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 ...