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Bárbaros en Hispania

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En el año de Nuestro Señor de 409 los bárbaros cruzaron los Pirineos penetrando en el corazón de Hispania. Así, se inaugura una nueva etapa para la historia de España, la cual ha sido enmarcada dentro de los mal llamados «Siglos Oscuros». Este libro descubre al lector que la luz es más fuerte que la sombra: Suevos, vándalos y alanos mancharon con su sangre la piel de toro y dejaron una huella en nuestra historia que el autor rescata y pone en valor. La caída del Imperio romano de Occidente, la cultura guerrera alana, el gran rey vándalo Genserico, el singular reino Suevo y su destrucción por parte del reino Visigodo de Toledo, germen de la actual España, son algunos de los fascinantes temas que se podrán descubrir con rigor y amenidad en este trabajo. Una época cargada de Identidad, Tradición y Esencia que hoy en día se hacen tan necesarias para recordar lo que fuimos, lo que somos y lo que seremos.

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2018

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About the author

Daniel Gómez Aragonés

7 books18 followers
Historiador y escritor.
Su trabajo en el ámbito de la Historia se ha centrado desde hace más de doce años en el estudio y la divulgación de los pueblos bárbaros y del Reino Visigodo de Toledo. Ha publicado varios libros entre los que destacan Bárbaros en Hispania. Suevos Vándalos y Alanos en la lucha contra Roma (ed. La Esfera de los Libros) e Historia de los Visigodos (ed. Almuzara).
Identidad, Tradición y Esencia son conceptos que forman parte de su vida profesional y personal y la máxima «He combatido la buena batalla, he terminado la carrera, he conservado la fe» (II Timoteo 4, 7) una meta a seguir.

