Long before the Visigoths ruled Spain, another Germanic kingdom carved out its power in Roman Hispania. Their king marched south, seized Roman cities, and built a realm from imperial ruins. This is a thread on Rechila, king of the Suebi 🧵

Rechila's reign represents a fascinating moment in the transition from Roman to Medieval Europe - when new Germanic kingdoms were forming from the fragments of the Western Roman Empire.

When Rechila died in 448 in Emerita Augusta, he left behind a significantly expanded kingdom for his son Rechiar. The Suebic Kingdom would continue to exist in various forms until 585, when it was finally annexed by the Visigoths.

Rechila's expansionist policies made the Suebi the dominant power in much of Hispania in the 440s. However, their kingdom would later face challenges from the Visigoths, who eventually became the dominant Germanic people in Iberian Peninsula.

Unlike many Germanic rulers of the period who converted to Arian Christianity, Rechila remained pagan throughout his life. This notable exception would be reversed by his son Rechiar, who became the first Germanic king to convert to Nicene (Catholic) Christianity.

In 446, the Romans, with Visigothic allies, sent general Vitus to reclaim Hispania. But Rechila decisively defeated them, stopping Roman attempts to restore control. His reign marked the Suebi’s peak.

In 439 , Rechila captured Emerita Augusta (modern Mérida), the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. By 441, he had conquered most of Baetica (southern Spain) and gained control over much of Carthaginiensis, massively expanding Suebic influence.

Rechila's reign (c. 438-448) was marked by significant expansion outside the core Suebic territory of Gallaecia. Unlike his father, Rechila was an active conqueror. He led Suebic forces southwards in campaigns to fill the power vacuum left by the Vandals’ departure to Africa.

The first Suebic king in Hispania was Hermeric, who ruled from around 409-438. As he aged and fell ill, his son Rechila began taking a more active role in leadership, eventually succeeding his father in 438.

After moving through Gaul, the Suebi, along with Vandals and Alans, crossed the Pyrenees mountains into the Iberian Peninsula By 409, they entered Hispania (modern Spain/Portugal), settling in Gallaecia (northwest Iberia).

A pivotal moment for the Suebi came in 406 AD, when large numbers of Germanic and other groups, including Vandals and Alans, crossed the frozen Rhine River into Roman Gaul. This crossing is often seen as a major marker of the Empire's declining control.

First, who were the Suebi? They were a Germanic group (or collection of groups) whose origins lay north of the Roman Empire, near the Baltic Sea and Elbe River regions. Like many others, they were part of the larger movements west and south from the late 4th century onwards.

Long before the Visigoths ruled Spain, another Germanic kingdom carved out its power in Roman Hispania. Their king marched south, seized Roman cities, and built a realm from imperial ruins. This is a thread on Rechila, king of the Suebi 🧵

Eastern Roman history is so incredible because it had so many stages of winning, losing, defending, dramatic falls, & epic comebacks. A stubborn entity that began as a superpower but died more like a city-state…it’s also such a long history with over a millennium to read about!

A Gothic prince, raised in Constantinople as a diplomatic hostage, educated in the ways of the Eastern Roman Empire. A king who ruled Italy from Ravenna after the fall of the West. This is a thread on Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. 🧵

Historians see Theodoric as embodying the shift from antiquity to the early medieval period. A Germanic king who preserved and adapted Roman institutions while introducing rulership models that shaped European kingdoms for centuries.

Theodoric died in 526 leaving no strong successor. His grandson Athalaric ruled as a child under his mother’s regency. A decade later, Eastern Roman emperor Justinian launched the Gothic War to retake Italy. After 20 years of conflict, the Ostrogothic kingdom was annihilated.

But his later years were troubled. His heir Eutharic would die young and suspicion of Eastern Roman conspiracies would later lead to the imprisonment and execution of the philosopher Boethius and other Roman nobles, a decision that alienated elites.

Theodoric’s rule extended beyond Italy as he controlled Dalmatia and parts of the Balkans. He also allied with the Visigoths in Spain and married his daughters into the Frankish and Burgundian royal houses.

He preserved the Senate, retained Roman law for his Roman subjects, and allowed religious tolerance—despite being an Arian Christian in a mostly Catholic land. Two legal systems coexisted: one for Goths, one for Romans