19.3 Europe: a.d. 401 to 500  (Page 3/7)

Still unconquered, the Vandals controlled western Sicily and Sardinia as part of their north African kingdom throughout the remainder of the century.

Central europe (see also turkey, the balkans and italy)

Germany

"Germanic" is a designation of a great many tribes who spoke related Germanic languages. Several, such as the Saxons, East Franks and Alemanni eventually settled in the region between the Alps and the North Sea, the Rhine and the Bohemian mountains and their languages gradually evolved into modern German. Others, settling in Scandinavia, England and along the channel laid the foundation for such modern languages as Swedish, Norwegian, English and Dutch. Germany, in this 5th century, was a sea of slowly changing and migrating people. The Huns were pushing in from the east, driving a Slavic people before them who settled in what is now eastern Germany, as Wends and Poles. The Huns themselves veered to the south through what later became Austria-Hungary and then pushed on into Bavaria and to the Rhine, engaging in a tremendous battle with Romanized Visigoths at Troyes in 451. The effect of these migrations and raids was to push the original Germanic tribes west and south with the Vandals, Suevi and Alani ending up in Spain. The Huns decimated the Burgundians with the remnants settling as "federates" near Geneva. (Ref. 177 , 180 , 137 )

By the last of the century, the Franks were well established on both sides of the Rhine in a large area including parts of both modern France and Germany. In 481 Clovis became king of all the Franks and formed the first of the large, central European monarchies. When he adopted Christianity about A.D. 500 his western Frankish followers readily joined his conversion, but east of the Rhine there was not a pre-existing local Christian population and the Rhenish Franks remained pagan. At this same time the Marcomanni left Bohemia and invaded Bavaria. (Ref. 177 , 180 , 222 )

Austria

For awhile Austria was on the march route of the Huns and we shall discuss these people more in detail later. After Odoacer (See ITALY above) annihilated the Rugier tribe in 488 the Lombards moved down into northern Austria and southern Moravia. Vindo- bona (Vienna) remained as a fortress and apparent sanctuary to all of Celtic-Roman descent. Rome had completely withdrawn from the Danube area by 488 and the vacuum was filled by the Huns. (Ref. 181 )

Hungary

By 406 the Huns were in eastern Hungary with Ostrogoths just to their west and Lombards and Rugiers in the Czech area just northwest. At this time Uldin was ruler of the Huns in Romania and after making an alliance with Stilicho in 406 together they defeated a wave of Goths invading Venetia and Lombardy, with the captives taken to be sold later into slavery. There were no Alans in Hungary after about this date and thereafter the Huns dominated the area. Very little is known about them in the 2nd decade except that they had a King Charaton who received gifts from Honorius of the Roman Empire. The climax of Hunnic power came after 420 but in 427 they were attacked by Romans and some were conquered so that as a people they lost cohesion and had no central authority. By 432 Ruga was king of some of the Huns, but his exact territory is unknown. The East Romans waged war against him until his death in the late 430s. The Huns then had two kings - Bleda in the east and Attila in the west. These men were apparently brothers and their forces together broke into Illyrium in 441. In 445 Attila murdered his brother, however, and became the sole ruler. Four years later he met with East Roman ambassadors just over the Illyrium border on Italian soil and Attila was made a "military magistrate" and given land along the Sava and a yearly salary. In spite of this he raided Italy in 452 after a relatively unsuccessful invasion of Gaul the year before. He was bought off before he crossed the Po, but Milan was taken and much booty found. Disease was probably a big factor in preventing further forays. Attila died in 453 and while his sons were quarreling over the estate a coalition of German tribes led by Ardaric, king of the Gepids, revolted against their overlords and after several battles, defeated the Huns at Nedao River