The Romans had fought back the invading barbarian tribes from the east for centuries. But by 400 AD the barbarians were winning. The Visigoths had crossed into the Balkans in 375 and began to attack Italy in 402. In 406 the Vandals, Alans and Suebi crossed the Rhine and ravaged Gaul before passing into Spain in 409. The Vandals crossed to Africa in 429 and took Carthage in 439. They remained a threat to Rome, infamously sacking Rome in 455. Eventually the Goths -Visigoths and Ostrogoths - made treaties with the emperors in the East and settled the areas they had conquered. They were far from un-cultured and insinuated their presence into the army and the court of the Western Empire. Eventually the Western emperors became mere puppets and when Romulus Augustus (475-476) was overthrown, Italy was in Gothic hands. The new order in Europe was established and the seeds of the modern states of Europe were sown. |
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The Byzantine Empire
The Germanic Migrations