Romanization and the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula
SECTION 2.3. Conquest and Romanization
The conquest of the Iberian Peninsula was a long process that began in the late third century BC and was not completed until the late first century BC. This long duration was because Rome never had a specific plan of conquest, but rather it was the result of several projects that succeeded in time. The Romans eventually implemented their dominance in the whole Iberian Peninsula, which became a Roman province. The stages of this conquest were:
- Occupation of the Mediterranean coast and the valleys of the Guadalquivir and Ebro (218-170 BC). The Carthaginian defeat in the Second Punic War allowed Rome to take over the most developed areas in the Peninsula, those that had been under the influence of the colonizing peoples.
- Penetration in the Plateau (170-154 BC). In this area, the Romans found resistance from the indigenous population. Two conflicts stand out: the Celtiberian Wars and the Lusitanian Wars.
- Submission of the Cantabrian fringe (29-17 BC). The difficulty of conquering a country as rugged and easily defended as the Cantabrian region forced Emperor Augustus to take direct part in the conquest, which was ultimately completed by the victorious General Agrippa.
Romanization refers to the assimilation of Roman lifestyles by colonized peoples. This included territorial and administrative organization, urbanization and public works, the integration of the peninsula into the imperial economy, the triumph of Latin, the introduction of Roman law, the spread of Christianity, and the spread of Roman art and customs. Officials, soldiers, and traders acted decisively in the Romanization process. It was not felt with equal intensity throughout the peninsula, being more pronounced in the southern and eastern areas and weaker in the northern mountainous regions.
Latin became the official language in private and was the substrate for future Romance languages. Roman law, regulating public relationships between the inhabitants of the Empire and the state, has now reached a substantial basis of our legal system. Another of the most important legacies concerns public works. Their construction became a decisive factor in the process of Romanization (roads, bridges, aqueducts, reservoirs, sewage systems, etc.). Christianity would be imposed on other religions and, after the fall of the empire, would be one of the few common elements that would drive Western culture.
SECTION 2.4. The Barbarian Invasions: The Visigothic Kingdom and Cultural Institutions
Taking advantage of the infighting and weakness of the Roman Empire in the fourth century, Swabians, Vandals, and Alans spread rapidly across the peninsula, occupying different areas. The political situation was highly unstable, with large areas controlled by barbarians. The empire sent the Visigoths and other Germanic people settled in southern Gaul from the early fifth century. These penetrated the peninsula and, once they expelled the Vandals and Alans, retreated back to Gaul, where they spread militarily, establishing the Kingdom of Toulouse. However, another Germanic people, the Franks, overcame and expelled them from Gaul in 507. From this date, they finally entered the peninsula, placing their capital in Toledo.
The Visigoths created the first politically independent and unified state of the Peninsula. Its monarchs began a unifying process that led to the fusion of Gothic and Hispano communities, achieving territorial, political, legal, and religious identity of the Peninsula.
King Leovigildo (571-586) started the territorial unification of the peninsula. He ended the Swabian kingdom of Galicia and initiated the expulsion of the Byzantines from the Southeast. The religious unification was conducted by Recaredo (586-601), son and successor of Leovigildo. Recaredo left Arianism with all his people and accepted Catholicism as the official religion of the kingdom. The legislative union was carried out by Recesvinto (653-672) with the publication of a single code for Visigoths and Hispano-Romans: the Liber Iudiciorum.
The arrival of the Muslims and their victory at the Battle of Guadalete (711) marked the end of the Visigoth kingdom.
The appointment of the king depended on the Assembly of freemen. The monarchs had to be of Gothic lineage. His power was greatly weakened in favor of the nobles and the Church, and political instability was a constant. The king ruled with the help of the Palatinum Officium, which involved two bodies of management: the Aula Regia and the Councils that collaborated with the king in legislative and government affairs. Characters of the Officium were part of the high range, and comes garding.
The leading figure of the Visigothic culture was Saint Isidore of Seville. In his work, he saved the Roman legacy for Western culture and the Visigoths. His Etymologies and his History of the Goths, Vandals, and Swabians were the first historiographical attempts to legitimize the Visigoth monarchy. In architecture, religious buildings stood out. Their structure was based on a single-nave church terminated with a horseshoe arch apse, which inspired Romanesque art in the Peninsula. Outstanding churches include San Pedro de la Nave, San Juan de Baños, and Quintanilla de las Viñas.