Territorial unification of the Visigoths

1- CLASSIFICATION

This is an evolution map which represents the main stages of the territorial unification of the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo (507-711). According to the topic represented, we can say that it´s a political map that represents the different states and territories of the Iberian Peninsula during the 6th and 7th centuries.

2- DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS

We can see that the territory of the Visigoths is represented in yellow, the territories of the Basques, Cantabrians and Franks in purple, the Kingdom of the Sueves in red and the province of Spania (Byzantine Empire) is represented in green. Also, we can observe some arrows that represent the different military campaigns launched by the Visigoths.

The map shows the process of territorial unification of the Visigothic kingdom of Toledo made mostly by the kings Liuvigild (568-586) and Suintila, who defeated the Byzantines, annexed the territories of the Sueve Kingdom and defeated the Basques and Cantabrian peoples.

We can observe the most important military campaigns launched by the kings Liuvigild and Suintila:

In 571, during king Liuva’s reign, his brother Liuvigild, who was in charge of the province of Septimania, launched a military campaign against the Byzantines, who had conquered some territories of the south and east of the Iberian Peninsula and created a province called Spania during Justinian’s rule. After the death of his brother Liuva, Liuvigild took the control of the Visigothic Kingdom and launched several campaigns to achieve the territorial unification of the Peninsula under the rule of the Visigoths.

After being proclaimed king in 572, he launched an expedition which lasted 9 years (until 582) and finally defeated the peoples of the north (Basques and Cantabrians), but, as many other times, this territory wasn´t completely socially and politically integrated in the state and had a lot of difficulties to control (we can't forget that these territories were the last territories to be controlled by the Romans,  the only ones that weren't conquered by the Muslims and where the Franks were defeated)  .

In 584, he launched a military campaign to the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula and defeated the Kingdom of the Sueves annexing its territory to his Kingdom.

Finally, we can see the two last military campaigns launched against the Byzantines by Suintila after the death of Liuvigild. After the expeditions in 616 and 618, the Visigoths reached their objectives, expelled the Byzantines and unified all the territories of the Iberian Peninsula under their rule.

3- CONCLUSION

We can emphasize the importance of this map to understand the period of unifications of the Visigothic kingdom, together with  the other two unifications: the religious unification, made by Reccared in 585 and the legislative unification, made by Chindasuinth and Recceswinth with the Liber Iudiciorum in 654; and to understand some of the subsequent events of this period.

Also, we can say that this territorial union didn't last for long  time, because the constant succession conflicts between the nobles caused the subsequent invasion of the Muslims in 711.