Barbarian Invasion

Throughout the ages there have been many important events, times crucial to the outcome of the future with regards to a very large portion of the population or a continent. The results of the Greco-Persian wars were so important that the defeat of Greece could easily have meant the loss of western civilization to the Orient. The fact that Alexander’s army refused to cross into India meant the prevention of harmful religions such as Hinduism entering into a knowledge-rich Asia Minor, or a philosophy-defined Eastern Europe. In like manner, the barbarian invasions into the Western Roman Empire defined the history of Europe for centuries to come. And it was not one barbaric nation; several tribes appeared. The mixing of these barbaric tribes with advanced Roman thought resulted in military, cultural, socio-economic, and political changes, marking the very beginning of the Middle Ages.

Of first note is to what extent the “mixing” occurred. The famous Roman legions were spread over the empire’s extensive borders, and the almost simultaneous intrusions of the many surrounding nations ended in a complete implosion of the Roman Empire. But, contrary to popular thinking, the invaders were not a huge mass of armies overpowering everywhere; the barbarian armies counted in the tens of thousands at most (Webster 360). Also, the advance was more of a gradual overflow rather than a dam-burst. The invasions began around 235 and continued through the official dissolution of the western empire in 476, till the barbarians had permanently settled in the conquered lands (Lodge 107). After this time, the ratio of barbarians to pre-existing inhabitants was commonly around one to three (Webster 376). But the difference is that this one third took the reigns of power, and that the conquered peoples had no spirit or desire to resist. For them, a bunch of tribes ruling was not much different to the far-away emperor of Rome, who taxed so heavily that “Roman citizens came to dread the visits of the tax gatherers more than the inroads of the barbarians” (Webster 321).

So who were these tribes? One of the first seen and most bothersome nations was the Germans. The Roman legions were never able to conquer them or even to somewhat pacify them; the Rhine River and some of the Danube River had always been Rome’s northern border, never more. Also, the Franks, the Goths, who split into Ostrogoth and Visigoth, the Lombards, the Anglo-Saxons, the Vandals, and the Huns took part in the downfall of Rome, but the two nations that most affected Europe were the Germans and the Franks. So, really, a quick look at only these two tribes is sufficient to function as a summary of the effects of barbarism (it should be mentioned that Great Britain is an exception; the Anglo-Saxons were able to almost exterminate Roman influence there).

Militarily, the Roman legion had been superceded by one seemingly insignificant but crucial invention; the stirrup. Because of it, the barbarian cavalry, especially that of the Huns, were able to out-maneuver the legion (Webster 362). Rome used cavalry only sparingly, as an extra. But henceforth, the army of the Middle Ages consisted mainly of horse troops; this led indirectly to chivalry and the knight of the Crusades. Also, the Roman government decided to move the capital from Rome to Constantinople; one reason was that Rome “lay too far from the vulnerable frontiers; Constantinople occupied a position about equidistant from the Germans on the lower Danube and the Persians on the Euphrates” (Webster 318). And finally, the method of grouping together, namely, a chief and his warriors, as was the custom of the barbarians, led back to “might makes right;” where the bravest and strongest warrior led the others. Thus it conveyed a much deeper sense of loyalty:

… a military brotherhood based on honor, fidelity, courage, and mutual respect between the leader and his men. In warfare the leader was expected to excel his men in courage and prowess, and should the leader be killed, his men were honor-bound to fight to the death even if their cause should appear hopeless. The heroic virtues … persisted throughout the early Middle Ages as the characteristic ideology of the European warrior aristocracy. (Hollister 27)

In other words, this idea contributed much to chivalry, especially when placed in conjunction with the Church’s profound influence on the time.

Culturally, the barbarian invasions triggered a gradual change which resulted in a blend of Rome, the invaders, and most influentially, the Church. One very common misconception is the belief that the era following the invasions was one of complete ignorance, a belief further egged on by the name “Dark Ages.” True, there was a general decline in the arts and literature (astounding pieces of literature, such as St. Augustine’s “City of God,” and others, did exist), but morality was much better enforced in these times (Johnson, Hannan, & Dominica 132). Even the “crude” barbarian codes clearly maintain harsh punishments for insults, lies, and sins against marriage (Tierney 55). Add to this the principles of Christianity and the more advanced codes of the Romans, such as the Twelve Tables or the Theodosian code of the time (Sherman 109), and a very good justice code results. A good example is the Visigothic code, which, because of its conciseness and order could only have been formed under ecclesiastical supervision (Guizot 177). However barbarian influence is also present; one adverse effect was the trials by “compurgation and ordeal” which really were useless to determine innocence or guilt (Tierney 59). Another important point is that education was encouraged, both by the Church and by the ruler, especially in the case of Charlemagne and the Franks (Webster 371). This emphasis was so important that it is said that “had his successors followed his example and had the times been less troublesome, the great revival of learning that came later on in the twelfth century might have followed soon after the days of Charlemagne” (Johnson 174). Therefore, the overall outcome was a strong foundation of morals, the preservation of the classical Hellenic and Hellenistic culture through the hard labor of the monks (Johnson 133), and the effort to improve the common person’s knowledge through schools, giving the Middle Ages a firm foothold for Scholasticism and philosophers such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alfred the Great.

One of the biggest impacts on Europe, however, caused by the barbarian invasions, was socio-economic. This age marks the end of Rome’s inefficient slave-based system,