Visigoth kingdom

• Who where the visigoths?

  The Visigoths were part of the First Wave of Germanic tribes that settled inside the Roman Empire in the 5th century.
• Origins

  They reached an agreement with the Romans to fight as mercenaries in exchange for land to settle.
• They had a fight with...?

  The had to fight against the Alans, Vandals and Suevi that were settled in Hispania, but after the Fall of the Roman Empire (476 a.D), the Visigoths themselves established their own kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, with Toledo as its capital.
• How was the Visigothic monarchy?

  The Visigoths had an elective monarchy, which prevented the accumulation of power by just one family, but led to tensions between them.
• Visigothic monarchy

  The kings were counseled by the Aula Regia, formed by members of the Church and the nobility. Religious and political decisions were taken at assemblies called Councils of Toledo.
• How was the society?

  Visigoths were a minority of the population, but had the political and military power. Their religion was Arianism, considered an heresy by the Catholics.

  The rest of the population considered themselves Romans, that preserved the Roman culture and lifestyle.

  Marriage between the two groups was forbidden, but later king Reccared, converted to Catholicism.