no authority over the Roman
population among whom the Goths were settled. This condition was
unsatisfactory to the Gothic rulers who sought to establish an independent
Gothic kingdom. Theodoric I, the successor of Wallia, forced the Romans to
acknowledge his complete sovereignty over Aquitania, but failed in his
attempt to conquer Narbonese Gaul. However, he joined forces with the
Romans against Attila the Hun and was largely responsible for checking the
latter at the battle of the Mauriac plain (451 A. D.) in which he lost his
life. For a time the Goths remained on friendly terms with the imperial
authority but under Euric, who became king in 466 A. D., the anti-Roman
faction was in the ascendant and they embarked upon a policy of expansion.
In 475 Euric, after a protracted struggle, gained possession of the
district of Auvergne, and the Roman emperor acknowledged his sovereignty
over the country between the Atlantic and the Rhone, the Loire and the
Pyrenees, besides some territory in Spain. Two years later the district
between the Rhone and the Alps, south of the Durance, was added to the
Visigothic kingdom.

III. THE VANDALS

*The invasions of 406 A. D.* In 405 A. D. an invading horde of Vandals and
Alans, who had descended upon Italy, was utterly defeated by Stilicho. But
in the following year fresh swarms of the same peoples, united with the
Suevi, crossed the Rhine near Mainz and plundered Gaul as far as the
Pyrenees. For a short time they were held in check by the usurper
Constantine, who held sway in Gaul and Spain. However, when he was
involved in a struggle with a rival, Gerontius, they found an opportunity
to make their way into Spain (409 A. D.).

*The occupation of Spain.* The united peoples speedily made themselves
masters of the whole Iberian peninsula. But in spite of their successes
over the Roman troops, the lack of supplies forced them to come to terms
with the empire. In 411 they became Roman _foederati_ and were granted
lands for settlement. Under this agreement the Asdingian Vandals and the
Suevi occupied the northwest of Spain, the Alans the center, and the
Silingian Vandals the south. However, the Roman government had only made
peace with the Vandals and their allies under pressure, and seized the
first opportunity to rid themselves of these unwelcome guests. In 416
Constantius authorized the Visigoths under Wallia to attack them in the
name of the emperor. W