The Fifth-Century Kingdom in Gaul

The Emergence and Growth of the Visigothic Kingdom

A study of the monetary culture of the Visigothic kingdom over its long course begins concretely with the Goths’ settlement first in the western Gallic provinces in the early fifth century and later in Hispania, in tandem with consideration of their relations with the Roman Empire. There is, however, a Gothic history prior to these pivotal episodes that has some bearing on the subject under discussion. Much of this revolves around the migration into the Empire in 376 of Goths, or primarily a portion of a people sometimes identified as their ancestors (the Tervingi), and the subsequent troubled relationship with imperial authorities who had permitted their crossing south of the Danube. This is highlighted first by the battle of Adrianople in 378 in which Gothic victory entailed emperor Valens's death and second by the assault on Rome under Alaric in 410. Today, basic questions persist as to whether ‘Goths’ actually existed before the Danube crossing and who they were in the years that followed, what their real association was with other groups north of the river both culturally and in terms of the mass movements of this era, and what role all the barbarian migrants played in the demise of the western Empire.