The Visigothic kingdom of Tolouse in 418-450 - whether it was:the official status of the visigoths in Aquitaine

The article is devoted to the period of 418-450 in the history of the Visigoths and the Roman Empire. At this time, from the point of view of some researchers, there was so-called kingdom of Toulouse of the Visigoths. The article deals with the question of whether the settlement Visigoths in Aquitaine in this period had or acquired the status of the kingdom. The data of the written sources, covering a specified period in the history of the Visigoths, and searches of national and foreign historians and experts reviewed, analyzed and compared to achieve this issue. The problem of the concept of the kingdom of Toulouse is seen as a source study and in the institutional perspective. The article is reconstructed the objective and subjective factors behind the transformation of the status of the Visigoths in imperial Aquitaine based on the data sources and historiography. In 418 there was a settlement of the Goths in the Roman province Aquitaine Second in South Gaul with their capital at Toulouse. Visigothic kingdom of Toulouse in modern historiography is considered as one of the first barbarian kingdoms in the territory of the Empire, set an example for other similar entities. But some problems are still debatable, for example, a nature of this kingdom and its institutional design. Making of the concept of the kingdom of Toulouse reflected the transformation of social and historical mentality of the early medieval chroniclers, but not real institutionalization of new power structures and changing the Visigoths. The period of history of the Visigoths, which is called the kingdom of Toulouse in the historiography, actually was the formative period of the kingdom. The article examines the period of 418-450 years, associated with the initial stage of staying of the Visigoths in Aquitaine and with their leader Teodorid or Theodoric I. Visigoths, as well as other barbarian units on the territory of the empire, were largely related to the nature and preferences of the current leader, so such a statement is relevant time frame for this issue. Theo-doric tried to take all the advantages of the Visigothic situation as Roman federates-settlers, and for this purpose he tried to maintain and develop a certain distance between the Romans and the Visigoths, used all possible ways of putting pressure on the Government of the Roman Empire. This balancing on the edge of "friend-enemy", blackmail and extortion benefits made Visigothic policy in relations with the Empire in 418-450 contradictory at first sight. However, actually it was always aimed at maintaining friendly relations and did not mean the desire for independence in any form. Thus, fundamental changes in the status of the Visigoths and their identity did not happen during the era of Theodoric I.

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