C. South and Southeast Asia, 500-1500

III. The Postclassical Period, 500–1500> F. Europe, 461–1500> 1. Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages, 461–1000> j. Spain

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  The Encyclopedia of World History.  2001.

j. Spain
1. The Visigothic Kingdom
For a complete list of the caliphs, see Appendix III.	1
In the time of Euric (466–84) the Visigothic rule extended from the Loire to Gibraltar and from the Bay of Biscay to the Rhône. The capital was Toulouse.	2
507
Clovis's victory in the Battle of Vouillé obliged the Visigoths to withdraw over the Pyrenees, retaining only Septimania north of the mountains. The new capital was Toledo.	3
The Visigoths in Spain were a small minority and were rapidly romanized. The conversion of King Reccared (587) from Arianism to Roman orthodoxy brought an end to their religious separateness and accelerated the process of romanization. The Synod of Toledo (633) assumed the right of nobles and clergy to confirm elections to the crown. After 600 the Jews were forced to accept baptism, for which reason they later on welcomed the Muslim invasion. Visigothic speech gradually disappeared, and the current vernacular was of Latin origin. Roman organization and tradition survived to a marked degree. Isidore of Seville (c. 560–636), a bishop, theologian, historian, man of letters, and scientist, produced in his Etymologiae a general reference work that remained a standard manual for 500 years and was a medium for transmitting much ancient knowledge to the medieval world.	4

The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth edition. Peter N. Stearns, general editor. Copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Maps by Mary Reilly, copyright 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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