From about AD 300, the Western Roman Empire began to fall apart, and there were plenty of barbarian tribes on the rampage helping it along. The Romans called anyone who came from outside the Roman Empire a barbarian, it didn’t necessarily mean that they were brutal and uncivilised. Here’s a quick guide to some of the different types.
HUNS
The Huns originally came from Central Asia, where they roamed about from place to place with their horses and other animals and lived in tents. They were stocky, olive-skinned and amazing horse-riders – children learned to ride as soon as they could walk. They fired arrows from horseback with deadly speed and accuracy. The Romans feared them more than any other barbarian tribe.
FRANKS
The tall, strong, moustache-wearing Franks came from the country we call Germany today. They used swords, lances and throwing axes, not bothering with armour so that they could carry more weapons. They settled in what’s now France, and gave the country its name.
SAXONS
The Saxons came from what’s now Germany too. They expanded south and west, and became pirates in the North Sea. Some invaded Britain, while others settled in northern Gaul (France), and had a long war with the Franks. In the end, the Franks defeated them under the Frankish leader Charlemagne.
GOTHS
The Goths came from what’s now Scandinavia and Eastern Europe: the Ostrogoths (or eastern Goths) and the Visigoths (or western Goths). The Ostrogoths conquered most of Italy after the fall of the Roman Empire. The long-haired Visigoths settled in what’s now southern France, until the Franks pushed them out.
VANDALS
The Vandals were driven out of their homeland in what’s now Eastern Europe by the Huns and settled in Spain and North Africa. In 455 BC they destroyed and looted Rome (and, as a result, we still use the word ‘vandal’ today). When the Romans fought back, the Vandals took 500 hostages on the Greek island of Zakynthos, chopped them to bits and threw the pieces into the sea.