Germanic Tribes

Vandals

# A member of a Germanic people that overran Gaul, Spain, and northern Africa in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. and sacked Rome in 455. A barbarian tribe that helped spread heresy of Arianism. The Vandals were the 2rd group to invade the Roman Empire after the Germans. They were known for their reputation for destruction. They invaded Gaul and Spain and built a robber kingdom on the site of ancient Carthage. They then invaded Rome in 455, plundering for 2 weeks and taking the roof off the Capitol because they thought it was gold and bronze statues.

Huns

- a nomadic people; migrated from central asia to Europe. Skilled riders who fought fierce battles to dislodge the Germanic peoples in their path. A factor in the fall of the empire was due to the run ins with the Huns and numerous other groups that sacked and "hurt" the empire.

Ostrogoths

A Germanic tribe that attacked Rome in 476 AD. The Leader was Odoacar, who kicked out the last Roman Emperor. From Scandanavia, Headed east but clashed with the Huns, retreated and settled in northern Italy. Controlled Italy until conquered by Justinian under Belisarius and Narses.

Franks

A Germanic tribe that gained power in Gaul, then became Christian during the reign of their king Clovis. This united them with the Church, and them expanded to encompass most of France during his reign. Later, Charles Martel, Pepin the Short, and Charlemagne conquered so much territory that the Frankish empire was larger than the Byzantine Empire, uniting western Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire. It was divided into 3 kingdoms upon the death of Charlemagne's heir.

Lombards

A group which lived along the Elbe and bean advancing toward the Danube by the middle of the second century. Eventually they settled in the Roman province of Pannonia before finally migrating to Italy in the sixth century."Long Beards" Conquer Italy following the Justinianic reconquest coming from the Alps, only Ravenna holds out for a long time.

Normans

A member of a Viking people who raided and then settled in the French province later known as Normandy, and who invaded England in 1066. Descendants of Vikings who moved to France and conquered parts of Western Europe, such as England and Italy. Built Castles

Anglo-Saxons

A united kingdom of the German Saxons and Angles (both of which had invaded England in the early 5th century); had been united under King Alfred the Great in the late 9th century; invaded by King William of Normandy in 1066, defeating King Harold (Battle of Hastings); intermarriage between the French Normans and Anglo Saxon nobles soon began.

Goths

An array of Germanic peoples, pushed further westward by nomads from central Asia. They in turn migrated west into Rome, upsetting the rough balance of power that existed between Rome and these people.

Vikings

Appeared 790, feared by Europeans targeted churches and monasteries. Danes, Northmen, Norse, ruled by kings and nobles, fairly democratic, hunters, gatherers, fishers, esp. farmers, raided Europe and the British Isles as the weather permitted, used slaves, assemblies of landowners made the laws, during the 800s famine, Vikings sailed away, Normandy gets its name from Normans, meaning northmen, large settlement of Vikings existed there, Vikings traded w/strong, pillaged the weak, savage and cruel, enjoyed battle, used axes and swords, customs and myths centered on pagan Norse gods, boats and instruments prepared people for use in the afterlife, sometimes a dead person was placed on a ship which was then burned

Burgundians

German tribe that moved into central Gaul. Originally from northern Europe, crossed into North Africa and established permanent kingdom, sacked Rome, persecuted Christians, engaged in piracy in the Med, settled in Gaul and established an independent kingdom.

Anglos

Germanic Tribes from Denmark settled in Britain, carved out small Kingdoms. Germanic tribe. Took over Britain when the Romans left.

Saxons

Germanic people. During the 5th century AD groups from these communities migrated to Britain either by invitation or invasion and in due course founded kingdoms which can generally be recognized by the fact that their names have the suffix 'sex.' In due course founded kingdoms , a germanic people that conquered England and merged with the Angles to become Anglo-Saxons

Germanic tribes

Nomadic groups that invaded the Roman Empire from the North and East. They caused the fall of Rome. Franks, Lombards, Burgundians, Vandals, Anglos, Saxons, Jutes, Alemanians, Goth, Visigothos, Ostrogoths

Celts

Peoples sharing a common language and culture that originated in Central Europe in the first half of the first millennium B.C.E.. After 500 B.C.E. they spread as far as Anatolia in the east, Spain and the British Isles in the west. Conquered by Romans and displaced by Germans and other groups, today they are found in some corners of the British Isles.

Jutes

a Frisian people, or a people allied w/ (and possibly subordinate to) the Frisians. a germanic tribe from the region of denmark "Jutland"that settled in the region of southern england known as Kent.

Gaul

an ancient region of western Europe that included what is now northern Italy and France and Belgium and part of Germany and the Netherlands.

Visogoths

traveled to Rome seeking refuge, but took matters into their own hands when it became apparent Rome could not offer protection. were eventually pushed into Spain by the Franks where they set up a kingdom.