Braga Braga Portugal

The region of Braga has been inhabited since prehistoric times. During the Iron Age, the Bracari, a Celtic people, settled in the area, constructing their characteristic fortified villages (castra).

Braga later became the capital of the Callaici Bracarii (Bracarenses), a tribe that occupied what is now Galicia and northern Portugal.

It has long been established that they spoke a Celtic language, as evidenced by inscriptions such as the dedication to the goddess Nabia at Braga’s Fonte do Ídolo ("Fountain of the Idol"), and the name of their town, Tongobriga (modern Marco de Canaveses).

...Bracara Augusta (modern Braga), further integrating the region into the Roman administrative and urban network.

By this time, Lusitania, now encompassing western Spain and all of central Portugal, thrives economically. Its prosperity is driven by trade in livestock, metals, and timber, solidifying its role as an important contributor to the Roman economy.

In 406 CE, the Iberian Peninsula is invaded by Germanic tribes, including the Vandals, Swabians, and Alans—the latter being a non-Germanic people of Iranian origin who had allied with the Vandals. Within two years, the invaders spread westward to the Atlantic coast.

The Swabians and Vandals in Hispania

The Swabians, primarily herders, are drawn to Galicia, where the climate resembles their homeland. Meanwhile, the Vandals settle north of Galicia but soon depart, taking with them the remnants of the Alans as they move eastward.

With the Vandals' departure, the Swabians migrate south, settling among the Luso-Romans, who offer no resistanceand gradually assimilate them.

Cultural and Administrative Shifts

Under Swabian influence, the urban life of the citanias fades, replaced by their customary rural settlement pattern—scattered houses and smallholdings—a land tenure system that persists in northern Portugal today.

As Roman administration collapses, the Swabians establish their capital in Braga, though ...

By 415 CE, with much of the Iberian Peninsula slipping beyond their control, the Romans commission the Visigoths—the most highly Romanized of the Germanic peoples—to restore Roman authority in Hispania.

The Visigothic Intervention

The Visigoths successfully expel the Vandals, forcing them to sail for North Africa, and defeat the Swabians in what is now Portugal and Galicia. Despite these conquests, both the Swabian kings and their Visigothic overlords continue to govern under imperial commissions, meaning their kingdoms remain nominally part of the Roman Empire. Latin remains the language of administration and commerce, ensuring a degree of continuity in governance.

The Rise of the Visigothic Kingdom

Having converted to Christianity in the fourth century, the Visigoths eventually establish an independent kingdom with its capital at Toledo. Their monarchy is absolute, with each sovereign elected by an assembly of nobles.

To reinforce their rule, Visigothic kings convene great councils composed of bishops and nobles, who assist in deciding both ecclesiastical and civil matters—a practice that strengthens the political and religious structure of the kingdom.

Fusion of Cultures and the Kingdom’s Legacy

Over time, the Visigoths, Swabians, and Hispano-Romans gradually merge into a unified politico-religious entity, forming the foundation of medieval Iberian civilization. This kingdom will endure until the eighth century, when the Muslim conquest reshapes the Iberian Peninsula.

For the past two years, barbarian invaders have ravaged Spain, leaving much of the Iberian Peninsula in turmoil.

In 411 CE, the Germanic Suebi and the Asdingi Vandals establish an independent kingdom in southern Gallaecia(modern Galicia and northern Portugal), ruling from the key cities of Bracara Augusta (modern Braga) and ...

Those Alani and Silingi Vandals who had survived the fierce Roman-sponsored Visigothic attacks of 415-18 now seek refuge with the Asdingi Vandals and the Suebi in Galicia.

Faced by the dual threat of Romans and Visigoths, they hasten to seek peace with the empire, which they obtain.

In the Suebic Kingdom of Galicia, King Hermeric, after suffering from a seven-year illness, abdicates and hands over power to his son, Rechila. Rechila is married to a daughter of Wallia, the Visigothic king from 415 to 419.

Rechila has a sister, Ricina, and a brother, Ricimer, who will later become the de facto ruler of the Western Roman Empire.

Determined to expand the Suevic kingdom, Rechila seeks to fill the power vacuum left by the departing Vandals and Alans. In 438 CE, he achieves a major victory, defeating Andevotus, the comes Hispaniarum, at the Genil River (Singillio), further consolidating Suevic dominance in Hispania.

By 447 CE, the Suebi, under King Rechila, have expanded their control over the Roman provinces of Lusitania and Baetica in Hispania, further consolidating their dominance in the region.

Rechiar and the Christianization of the Suebi

When the Suebi entered Hispania, they were pagans, but their king, Rechiar, ascended the throne in 448 CE as a Christian.

Although some scholars suggest that his father, Rechila, may have raised him Catholic to foster better relations with the Church and ease the conversion of the Suebi, there is no definitive evidence to support this. However, what is certain—according to Isidore of Seville's Historia Suevorum—is that Rechiar had already converted to Catholicism (catholicus factus) before becoming king.

Notably, Rechiar’s conversion predates that of Clovis, king of the Franks, by half a century. This fact even led to late 19th-century arguments that the Spanish Church should have primacy over the French Church, as Rechiar was the first Germanic king to embrace Catholicism.

Despite his own conversion, Rechiar's people remained largely pagan, and the exact circumstances and timing of his conversion remain unknown. Some historians speculate that Roman missionaries played a role, given that he did not adopt Arianism, the form of Christianity promoted by the Visigothic Church.

Rechiar’s Rule and Conflicts with Rome

Rechiar, son of the pagan king Rechila and a daughter of Visigothic king Wallia, was a militant ruler, engaging in constant warfare with his neighbors. His succession was not uncontested, as Hydatius records some opposition, though he does not specify whether it was politically or religiously motivated.

Early in his reign, in 448 CE, the Roman count Censorius—who had been imprisoned by Rechila—was executed in Seville by the Suevic noble Agiulf. Some historians suggest this act was linked to Rechiar's hostility toward Rome.

In his campaigns, Rechiar even allied with the Bagaudae, rebellious peasant insurgents in northern Hispania, to ravage the Ebro Valley. This was a rare instance of cooperation between a Germanic ruler and local peasant rebels, further illustrating Rechiar’s defiance of Roman authority.