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Fonch.
464 reviews373 followers
October 17, 2019
Ladies and gentlemen, I know, I am already repeating myself, but I apologise to my followers, and to the goodreads users for taking so long to write another review, and I have skipped the order again, as they will have shrewdly observed. I had to write a review of Walter Scott's"The Mountain Magician, and the Triermain Banquet" on Monday https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... and this review was for me to write it on Tuesday, but on Monday morning I was entertained in nonsense, and in the afternoon I set out to expand my readings, to get to the 2000 book club at Goodreads. That's why I'm late, plus Gygax got very interesting https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... got very interesting with his Egyptian fantasy detective trilogy Setne Imhetep in his dangerous travel trilogy (already I will write about it) https://www.goodreads.com/series/1528... though I have other criticisms in mind.
I have advanced the criticism of Mr Gómez Aragonés, my colleague, and fellow historian, because I promised you a long time ago, and I do not want you to think ill of me as a colleague. This may be my last review of a book in Spanish that is written in English, due to the low reception, which it has for English-speaking users. The review would be written in Spanish, and then in English. On the advice of my good friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... to promote it in front of spanish audiences, if successful, the book could later be translated into English. The truth is, this book deserves it. I do not understand, as it has so few valuations, because this is a book, edited by the Sphere of Books, that would deserve even greater valuation, and many more readers. Our eminent fellow historian has not only written a book on the Germanic peoples who populated Hispania, but he has written a piece of history, which captures the interesting 5th century. A terrible century, for some, but for others a new dawn, as a quote says "Happy peoples who have no history". With all the fifth century it is a fascinating period, perhaps not as bright as the 1st century, II A.D. worth Rome, but it deserves our interest, to see the birth of Spain, as territory, already independent, and separated, and to see that the Germanic peoples, who were not the visigoths, and the truth, which is very meritorious what Mr. Gómez Aragonés has done. It must have been a titanic job to get information, for example, out of the Alanos. In my case I must admit, that it has broken molds, because the idea, which I had of the Alanos, is that they were like the Huns, and I was surprised to find such a Germanized town, and already with blonde people. An extraordinary work, as guided by Tacitus, brings order to chaos, and as it places every Germanic tribe on the map https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... and has not been the only source, which it has used, for vandals, and the Swids has used brilliantly to a writer, who for nonhistorians of that period is very unknown, and that the best we only saw in passing in high school. Bishop Hidacio, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... the patron saint of historians such as Saint Isidore of Seville https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... with his "History of Vandals and Swives" (by honor of patron of history, perhaps he should share it with San Beda, and with San Gregorio de Tours https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... ) I also saw other old acquaintances, such as Sidonio Apolinar https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... or Procopio https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Jordanes https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and also the sources of his collaborators, which he has used, and who deserve recognition. Although the book has been written, thinking of a history of the Spanish territory, we see that in the end the author has had, to make a total story, spanning the 5th century. He has had, to analyze from Honorius to the fall of Rome, and this is the first question I ask myself, does the Empire fall? For example my esteemed Hilaire Belloc in her "Europe and Faith" says no, and I defended this theory for a certain time https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... If we answer yes When does it fall? He falls in 409 when he takes the city alarico I, and puts Atalo Prisco as emperor. Does it fall when Genserico takes it? Or does it fall when They depretake Romulua Augustulo? But let us remember, that this was done by the command of the emperor of the east Zeno, who diverted Odoacer, and then in turn to Thedoric the Amalo (the famous Dietrich of the songs of Gesta , and the famous lord for which Hildebrand fights https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... and who also appear in "The Singing of the Nibelungen" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... who drinks from the Edda Major https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... arriving until the birth of the Goth kingdom, who also noveled Poul Anderson in his account the misfortunes of Odin the Goth in the "Patrolling the Time" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... and which in turn was the patron saint of Cassiodorus, and Boethius https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... About Theodoric the Amalo, to distinguish it, from the Visigoths we recommend Louis's beautiful novel "Citadels of God" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...) But going back to the question. Does the Roman Empire fall, or does only Rome fall? As I see, even though it is powerful, the Roman Empire reaches its zenith with Marcus Aurelius https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... but as from the plague it no longer becomes what it was. Did the barbarians destroy it, or should we think like Will Durant? That every civilization has the time to die, and that Rome does not perish so much because of the Germanic invasions, but because it has previously been destroyed from within https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... (see the beginning, though eye, with critical spirit, and nuances, because history and cinema do not marry well, and have different languages, and sometimes the problem is that cinema often seeks more a good script, and it brings to history, as novelists do. Yet despite the freedoms it takes. It's worth it, that you took a look at the Fall of the Roman Empire produced by Samuel Bronston, directed by Anthony Mann and starring Stephen Boyd, Sophia Loren, Alec Guiness, Christopher Plummer, and James Mason among others). https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film9... the chapter is interesting, which our colleague makes of how the Roman army works. Also fascinating that I have refreshed my memory, about the rise of Constantine, and Constant against Honorius, and as Geroncio was a Roman-British general. It's a complex, and fascinating century, and our colleague explains it very well, and doesn't fall into in the sin in which many historians fall to bore the great public, for this story is written for them, and it should not fall into a certain kind of inbreeding. It is an extraordinary century with Stylicon, Constantius, the great Aethius, even when the last Roman (who is actually the son of a Slavic) falls), still without army, or depending on his federated, there are still interesting characters such as Mayorian, or Maximum of Dalmatia, or Antemio. It was said that the last Emperor Romulo Augustulo was the son of Orestes, who in turn was lieutenant of Attila. Another success to my view of his work is to rehabilitate the figure of Genserico, to see if he deserves the songs and films is not Ethyla, but Gensérico, who despite the hostility of the Roman historiography manages to give greatness to the vandals survive the exytermnium d and the other vandals and cross Africa, seizing the richest regions. And go defeating, expanding the empire, and ranting Rome And to defeat, expanding the empire, and ranting Rome, some operations were film. Yet as the great men, it seems, that with Gensérico fortune was made up, especially in the case of Basilisk. We won't know, what would have happened, if the Roman Empire had been fine, but I think, that Genserico despite his talent would not have been a rival, or he would have had to change tactics to survive. His successors Hunerico, Tasamundo, Hilderico, and Gelimer were not up to the task. He has explained very well the dependence of the Mauri, and how fatal the persecution of Catholics was fatal to them. What impressed me was Marciano. In a film Attila by Douglas Sirk the sign of the heathen, where the protagonist is, we see him a prisoner of the Huns. What is my surprise that he was actually taken prisoner, but not by the Huns without by the vandals, and that by a Genséric omen he discovered, that he would be emperor. The Swivian kingdom is fascinating, although brief with Requiario , perhaps the first barbarian who became Catholic, who was unlucky to clash with Thedoric II in Orbigo and then his successors Tedomiro, and Mirón already become Catholics, what happens is that as in Brian Moore's novel with the ferrets in "Black Robe" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... This seems to coincide with the arrival of a capable king like Leovigildo, and with the end of the Smiles. Also very well are the two appendages of the army of Leovigildo, and of the Bagaudas, and achieves his goal Daniel Gómez Aragonés separates the bagaudas from claims from Marxist historiography. Of the bacutes this what told me my father when he read Sataniel and his romance with Bagauda Atmand in a novel written by Frederic Soulié https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... _ In which by the way comes the Visigothic king Eurico, who also appears in this book. It is not raised, because the author focused on the history of vandals, swirs, and alams, but the other mystery, apart from the fall of Rome. It is that of the Visigothic empire to which my colleague has devoted himself, and has rehabilitated as Cebrian did in "The Adventure of the Goths" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... a dictionary with all the Goth kings (which there were before, to be learned, and now barely studied. As my colleague complains, although I knew some more king) on this subject I may like the trilogy of my friend Manuel Alfonseca the trilogy of the Eolian family, especially "The Tartesia crown" that speaks of this convulsive period, and in which Genserico appears , and Alarico II although my favorite is "The Emerald Table", where the author rehabilitates Galieno, of some unfair historiographic approaches to his person https://www.goodreads.com/series/2495... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... Perhaps on the subjects, there has been a demonization of the Visigothic kingdom, and a praise of good and tolerant Islam. The lie is told that there was no invasion, despite Wamba, and Teodomiro containing two Muslim invasions. The question is how is it possible to be the most Romanized? And a priori the strongest of the Germanic kingdoms, fall down, and instead save the Franks? I leave this question in the air. The last chapter Daniel Gómez Aragones rehabilitates the Germans, and fights against hostile historiography against them, and against prejudices. For seeking a ruling, perhaps perhaps, the conclusions of Vandals, and Suevos, are necessary. But in short it's a great book, and I really liked it. It's a better job, and more ambitious than it looks, and I recommend it to everyone.
Profile Image for Antonio López Sousa.
Author 16 books16 followers
October 5, 2022
En la producción historiográfica de cualquier parte del mundo siempre existen lagunas que casi nadie se atreve a explorar por diferentes motivos, en especial por falta de fuentes históricas o de datos arqueológicos. Una de esas lagunas en la Península Ibérica se halla en los tumultuosos años entre comienzos del siglo V y finales del VI, cuando los pueblos germánicos irrumpieron en Hispania en el 409 tras cruzar los Pirineos y transitaron por ella dejando una mayor o menor impronta. Aquellos pueblos germánicos: alanos, vándalos y suevos, son los grandes olvidados de la Península en beneficio de los visigodos (me niego a hablar solo de España, o las "Españas", como se traduce más de una vez de las fuentes, porque en aquella época la realidad política, administrativa y social era otra), en especial los suevos, que conformaron el considerado como primer reino germánico de Europa, en el que también fueron los primeros en acuñar moneda propia y en convertirse al catolicismo.

