Behold also this map... Some visualization is helpful. (Visigoths = Western Goths, a term coined by a contemporary Roman. Ostrogoths = the Eastern Goths.)
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#31
History, Science, and Interesting Information - The Great Library / Re: Medieval European History
August 02, 2026, 04:17:23 PM #32
History, Science, and Interesting Information - The Great Library / Re: Medieval European History
August 02, 2026, 04:16:00 PMQuote from: Jubal on August 02, 2026, 03:55:49 PMHopefully those are useful thoughts!
Thanks Jubal! Extremely helpful thank you. I particularly appreciate the point there about the way we think of the identity of the German tribes. I was doing a little more digging elsewhere online (https://historyguild.org/the-germanic-tribes/), and this comment seems pertinent.
QuoteRoman writers characteristically organized and classified people, and it may very well have been deliberate on their part to recognize the tribal distinctions of the various Germanic people so as to pick out known leaders and exploit these differences for their benefit. For the most part however, these early Germanic people shared a basic culture, operated similarly from an economic perspective, and were not nearly as differentiated as the Romans implied. In fact, the Germanic tribes are hard to distinguish from the Celts on many accounts simply based on archaeological records.
That is an interesting point too about how a de-specialization could potentially have meant a positive change for some people. I imagine it was a heavy burden on the peasants of the empire to support the lives of the Roman citizens / elites.
#33
History, Science, and Interesting Information - The Great Library / Re: Medieval European History
August 02, 2026, 04:06:02 PMQuote from: Hufflescruff on August 02, 2026, 03:11:26 PMOh I understand!Quote from: Hufflescruff on August 02, 2026, 03:03:37 PMMassive congratulations to you ❤️
Also envious how you can process so much information with a New Born. I'm just a functioning zombie right now 😅
Btw, I didn't mean to dismiss your post. I'm just taking my time to read and digest it ❤️
But yeah, I am a zombie to be certain. We are one month in, and I am only managing 5 pages a day on average. So my account is quite fragmented as a result. I feel I've missed a lot and need to re-read with a highlighter.
#34
History, Science, and Interesting Information - The Great Library / Re: Medieval European History
August 02, 2026, 02:02:10 PM
Oh, and something else I didn't mention above - the adoption of Christianity by the Germanic tribes. Their cultural 'romanization' was also a Christianization. This seems like an important step in the formation of early medieval Europe.
#35
History, Science, and Interesting Information - The Great Library / Re: Medieval European History
August 02, 2026, 01:35:38 PM
Thanks Jubal!
OK, starting with the transition to the medieval era, and the fall of the Roman Empire. I can do other topics on other days (not much time with the baby to deal with).
I was aware of the fact that the Roman empire split into eastern and western halves, with the eastern half based out of Constantinople, where it would eventually become the Byzantine Empire. And I knew that the eastern half lasted for quite a bit longer than the western half of the empire. But beyond this there was quite a bit of new information here for me to digest.
First off, on the cause of the collapse of the western empire, Koenigsberger briefly addresses the various theories that have been given (and I understand this is still an area of contention / much discussion today?) For example, the increasing number of barbarians within the army. Growing wealth disparity. The cost of looking after such extensive borders, etc.
But his basic argument is that ultimately these issues were not decisive, as we can find them in the eastern half of the empire also, and that did not collapse. What stands out therefore is the invasion of the Germanic tribes, which was initiated (according to Koenigsberger) by the Huns. I can see that other causes for this period of tribal migration are given in Wikipedia.
But unless I glossed over a bit, Koenigsberger really just focuses on them being displaced by steppe nomads.
(Below I'll supplement some of what he says with bits and pieces I'm grabbing from Wikipedia too.)
So, a big early event in this migration is Gothic tribes (such as the Thervingi) being forced by the Huns out of their lands around the Balkans, down into the Eastern Roman empire. The Eastern Roman emperor at the time, Valens, goes to battle to fight them at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. Valens is killed. The next Eastern emperor, Theodosius I, signs a treaty with these tribes. They allow them to settle within the Empire.
Later, Alaric I would come to lead some of these Gothic tribes (now known as the Visigoths). Alaric is used by Theodosius, who sent him to Italy to attack the Western Empire in 394 (I'm hazy on the details of why, but I understand some conflict over who got to inherit the Western Empire, with Theodosius wanting to unify the whole thing back under his command?). The idea was to handle two birds with one stone. Subdue the Western empire, and have a lot of the annoying Visigoths die in the process. Alaric was successful (at great cost it seems), and was annoyed at how he was used / under-rewarded by Theodosius. Once the Eastern Emperor was dead the following year, Alaric considered the agreement finished, and started gathering forces. There was a protracted period of various attacks, sieges, deals, retreats, and eventually he sacked Rome in 410.
Roman control over Italy (from Byzantium) was later successfully re-established for a time, but it couldn't last. Eventually, the Lombards (another German tribe) moved in, in 568. For the next two centuries or so Italy was contested ground between the Byzantines and the Lombards.
Along with the Visigoths and the Lombards, it seems the Franks were one of the most important Germanic tribes. They were united under their leader Clovis, who founded the Merovingian dynasty (which I had not heard of). They came to dominate not just post-Roman Germany territory, but also France / Belgium / Netherlands. This whole kind of western sweep. So what we think of as French culture has some Germanic elements too (like English culture does from the Anglo-Saxons). (Later the Franks would form the Carolingian dynasty, which is also an important force in the early development of medieval Europe.)
