History glossary
Visigoths
a Gothic people who entered the Roman Empire, fought at Adrianople, sacked Rome in 410 CE, and later founded kingdoms in Gaul and Iberia.
- Category
- Historical group
- Region
- Roman frontier, Gaul, and Iberia
- Date range
- 4th-8th centuries CE
What it means
The Visigoths were a Gothic people who crossed into Roman territory during the crisis of the late fourth century. After mistreatment by Roman officials, they fought and defeated Emperor Valens at Adrianople in 378 CE. Under Alaric, Visigothic forces sacked Rome in 410 CE, then moved into southern Gaul and Iberia, where they built successor kingdoms that preserved parts of Roman law and administration.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Roman Empire
From Augustus to the fall of the Western Empire, Rome built a vast imperial system whose law, cities, armies and ideas shaped the ancient and medieval worlds.
The Fall of Rome to Early Medieval Europe
From the arrival of Gothic peoples at the Danube to the crowning of Charlemagne, this story traces how the Western Roman Empire fragmented into successor kingdoms and how a new medieval world took shape.