Los historiadores llevan mucho tiempo discutiendo sobre los hechos de este periodo apasionante, repleto de destacados acontecimientos que tuvieron una profunda trascendencia para el futuro de Hispania y de Europa. El problema radica en su escasa repercusión en el público general, desconocedor casi absoluto de la existencia de estos pueblos y de la impronta que dejaron en la Península Ibérica. Este libro de divulgación intenta cubrir este vacío, siendo su fin último ofrecer a quien quiera saber, un relato de lo acontecido en aquellos tiempos de cambios y de las particularidades de los tres pueblos que la historiografía decidió dejar en el olvido para centrarse en la grandeza visigoda, a veces exagerada con una clara intención de presentarla como el único y verdadero génesis del pueblo español y de España, lo que es bastante discutible. Por tanto, es una obra amena, de fácil lectura y a la par muy bien documentada.

Irremediablemente, debido a la falta de fuentes y datos, en muchos casos es necesario reconstruir esa historia a través de interpretaciones y deducciones por lo dicho en fuentes tangenciales, pero eso no impide que en líneas generales construya un relato bastante verosímil de lo que pudo haber sucedido en aquellos tiempos y de cómo se gestaron las estructuras políticas, administrativas y sociales que en algunos casos sobrevivieron a la conquista musulmana, estructuras que no se podrían entender sin estos pueblos (sobre todo los suevos, quienes en contra de la lógica fueron los que más perduraron de los tres y los más influyeron a pesar de ser los menos poderosos).
Profile Image for Petauroak.
274 reviews14 followers
Read
December 20, 2018
Bárbaros en Hispania. Suevos, vándalos y alanos en la lucha contra Roma (Daniel Gómez Aragonés).

La épica de la tardoantigüedad hispana se desgrana con un ritmo ágil en uno de los trabajos más completos sobre los pueblos bárbaros que habitaron la Diocesis Hispaniarum.
Profile Image for JoséMaría BlancoWhite.
338 reviews65 followers
September 10, 2025
Pocas veces me he encontrado con libros de historia que no haya podido terminar o no haya aprovechado minimamente: este ha sido un caso.
No encuentro el término para definirlo. Conocen el significado de ameno? Pues busquen ahora el antónimo y he aquí este libro. No divulgue más, gracias.
Profile Image for Juan José.
206 reviews1 follower
April 9, 2025
Corto pero interesante,el autor nos vuelve a regalar la imaginación con un gran libro.
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