Things to See in the Languedoc:   Historic Cities:   Carcassonne  (  Carcassona):   The Visigothic Period

The fourth century brought great instability as the Roman Empire crumbled. 

The Visigoths were the next to arrive in the Languedoc.  Despite its newly reinforced city walls, Carcassonne fell to them in AD 436. 

A walled city was built in the 5th century by Euric I, King of the Visigoths.  Under their Christian king Theodoric, they controlled what we now know as Provence, Aquitaine and the Languedoc (Septimania). 

The Visigoths were not considered great builders. They did however maintain the walls, copying the Gallo-Roman art and style.  For this reason it is not easy differentiate Gallo-Roman constructions from the Visigothic ones. (throughout the Languedoc, many Gallo-Roman constructions were wrongly attributed in the nineteenth century to the Visigoths). 

In 508, the Franks reappeared. Under Clovis they launched an attack against the Visigoths.  They took the city of Toulouse, and Gondebaud, king of the Burgondes, was given the task of taking Septemania, but he failed to capture Carcassonne.  Although Clovis succeeded in unifying most of Gaule, he could never control Septimania without Carcassonne - its great defensive gateway. 

Carcassonne and Septamania remained Visigothic until they fell to the Moors (Saracens) in 725.