The Germanic peoples

What are the Germanic peoples?

- The Germanic peoples were a group of Northern European
origin. They were identified by their use of germanic
languages. The Germanics came to the Roman Empire
between the 3rd and 5th centuries from the north and east of
Europe. They divided into different peoples or tribes.
Eventually, the Western Roman Empire was defeated by some
of these tribes. Some of the Germanic kingdoms were: the
Franks, who settled in Gaul; the Visigoths, who emigrated to
the Iberian Peninsula; the Suebis, who established in the
north-east of the Iberian Peninsula; the Anglo-Saxons, who
created a kingdom in Great Britain; the Ostrogoths, in the
Italian Peninsula; and the Vandals,who established in North
Africa.
Society in the Germanic Kingdom
- The Germanic peoples were organised into tribes, but when
they defeated the Western Roman Empire and established
there, they formed a kingdom. These people formed the ruling
group,and native inhabitants had to submit to them. There
were few cities, and they were small in size. Therefore, it was
a rural society. The dominant group was the Germanic
nobility, which was a privileged landowning minority. As time
passed, Germanic nobility and the dominant groups in the
native population formed a single group. Below them was the
peasantry, where the monarch governed with the help of the
Royal Council, which was a group of advisors. There was
serious political instability as the nobles frequently fought
against themselves.

Economy in the Germanic Kingdom

- Their economy was based on arable and livestock farming.
Germanic settlements were typically small, rarely containing
much more than ten households, often less, and were usually
located by clearings in the woods. Some were Smith
workings, who were metal workers that made jewellry, and
others were dedicatedto make furniture fabric.

The Vikings
- The Vikings, who were also called Norsemen, came from
Denmark and the Scandinavian Peninsula. They were expert
sailors who used small boats called drakkars. From the 8th to
the 11th century, they crossed the North Sea to carry on
sackings. They invaded part of Great Britain and France, and
colonised Iceland and Greenland.

The Magyars
- At the end of the 9th century the Magyars, who were from
Central Asia, settled in the Pannonian Basin (Hungary). They
carried out numerous raids and sackings in the Germanic
kingdoms, the Slavic kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire.
Finally, they settled down and established the Kingdom of
Hungary.

The Slavs
- The Slavs came from lands to the north of the Carpathian
Mountains. They gradually occupied most of Eastern Europe.
Like the Germanic peoples, the Slavs converted to
Christiantity. From the 6th century onwards, they established
small kingdoms, some of which form the basis of present-day
states. The Western Slavs settled in Central Europe (Poles,
Czechs and Slovakians); the Eastern Slavs spread scross the
plains of Eastern Europe (Russians, Ukranians and
Belarusians); and the Southern Slavs travelled as far as the
Balkan Peninsula (Serbs, Croatians, Slovenians and
Bulgarians).