When did the Visigothic Kingdom exist?

The Visigothic Kingdom existed 418–721. On this map it is drawn AD 426–723.

How large was the Visigothic Kingdom?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Visigothic Kingdom covered about 686,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

Europe · The migration period

Visigothic Kingdom

418–721

See it on the map → Wikipedia ↗

Existed: 418–721
Shown on the map: AD 426–723
Peak area: 686k km²
Region: Europe

Overview

The Visigothic Kingdom (Regnum Gothorum) ran from the settlement in Aquitaine (418) to the Umayyad conquest, ruling first from Toulouse and, after 507, from Barcelona and then Toledo (from 542). It was an elective monarchy — a source of chronic instability, as the crown was contested among the nobility. Early kings included Theodoric I (r. 418–451), who died fighting Attila at the Catalaunian Plains, and Euric (r. 466–484), under whom the kingdom reached its greatest extent (Gaul south of the Loire plus most of Hispania), ended foederati status to become fully sovereign (c. 475), and issued the Codex Euricianus, an early Germanic law code.

History

The turning point came in 507 at the Battle of Vouillé, where Clovis I and the Franks defeated and killed King Alaric II, driving the Visigoths out of most of Gaul (they retained Septimania) and shifting the kingdom's centre to Hispania. Alaric II is also remembered for the Breviary of Alaric (506), a compilation of Roman law for his Roman subjects. Leovigild (Liuvigild) (r. 569–586) restored royal power, subdued the Basques, annexed the Suebic kingdom (585), and issued a revised code allowing intermarriage between Goths and Hispano-Romans.

The kingdom's most celebrated event was the conversion from Arianism to Catholicism: King Reccared I converted in 587 and formalised it at the Third Council of Toledo (589), unifying Goths and Hispano-Romans religiously and making Toledo the spiritual capital of Hispania. Recceswinth promulgated the great Liber Iudiciorum (Visigothic Code, 654), which abolished the legal distinction between Goth and Roman, creating a common identity as Hispani; it influenced Iberian law into the late Middle Ages. Cultural achievements included Isidore of Seville's learning and the goldsmith work of the Treasure of Guarrazar (votive crowns).

Decline and legacy

The end came amid civil strife: after the disputed succession following Wittiza, King Roderic was defeated and killed by an Umayyad-Berber army under Tariq ibn Ziyad at the Battle of Guadalete (711). Toledo fell, and by 721 the kingdom was extinguished, with Septimania occupied. In the mountainous north, Pelagius (Pelayo) founded the Kingdom of Asturias (718), beginning the Reconquista. The last nominal Visigothic claimant, Ardo, held out in Septimania to 721.

Common questions

What was the Visigothic Kingdom?: The Visigothic Kingdom (Regnum Gothorum) ran from the settlement in Aquitaine (418) to the Umayyad conquest, ruling first from Toulouse and, after 507, from Barcelona and then Toledo (from 542). It was an elective monarchy — a source of chronic instability, as the crown was contested among the nobility.
When did the Visigothic Kingdom exist?: The Visigothic Kingdom existed 418–721. On this map it is drawn AD 426–723.
How large was the Visigothic Kingdom?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Visigothic Kingdom covered about 686,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled the Visigothic Kingdom?: The turning point came in 507 at the Battle of Vouillé, where Clovis I and the Franks defeated and killed King Alaric II, driving the Visigoths out of most of Gaul (they retained Septimania) and shifting the kingdom's centre to Hispania. Alaric II is also remembered for the Breviary of Alaric (506), a compilation of Roman law for his Roman subjects.
How did the Visigothic Kingdom end?: The end came amid civil strife: after the disputed succession following Wittiza, King Roderic was defeated and killed by an Umayyad-Berber army under Tariq ibn Ziyad at the Battle of Guadalete (711). Toledo fell, and by 721 the kingdom was extinguished, with Septimania occupied.

Sources

This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each territory and its key figures as the primary basis, with Encyclopædia Britannica, the World History Encyclopedia, and academic and primary sources — Jordanes, Procopius, Gregory of Tours, Bede, Ammianus and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, read through the secondary literature. The article this entry is anchored on:

Wikipedia — Visigothic Kingdom en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visigothic_Kingdom

This entry was last updated 27 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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