The first invasions in the Iberian Peninsula

TYPE OF MAP: It is a situation and political map of the Iberian Peninsula.

TITLE: The first invasions in the Iberian Peninsula

GEOGRAPHIC SPACE REPRESENTED:It is a map of the Iberian Peninsula, Hispania, for the Romans, a part of Europe and a part of the north of Africa. We can see different territories in different colours.

CHRONOLOGICAL PERIOD: This map belongs to year 409 approximately (more or less)

DESCRIPTION: On the map we can onbserve different territories in different colours: Some of them correspond to Germanic tribes (in Green (Galicia and north of Portugal) we can see the territory occupied by the Suevi and Vandals Hasdingi, in Brown (Castilla-La Mancha, Casitlla y León, Aragón, a part of Portugal, Valencia…) the lands occupied by Alans, the Vandals Siling territory in yellow (Andalucía) and in red (south of France) the Visigoths).

In the north of the península (Basque Provinces) the territory occupied by the Basques is represented in yellow and in purple the territories still in the hands of the Roman Empire who controlled the north of Africa, a part of Europe and small part in the Iberian Peninsula (Cataluña, Aragón…), including the Balearic islands.

ANALYSIS: This map corresponds to the last years of the Roman Empire, when they had a lot of political and economic problems, therefore the Germanic tribes took advantage of this situation and defeated them and conquered their territories.

In the map we can see how some Germanic tribes like the Suevi, the Vandals and the Alans conquered territories in the Iberian Peninsula to the Romans. They arrived to the Iberian Peninsula at 411.

In the South of France (a part of Europe) we can see the Visigoths. In this period, when the Visigoths defeated the Romans several times, different emperors signed agreements with them: after the Battle of Adriannople Emperor Theodosius signed peace with them, gave them some land in Thrace (Turkey) free from taxation. Thus the Roman Empire not only achieved peace with the Visigoths, also got an ally. Emperor Honorius did the same after the sack of Rome in 410.

After this treaty the Romans ask for help to the Visigoths to reconquest the Iberian Peninsula. The Visigoths conquered almost all the Peninsula but the Sueves and the Vandals had a part of territory when the Visigoths attacked the Romans and conquered their territories.

CONCLUSION: The Roman Empire had problems and they signed a treaty with the visigoths. The Visigoths conquered the Iberian Peninsula nad later when the Western Roman Empire disappeared, they replaced them in the Peninsula.

Through history in several times the Peninsula had been invaded for many kingdoms (the Visigoths, the Muslims, the Almohads…) because of one kingdom said to other that help them to conquered the Iberian Peninsula for them, but later the kingdom who conquered the Iberian Peninsula settle down there.