The Migration Period was the era, traditionally dated from about AD 375 to 568, when Goths, Vandals, Huns and other peoples moved into and across Europe, including the Western Roman Empire. It is also called the barbarian invasions.
Key takeaways
- Historians usually date the Migration Period from about AD 375, when the Huns pushed west, to AD 568, when the Lombards invaded Italy, though some use a longer span.
- Many groups were settled inside the empire by treaty, not just fought, and they set up kingdoms on former Roman land.
- On our map the German frontier provinces, Germania Superior and Germania Inferior, are marked lost in AD 406.
- The empire shrinks from 4.72 million km² in AD 395 to 1.94 million km² in AD 476.
How the Migration Period works
The Migration Period is the name for a long stretch of European history in which many peoples moved over great distances. Historians traditionally date it from about AD 375 to 568, with the start usually tied to the Huns arriving from Asia and the end to the Lombards conquering Italy. Some stretch it from as early as 300 to as late as 800 [1]. Among the peoples involved were the Goths, Vandals, Alans, Burgundians, Alemanni and Huns, with Slavs, Avars, Bulgars and Magyars following later [1].
For Rome, the key point is that these movements happened on and across its frontiers. In 376, a very large group of Goths, fleeing the Huns, crossed the Danube into Roman territory, and modern estimates put the number at somewhere between 90,000 and 200,000 people [1]. The Romans accepted them, but things went wrong and the Goths rebelled. In 406 a coalition of Vandals, Alans and Suebi crossed the Rhine, in a movement estimated at up to 200,000 people [1]. Such numbers are uncertain and debated.
These peoples did not all behave in the same way. Some were beaten, some were hired, and many were settled inside the empire as foederati, allied peoples bound by treaty [1]. Over the fifth century they founded kingdoms on former Roman land, including the Vandals and Alans in North Africa [2]. The Western Roman court lost control of one region after another, and in 476 the last Western emperor was deposed [2].
Historians disagree about how much to call this an invasion. The older name, the barbarian invasions, stresses force. The modern name, Migration Period, stresses the movement of peoples. The word barbarian itself was a Roman label, not something the peoples used about themselves.
An example from our data
The map cannot show the movements themselves, because it has no layer for peoples or kingdoms. What it does show is the empire's outline before and after. At AD 395 it covers 4.72 million km² and 45 modern countries. By AD 476 it is 1.94 million km² and 19 countries. See the year 395 page and the year 476 page.
The province pages give the dates our data marks each province as lost. Germania Superior and Germania Inferior, on the Rhine, are marked lost in AD 406, the year of the Rhine crossing. Hispania Tarraconensis is marked lost in AD 409, Britannia in AD 410, Africa Proconsularis in AD 439 and Noricum in AD 488.
These are map dates for when a province stopped being held, and the real story in each place was usually messier. Rome often lost control by degrees. For an account of how the borders are estimated, see borders on the homepage.
The thing people get wrong
A common picture is of a single wave of savage "hordes" crashing into a healthy empire and destroying it overnight. Historians disagree about the details, but most accounts describe something slower and more complicated. The migrating groups varied in size from war bands of a few thousand to whole tribal groups [1]. Many were settled by treaty inside the empire, as described above. The result was less a sudden end than a long transformation, in which new kingdoms took over Roman land while keeping many Roman habits.
Migration Period vs fall of the Western Roman Empire
| Migration Period | Fall of the Western empire | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A long era of movement of peoples | The end of the Western imperial government |
| Traditional dates | About AD 375 to 568 | AD 476 |
| Where | All of Europe and beyond | The Western Roman Empire |
| Link | A major background to the fall | One of the best-known outcomes |
Frequently asked questions
When was the Migration Period?
Traditionally from about AD 375 to AD 568. Historians disagree, and some start as early as AD 300 or end as late as AD 800.
Were the migrations really invasions?
Some were violent invasions, but many were movements of whole groups that were accepted or settled by treaty. Historians argue about the balance, and the old name barbarian invasions is now often replaced by Migration Period.
Which peoples took part?
Among others the Goths, Vandals, Alans, Burgundians, Alemanni and Huns, and later the Slavs, Avars, Bulgars and Magyars.
Sources
- Migration Period, Wikipedia.
- Western Roman Empire, Wikipedia.
- Every figure from our own map is worked out from the datasets on the data sources page (checked against Ancient World Mapping Center outlines and Pleiades).