After having given you some guidelines from La España Romana, and although we continue to see what the history school projects are according to courses, we now have to analyze Visigothic Spain.
Points to touch on in our work on Visigothic Spain
- What was Visigothic Spain?
- Essay on Spain Visigoth 1st of ESO
- Other ideas for the work of Visigothic Spain
- PDF of Visigothic Spain
- Video of Visigothic Spain
What was Visigothic Spain?
- In the same way that to do the work of La España Romana I have recommended you start by making a abstract of what this period in the history of the peninsula consisted of, we can also begin by making a summary by explaining that it is known as Spain Visigoth to the historical period that implies the settlement of the Visigoth people in the Iberian Peninsula, and that occurred between the middle of the 5th century and beginning of the 8th century.
- Our summary should explain how:
- Most of the Visigoths entered Hispania after their expulsion from Gaul.
- They settled preferably in the Meseta, between the Ebro and the Tagus.
- His monarchy was elective, which caused frequent civil wars.
- The unification with the Hispano-Romans occurred with their conversion to Christianity (III Council of Toledo).
- The defeat of the Suevi (411) and the Byzantines (625), allowed them to create a single peninsular kingdom.
Work on Visigothic Spain for 1st ESO
- From the summary that we make about the presence of the Visigoths in Spain, we will be able to make a outline or schematic map and what will we divide among the three groups of Germanic peoples who entered the peninsula during this period, and who were, Suevi, Vandals and Alans and that they were defeated by the Visigoths.
- In our scheme we can develop how the battles fought by the Visigoths were and how they came to settle in our peninsula being one of the most civilized invading peoples, since their contacts with Rome had modified many of their customs.
Other ideas for the work of Visigothic Spain
- Apart from the schemes that we can make, a good idea to make your work much more visual is to make a map of how was the Spanish territory With the arrival in this of the visigoths.
Structure of work in Visigothic Spain
We have already seen very curious things about the Visigoths, but let’s learn more about issues such as what territory they occupied, the language they spoke or what form of government the Visigoths had, among others.
What territory did the Visigoths occupy?
Contrary to what could happen due to the relevance they had, the Goths were a very small town that would barely have around 150,000 inhabitants according to the data. This is equivalent to only 3% of the population. The North Plateau, focusing on the Duero basin area, was one of the Gothic territories. They mainly settled there. And they place their capital in Toledo.
They also had a presence in Gibraltar. Mérida, Tarragona, Zaragoza, Córdoba and Seville were other foci of the Visigoth kingdom.
Learn more about the history of Spain:
What language did the Visigoths speak in Spain?
Both the Visigoths and the Hispanic Romans shared the same language: the Latin vulgar. However, it is true that its original language, that is, the Gothic language, was also practiced and was relevant, leaving its influence on the Castilian we know today. Sectors such as housing, commerce, industry, law and agriculture retain words that recall their origins from the gothic language although the Visigoths were adapting their speech to Spanish.
The military and ecclesiastical spheres also feel that gothic influence of words of yesteryear. But where we find the Visigoth trace with more force if we delve into its study is in the proper names. Names as present today as Fernando, Álvaro, Alfonso, Elvira, Gonzalo, Argimiro and Alberto are of Visigoth origin.
What form of government did the Visigoths have?
The Visigoths opted for a form of government based on elective monarchy, that is, the king was a Visigoth of the nobility chosen by other nobles. Although at first the hereditary monarchy was not foreseen, nevertheless, in practice the monarchs tried that the throne was for their children.
What was the capital of the Visigoth kingdom in Spain?
We said earlier that the capital of the kingdom was Toledo. For this reason, the Visigoth kingdom was known as the Kingdom of Toledo. But in its beginnings, Toledo was not the city chosen to be the main center of operations, but rather Barcelona. In the year 576 King Leovigildo moved the capital to Toledo.
What religion did the Visigoths practice?
The Visigoths practiced Arianism. For the Arianists Jesus Christ was not a god but had a human nature like any of us. Arius, the ideologue of this doctrine was a priest who lived in the 5th century in Alexandria. That is, the Visigoths were arian christians. According to the Arians, the Holy Trinity did not exist and Jesus Christ did not have two natures, one human and one divine, but only one and that he was as human as any of us. This difference between Catholic Christians and Arian Christians led to conflicts within the kingdom. To avoid wars, King Recaredo, in the Third Council of Toledo, in 589, converted to Catholicism, leaving aside his Arianist faith.
Video of Visigothic Spain
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