Long ago, many people moved.
They moved to new lands. They wanted new homes. This changed where people lived. It helped make new groups.
Can you imagine moving to a new place?
Long ago, many groups of people moved.
They left their old homes to find new lands. Some groups moved because they were being chased by others.
These groups were very large. Some had many thousands of people in them. They moved into lands held by the Roman Empire. This caused the empire to change. New groups of people began to live there. They even built their own kingdoms. It was a time of big changes for everyone.
Between the years 300 and 600, many people moved across Europe. This time is called the Migration Period.
Large groups of people left their homes to find new lands. Some groups moved because they were being chased. For example, the Huns moved from Asia into Europe around the year 375. This pushed other tribes, like the Goths, into Roman lands.
These groups were very big. Some had only a few thousand people. Others had over 200,000 people in one group!
As these groups moved, the Western Roman Empire began to fall. New groups built their own kingdoms in the old Roman lands. The Franks settled in Gaul and helped form what would become France and Germany. The Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain during the 5th century. Later, Slavic tribes moved into central and eastern Europe. These moves changed the map of the world forever.
The Migration Period was a time of huge changes in Europe.
It lasted from about 300 AD to 600 AD. Some historians say it lasted even longer, until 800 AD. During these years, many different tribes moved across the land. These groups moved into the territories of the Western Roman Empire. This movement helped cause the fall of that great empire. After the empire fell, these tribes built their own new kingdoms. This era changed how people lived and how lands were ruled.
Many things caused these people to move. Some groups moved to find better places to live. Others moved because they were being chased by other groups. For example, the Huns came from Asia around 375 AD. Their arrival pushed other tribes, like the Goths, into Roman lands.
As the central power of Rome broke down, things became even more unsettled. Some people joined the Roman military to find a place in society. This made the military rely more on people from outside Rome. These shifts in power and movement changed the whole map.
Different groups moved at different times. The first wave included Germanic tribes like the Goths and the Vandals.
The Visigoths even entered Italy and sacked the city of Rome in 410 AD. Later, the Franks settled in a place called Gaul. They eventually became the leaders of what would become France and Germany. In the 5th century, the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain.
A second wave of movement happened between 500 and 700 AD. During this time, Slavic tribes moved into central and eastern Europe.
These migrations involved very large numbers of people. Some groups were small war bands of only a few thousand. Other groups were much larger, with over 100,000 people.
For example, the Goths crossing the Danube in 376 brought up to 200,000 people. The Vandals, Alans, and Suebi crossed the Rhine in 406 with about 200,000 people. The Ostrogoths under a leader named Theodoric moved 200,000 people into Italy in 489. Some experts think up to 1,000,000 people moved into Roman lands total. These numbers show how much the population was shifting.
The movements of this period helped shape the modern world. The Slavic tribes helped make much of eastern Europe Slavic-speaking.
The Frankish kingdom became the base for new nations in Europe. Even the Bulgars, who came from Central Asia, changed the Balkans forever. Later groups like the Vikings and Magyars also moved through these areas. These old migrations were the start of many modern cultures. They show how people moving can create entirely new ways of life.
The Migration Period was a transformative era in European history. It occurred roughly between 300 AD and 600 AD. Some historians extend this timeline as far as 800 AD. This era was defined by the large-scale movement of various tribes. These groups moved into the territories of the Western Roman Empire. Their arrival and settlement contributed to the fall of Roman central authority. As the empire collapsed, these tribes established their own post-Roman kingdoms.
Many complex factors drove these massive movements of people. Some groups migrated to find new resources or better living conditions. Others were forced to move because they were being chased by other groups. For instance, the Huns arrived from Asia around 375 AD. Their invasion pushed many tribes into Roman-controlled lands. This created a chain reaction of movement across the continent. As central Roman power weakened, the military became increasingly reliant on non-Romans. This shift changed the very structure of the Roman state.
Historians generally divide these movements into distinct waves. The first wave involved Germanic tribes like the Goths, Vandals, and Franks. The Visigoths, a group derived from the Tervingi, famously sacked Rome in 410 AD. They later founded a kingdom in Iberia. Around the same time, the Franks entered Roman Gaul. Under leaders like Childeric and Clovis, they established a kingdom that would become the nucleus of France and Germany. In the 5th century, the Anglo-Saxons migrated to Britain.
A second wave occurred between 500 AD and 700 AD. This period saw the expansion of Slavic tribes across central and eastern Europe. Their movement changed the language of the eastern half of the continent. This wave also included Turkic tribes like the Avars. Additionally, the Bulgars migrated from the Pontic steppe. These groups significantly altered the demographic map of the Balkans.
The scale of these migrations was immense. Individual groups varied greatly in size. Some were small war bands of only a few thousand people. Other groups were massive tribal migrations. For example, the Goths crossing the Danube in 376 brought 90,000 to 200,000 people. The Rhine crossing in 406 involved 200,000 Vandals, Alans, and Suebi. The Ostrogoths under Theodoric moved up to 200,000 people into Italy in 489. Total migrations into Roman territory may have reached over 1,000,000 people.
These movements left a permanent mark on the world. The Slavic migrations made much of eastern Europe Slavic-speaking. The Bulgars changed the Balkans through their settlement. Even the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 AD is seen as a final major act of Asian-driven invasions. Later groups like the Vikings and Normans also impacted these territories. These events helped create the boundaries and cultures we recognize today.
The Migration Period connects many different historical themes. It links the ancient Roman world to the early Middle Ages. It shows how military changes and tribal movements can reshape entire continents. It also demonstrates how religion played a role in integration. Christian missionaries from Rome and Byzantium helped convert and integrate newcomers. This process helped form the cultural foundations of Christendom. The period remains a vital subject for understanding how modern European nations began.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (8)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.