| Early Medieval Spain Timeline |
| 250 plague endemic in western empire ca. 260 collapse of Roman military frontier on Danube & Rhine; Germanic peoples enter Iberia via Ebro; Goths invited into empire as foederati 395 death of Theodosius the Great; decline of central government 410 sack of Rome & rising importance of Goths 414 Visigoths enter Iberia under Walia 416 battle near Algeciras: Visigothic foederati under Walia claim Iberia for Rome; Vandal groups consolidate under king Gunderic 420 Gunderic wages war against Suevi 424 Cartagena falls to Gunderic 428 Seville & Cordoba fall to Gunderic; death of Gunderic 429 Genseric (brother of Gunderic) invades north Africa with Vandals, leaving Suevi against Romans 439-41 King Rechila gains control of Astorga, Lugo, Oporto, Braga, Mérida, and Seville 449 Suevi King Recharius allies with Visigothic King Theodoric I by marrying daughter 451 Defeat of Huns at battle of Chalons by Robert Martel & death of Theodoric 456 Theodoric II invades Iberia, defeats the Suevi at Astorga, & captures Recharius 466-84 Reign of Euric & extension of Visigothic control in Narbonne and Provence (northern edge of Pyrenees) 476 Odoacer seizes power in Rome, usurping power from the last ethnic Roman emperor 484-507 Euric's son Alaric II succeeds as king 506 Compilation of law code: Euric's Breviary; Church Council of Agde 507 Visigoths defeated at Vouille by Clovis; death of Alaric in battle 493-526 Theodoric the Great rules Visigothic realms in the name of his grandson, Amalaric (son of Alaric II and Theodoric's daughter) 526-31 Reign of Amalaric; attempts to join Visigothic provinces in Pyrenees in the face of Frankish incursions; Amalaric murdered by courtier 527 Second Council of Toledo provides education for children in religious orders 531-48 Ostrogothic King Teudis succeeds in Iberia but cannot stop the Frankish incursions 541 Franks invade Zaragoza and Ebro valley 548 Teudis murdered by courtier 549-55 Reign of Agila: anarchy, revolt in Seville, Cordoba [Justinian & his general Belisarius control eastern Byzantine Empire] 552 Athanagild defeats Agila at Guadalquivir 554 Byzantines land at Cartagena & weaken Visigoths 555 Agila assassinated in Mérida 555-67 Reign of Athanagild: Byzantines barely kept at bay, followed by a six-month interregnum 568-73 Reign of Liuva (uneventful), associated with and succeeded by his more successful brother Leovigild 569-86 Reign of Leovigild: high point of Visigothic kingdom; center of government at Toledo with Rome as model; founded new cities; associates power with sons Hermengild and Recared; Suevis convert from Arian to orthodox Christianity 570 Byzantines expelled from Guadalquivir basin 571 Capture of Medina Sidonia 572 Capture of Córdoba 575 Gold coinage with image of Visigothic king; Leovigild establishes capital in Toledo 580 Revolt of Hermenegild in south 583 Seige of Seville breaks power of Hermenegild 584 Hermenegild surrenders to Leovigild 585 Murder of Hermenegild at Tarragona; Defeat of the last remnants of the Suevi 586-601 Reign of Recared: continued father's strengthening* of Visigothic kingdom; church and crown alliance 589 Third Council of Toledo: abolished Arian Christianity in Spain; presence of Recared strengthened kingship 601-3 Liuva II, bastard son of Recared, rules but was deposed in a coup and murdered 603-10 Reign of Witeric; assassinated at his own banquet 610-12 Reign of Gundemar 612-21 Reign of Sisebut: literate, an author, patron of arts: diplomacy with Constantinople 621-31 Reign of Swintila: corruption and royal abuses; Basques expand northward 631-36 Reign of Sisnand: reform of royal court 636-42 Reign of Chintila: assertion of election and lineage as qualifications for rule 638 Sixth Council of Toledo extended same reforms for monks, priests, and bishops as for kings (strengthened in 653 in 8 Toledo) 642-53 Reign of Chindeswinth: vigorous ruler, stamped out rebellion, strengthened finances 653-72 Reign of Recciswinth 672-80 Reign of Wamba: designation and anointing of an heir made customary; he retired to a monastery; Beginning of decline of Visigothic kingdom; Problems with Basques, Franks in north 681-87 Reign of Ervig: queen's qualifications also designated (must be Christian, cannot be forced into a convent when she's widowed); general pardon extended for unpaid debts and public humiliation of nobles & bishops outlawed; completion of Liber Judiciorum ca. 681 687-702 Reign of Egica: confirmation of all previous Councils and royal pronouncements and clear designation of an heir made the government more predictable and smoother-running; problem of rebellion, attacks against Jews 702-10 Reign of Witiza: the dynasty comes to fruition but his death resulted in a disputed succession 710-711 Rodrigo 710-714 Agila II 711 Onward to the Arab conquest! |