Visigothic Legal Code (506 CE)

Timeline

1. 476–505Iberia and southern Gaul · IberiaAfter the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Roman jurists and the Church in the Visigothic Kingdom still handled property, marriage, and contracts under Roman law; the kingdom needed an authoritative, concise written code to regulate Roman subjects and coordinate with Gothic noble customary law.
2. 506Toulouse · Visigothic KingdomKing Alaric II ordered jurists to compile the Lex Romana Visigothorum (commonly called the Breviary of Alaric or the Brevis), excerpting the Theodosian Code and later decrees along with works of Gaius, Paul, and others, with explanatory notes for uniform application by judges.
3. 507–580Toledo kingdom domain, Spain · Visigothic KingdomAfter the Battle of Vouillé, Visigothic power withdrew south to Iberia; the Breviary of Alaric traveled with the kingdom and continued to be applied in Spain, becoming the main basis of justice for Roman subjects alongside Gothic customary law, forming a 'dual legal system'.
4. 580–600Toledo · Visigothic KingdomIn the late 6th century kings such as Leovigild promoted legal unification, with multiple Councils of Toledo legislating to supplement royal decrees; the Breviary of Alaric remained the core text of the Roman legal tradition until Reccared's Liber Iudiciorum in the 7th century finally unified Gothic and Roman law.