The Visigothic people’s origin, at least from the earliest recordings, seems to be from Poland. They appear on the scene in the Iberian Peninsula in the early 400s A.D. However, they organized as a settled kingdom, a monarchy, around 418, their structure of government and law was influenced by Germanic and and Roman principles. They had what one might consider something similar to an alliance with Rome, but when the fall of Rome took place in 476 the Visigoths took it upon themselves to attempt to conquer the land that had been promised to them due to their original agreement to support the Roman empire; this alliance was known as a federati. Expansion began while the kingdom was under the rule of king Euric. During these conquests the Visigoth’s territory was rather large covering most of what is now modern day Spain, and into the south western parts of what was known as Gaul. However, in the early 6th century after a defeat from the Franks in south western Gaul, the Visigoth kingdom, under Leovigild, was relatively limited to the Iberian Peninsula. There was great tension between the population of Hispano-Roman and the Visigoths who had conquered them. Originally the kingdom formed as a “state within a state,” but by the late 5th century they had full reign of their territory in the peninsula. The kingdom provided forms public law and public welfare for its subjects. As also common in ancient and medieval kingdoms, there were nobles of different ranks whom the kings gave land. These nobles were known by the names fideles and gradingi. Religion, as noted in the introduction played a massive part in a most political decisions. However, the Visigoths had some understanding that the function and success of government was not only based on territory, but an allegiance of the territories citizens. The Visigoths by this time had adopted Arian Christianity, which did not sit well for any of the Roman Catholics in the regions which the Visigoths ruled. Meanwhile, the Byzantines had made failed attempts to control the Visigoths, as they held on to the hope that most of the subjects ruled by the empire were not Arian. King Reccared, who ruled over the kingdom from 586 to 601, finally gave in and converted to Catholicism in order to relive tensions and gain alliance with his subjects and bishops of the Roman Catholic Church who held political power and sway during these times. This acceptance of the church into the government role did change the absolute rule of the monarchy as bishops and Roman Catholic ideals took their place among the official government. The Visigothic monarchy was not so much hereditary as it was a free-for-all where kings murdered one another and association could get you close to the thrown. The economic business of the Visigothic kingdom was primarily agricultural. By 711, the Arab peoples had taken over the Visigoth capital of Toledo and with it pushed Visigothic rule into oblivion. 

 

    The Visigothic Kingdom most significant contribution of the dark ages due to its code of law known as the Liber Judiciorum (latin) or the Visigothic law code. King Recceswinth’s reign is responsible for the publishing the code in 654 after one of many Councils of Toledo. These councils were made up of bishops and some nobility within the kingdom, and they often published and abolished laws. This code of law shows the foothold of Roman empire ideology across Europe, but it also revised some things. For example, there were laws in the Roman empire that applied to only Romans and laws that applied to only non-Romans. The Visigoths did away with this notion and created a single code of law that would rule all people in their territories. However, the Visigothic Code was quite anti-Semitic. The Visigothic law code did not disappear as their people did, but as Christians held on to these laws they were influential for kingdoms long after 711AD. Visigothic law can be seen in the underpinnings of law through out the medieval era, and have played a role in bringing Western Civilization to where it is today.