term vandalism
 Kidnapped emperor’s widow and daughters
Finally conquered by the Eastern Roman
empire in 533 CE

12. The Franks
 Kingdom in Gaul
 Became known as “France” after the Franks
 United under King Clovis (lived circa 466-511
CE)
 First king of France (ruled 481-511 CE)
 Married Christian Burgundian princes, Clotilde
 Converted to Christianity

14. The Lombards
 Invaded Italy following the death of Emperor
Justinian (Eastern Roman empire) in 565 CE
 568 CE
 Under leadership of Alboin
 Set up a powerful kingdom in the Italian peninsula
 Modern Italian region of Lombardy
 Conquered by France’s King Charlemagne in 774

15. The Huns
 From Asia, east of the Volga River
 Their migration pushed Goths into Roman empire, ca. 370 CE
 Led by Attila the Hun (lived 406-453 CE)
 Campaign in Gaul
 Sacked various cities
 Finally defeated by alliance of Romans and Visigoths under
General Aetius at the Battle of Chalons (451 CE)
 According to legend, Pope Leo I, helped by St. Peter and St.
Paul, convinced Attila at the Po River to halt his advance
 Attila retreated and died a year later, allegedly by choking to
death on his own blood (from a nosebleed) while in a drunken
stupor following his wedding

17. The Goths
split into the
Visigoths
(West Goths)
and
Ostrogoths
(East Goths)
around the
year 200 CE.

18. The Visigoths (West
Goths)
Led by Alaric I (lived ca. 370-410 CE)
Pushed into the Roman empire by the westward
migration of the Huns
 378 CE – Romans defeated by the Visigoths at the
Battle of Adrianople
Sacked Rome in 410 CE
Eventually settled in Spain
 Visigothic kingdom in Spain lasted until Arab Muslim
invaders arrived in 711 CE
 These Muslim rulers were not expelled until completion of the
Reconquista under Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492

19. The Ostrogoths
(East Goths)
 Led by Theodoric the Great (lived 454-526)
 Raised at the court in Constantinople as a
traditional hostage, returning to the Ostrogoths
at age 31
 Kingdom in Italy
 Capital city – Ravenna
 Center of art and learning
 Conquered by Emperor Justinian (Eastern
Roman empire) in 554 CE

20. Odoacer and the Fall of Rome
476 CE – the barbarian general, Odoacer, dethroned
the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus
 No one even knows which tribe he belonged to, only that
he was Germanic
 The conquest of the Western Roman empire was a long
process, and a lot of factors contributed to Rome’s decline
This date (476 CE) is traditionally used for the end
of the Roman empire and the beginning of the
Middle Ages, circa 500-1400 (or Dark Ages, circa
500-800)

21. The Dark Ages (500-800 CE)
 Universal rule under Rome collapsed
 Separate barbarian kingdoms ruled in Rome’s place
 Economic decline
 Trade
 Infrastructure fell apart (roads and bridges)
 Piracy in the seas hurt trade
 Few coins minted
 Industry
 With limited trade, little demand for goods
 Fewer skilled workers trained
 Depopulation of cities (workers returned to farms)
 Culture and learning
 Illiteracy grew
 Ancient wisdom of Greece and Rome largely lost
 Preserved by Christian monks (Europe) and Muslim Arabs
(Middle East and northern Africa)

22. Rise of the Germanic Peoples
 Ostrogoths: Italian
peninsula
 Visigoths: modern-
day Spain
 Angles and Saxons:
modern-day Britain
 Franks: central
Europe
“Invasion of the Goths into the Roman Empire,”
a 19th
-century painting

23. Rise of the Germanic Peoples
continued
After the Germanic invasions, Roman influence merged with the
Germanic culture and people in different ways.
The Ostrogoths (in the Italian peninsula) preserved Roman
governmental structure and traditions.
The Visigoths, located in modern-day Spain, kept Roman
traditions but installed Germanic leaders.
In the British Isles, the Angles and Saxons each carved out
portions to create their own kingdoms.
The strongest of Germanic tribes was the Franks, located in
central Europe, who gained much of their strength under Clovis
and Charlemagne.

24. Invasions drastically change
Europe
 5 consequences
 Disruption of Trade
 Downfall of Cities
 Population Shifts
 Decline of Learning
 Loss of a common language

25. Disruption of Trade
 Merchants faced
invasions from both land
and sea, which led to
their businesses
collapsing.
 The breakdown of trade
destroyed Europe’s cities
as economic centers.
 Money became scarce.

26. Downfall of Cities
 With the fall of the
Roman Empire, cities
were abandoned as
centers of
administration

27. Population Shifts
 As Roman centers of trade and government collapsed, nobles
retreated to the rural areas and cities were left without strong
leadership.
 Other city dwellers also fled to the countryside, where they grew
their own food.
 The population of western Europe became mostly rural.

28. Decline of Learning
 The Germanic invaders could
not read or write and only
Roman church officials
continued to be literate.
 Knowledge of Greek was
almost lost and few people
could read Greek works of
literature, science, and
philosophy.
 The Germanic tribes had a
rich oral tradition of songs
and legends, just no written
language.

29. Loss of a Common Language
 As German-speaking peoples mixed with the Roman population,
Latin began to change and was no longer understood from region
to region.
 By the 800s,
French, Spanish,
and other
Romance languages
had evolved from
Latin.

30. Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
 Between 400- 600 C.E.
Germanic Kingdoms
replace Roman provinces
 Borders constantly
changing
 Church only source of
stability
 New concept of
Government
 Family ties and personal
loyalty most important
 Small communities
 Governed by
unwritten rules and
traditions

31. The Franks
 Former Roman province of
Gaul (France)
 Clovis
 496 C.E. led army
against warring
Germanic tribe
 Fearing defeat prayed to
the Christian God
 Franks won and Clovis
converted to Christianity
(as well as his soldiers)
 The church supported
Clovis
 511 C.E. Clovis united
the Franks into one
kingdom

32. Germanic Christianity
 By 600 C.E. many Germanic
people Christian
 Rulers and missionaries helped
spread religion
 Spreads to England
 Monasteries and Convents
 Built to adapt to rural
conditions
 Saint Benedict 520 C.E.
 Benedictine rule
 Benedictines most
influential monastic order
 Most educated, preserved
history
 Preserved Greco-Roman
cultural achievements
 Gregory I (The Great)
 Became Pope in 590 C.E.
 Broadened role of the
church
 Became secular, involved in
worldly affairs such as politics
 Idea of a churchly kingdom
of Europe ruled by the Pope
 Made church administration
more efficient
 Endorsed missionaries
 Supported Benedictine rule

34. The Frankish Empire
 Franks controlled largest
kingdom in Europe
 Clovis created the Merovingian
dynasty
 Near Paris, defeated rival
groups 486-507 C.E.
 Successors weak rulers
 Charles Martel 719 C.E.
 Mayor of the palace
 More power than King
 Battle of Tours 732 C.E.
 Defeated invading
Muslim army
 Became Christian hero
 Passed power to his son
 Pepin the Short
 Cooperated with Pope
 Fought for the church
and became the King
 Created Carolingian
Dynasty
 Wife “big-footed Bertha”

36. Charlemagne
 Pepin died in 768 C.E.
 Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
 Empire
 Greatest since Ancient Rome
 Conquered lands through
military victory
 Spread Christianity through
conquests
 Reunited Western Europe
 Pope Leo III crowned him
Emperor in 800 C.E.
 He needed a strong powerful
leader for Western Europe
 Called himself a “Roman
Emperor”
 Linked Carolingian Monarchy
with Church

37. Charlemagne’s Rule
 Government
 Limited authority of
nobles
 Strengthened central
authority
 Used Royal agents to
report on countryside
 Regularly participated in
his kingdom’s affairs
 Culture
 Roman culture was
reinterpreted
 Encouraged learning
 Opened a palace
school
 Built schools, churches
and roads to unite the
empire
 Ordered monasteries to
open schools to train
monks and priests
 Monasteries expanded
their libraries

38. The end of an Empire
 Charlemagne crowned
his son Louis the Pious
king in 814 C.E.
 Religious man
 Ineffective ruler
 Louis’ heirs
 Three sons
 Fought civil war
 Treaty of Verdun in 843
C.E. split kingdom
 New system of
government and
landholding evolved
 Unifying effect of
Charlemagne never died

39. Clovis (466–511)
 Established a Frankish
kingdom in central Europe
 Conquered many
competing tribes and
regional Roman political
leaders
 Converted to Christianity

40. Clovis continued
 In 486, the Franks defeated the last major Roman army
in Gaul (present-day France) then subdued other tribes
and minor rulers in the area to establish the first
Frankish Kingdom.
 Clovis, the first Frankish king, had a brilliant military
career and dramatically expanded the holdings of his
empire through battles with both competing tribes and
remaining regional Roman political leaders.
 During his reign, he converted to Christianity—
supposedly after praying to Jesus during a battle. This
helped to establish bonds with Christians now under
his rule through military conquest.

42. Frankish Kingdom continued
 After the death of Clovis, Charles Martel became
leader of the Franks.
 He continued to expand and defend the Frankish
Kingdom, including the defeat of Muslim invaders in 732.
 After his death, his son, Pepin, asked the head of the
church, Pope Zacharias, to recognize him as king.
 The pope agreed and Pepin became the first Frankish
king to rule with papal blessing.
 Pepin ruled until 768. His successor, Charles, continued
the relationship between the Frankish kingdom and the
church and expanded it further.

43. Charlemagne
(742–814)
 Pepin’s son, Charles, became leader of
the largest empire since the Romans.
Known as Charlemagne (Charles the
Great), he was another fierce military
leader who sought to expand the
Frankish empire.
 Powerful leader, strong Christian
 Created the Carolingian Empire
 During his rise to power, Charlemagne
was summoned by Pope Leo III, who
crowned him the Emperor of the
Romans (or Holy Roman Emperor),
uniting the Roman, Christian, and
Germanic cultures and traditions.

45. Conquests of Charlemagne
 Charlemagne defeated the Lombards to the south, the
Saxons to the north, and the Slavs to the east.
 After Charlemagne’s death, his empire quickly fell apart
as his grandsons fought one another for control.
 Powerful local nobles came to control land interests
throughout Europe, leading to a decentralization of
power.
 Adding to the disorder were constant raids carried out
by Scandinavian warriors known as Vikings.

46. The Vikings
 Warrior culture from Scandinavia
 Raided Europe
 Established settlements throughout Europe and even in North
America
 Scholars disagree about the reasons why the Vikings began to
aggressively raid other cultures and settle their lands.
 Overcrowding in the Viking homelands may have forced them to
seek new territory;
 crop failures or a desire to find new trade outlets may also have
been factors.
 Viking settlers ended up as far south as the Mediterranean, as
far East as modern-day Russia, and as far west as modern-day
Iceland, Greenland, and even Canada. They overran a large
area of northwestern France and called it Norsemanland, later
known as Normandy.
A Viking longboat