The Visigoths were eventually displaced from Gaul by the Franks, and pushed down into Spain. There they did not have as long a hold (a few hundred years?), so their long-term influence on the development of the local culture was weaker.
Another points Koenigsberger makes that I thought interesting was that the barbarian tribes were relatively small groups (generally 80k or so people at most). In occupying parts of the Western empire, they replaced the existing elites to a degree, but were also in turn gradually Romanized to an extent in terms of different customs, through marriage, etc.
Major Takeaway - Importance of Germanic Tribes
For me, reading this part of the history of early Europe, what struck me was the extent to which the Germanic tribes are a key part of the development of a broader 'European' culture. England. France. Germany. Italy, and Spain (to a lesser extent) were all occupied for extensive periods by these tribes, whose language and customs combined with Latin / Roman culture. In the past, I had only thought of these tribes from the perspective of their role in ending the Western Empire, and didn't really appreciate how extensively they roamed, or for how long they ruled different regions.
Other Things I Learned
I was hazy on the nature of the Celts. In reading this section of the book I dug around online more, and finally learned about how extensive Celtic culture was prior to the Romans pushing them out of much of their territory. I didn't really appreciate in the past that the Gauls belonged to the Celtic cultural group, such that both the Gauls and the Britons were Celts. I think I had a feel for it due to how similar they were in Rome Total War, haha, but that might have been it.
I also learned that the Gaels (from whence we get "Gaelic"), although originating in Ireland, also spread to Scotland. From Wikipedia: "In Latin, the Gaels were called Scoti, but this later came to mean only the Gaels of Scotland." It seems that after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Gaels were successful in expanding further into Wales + Scotland, while the Anglo-Saxons took the lowlands (and later we have the Vikings of course coming in and taking bits and pieces for a while). I'm unclear though on how much of what we understand as 'Welsh Culture' is Gaelic vs the older Celtic Briton culture of that area, and even specifically what differences really exist between Celtic Britains and Gaels. I'd be interested in learning more about this!
Lastly, I think I gained a greater appreciation for how most of the continental lands of the Western Empire (outside of Italy) were much lower in population when compared to the Eastern Empire (to what extent it was depopulated by the Empire's collapse I am not sure). The great urban centers of the Ancient world lay in the East. Which makes sense. The Germanic tribes were culturally not interested in urbanism (or at least, so Koenigsberger claims), and cities in the West diminished quite a bit. The climate of North-Western Europe was also still quite cold in the first millennium AD, and the heavy soil was harder to till prior to the use of iron plows and oxen. This contrasts with the east, which had long been home to relatively large urban areas for longer (kinder weather, soil that was easier to manage with wooden plows, etc.). (Also, Germany, France and England were covered in dense forests of hardwood. Difficult to clear for agriculture without iron tools, which were in very scarce supply.) How this changes is interesting, and something I'm reading about currently, but can leave for future discussion.
Further Reading
If anyone has some recommendations, I wouldn't mind reading some more books on the German Tribes. I feel like our knowledge of them (from what I have seen online) must have expanded a great deal / been re-evaluated since the time Koenigsberger wrote this book. For example, when it comes to an appreciation of their building skills, etc. discovered in the archaeological records.
I'm curious as to what made them so effective in fighting the Romans? What differentiated the different tribes from each other? What skills and crafts they were experts at, etc.
OK, starting with the transition to the medieval era, and the fall of the Roman Empire. I can do other topics on other days (not much time with the baby to deal with).
I was aware of the fact that the Roman empire split into eastern and western halves, with the eastern half based out of Constantinople, where it would eventually become the Byzantine Empire. And I knew that the eastern half lasted for quite a bit longer than the western half of the empire. But beyond this there was quite a bit of new information here for me to digest.
First off, on the cause of the collapse of the western empire, Koenigsberger briefly addresses the various theories that have been given (and I understand this is still an area of contention / much discussion today?) For example, the increasing number of barbarians within the army. Growing wealth disparity. The cost of looking after such extensive borders, etc.
But his basic argument is that ultimately these issues were not decisive, as we can find them in the eastern half of the empire also, and that did not collapse. What stands out therefore is the invasion of the Germanic tribes, which was initiated (according to Koenigsberger) by the Huns. I can see that other causes for this period of tribal migration are given in Wikipedia.
QuoteThe reasons for the migrations of the period are unclear, but scholars have proposed overpopulation, climate change, bad harvests, famines, and adventurousness as possible reasons.[177] Migrations were probably carried out by relatively small groups rather than entire peoples.[178]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_peoples
But unless I glossed over a bit, Koenigsberger really just focuses on them being displaced by steppe nomads.
(Below I'll supplement some of what he says with bits and pieces I'm grabbing from Wikipedia too.)
So, a big early event in this migration is Gothic tribes (such as the Thervingi) being forced by the Huns out of their lands around the Balkans, down into the Eastern Roman empire. The Eastern Roman emperor at the time, Valens, goes to battle to fight them at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. Valens is killed. The next Eastern emperor, Theodosius I, signs a treaty with these tribes. They allow them to settle within the Empire.
Later, Alaric I would come to lead some of these Gothic tribes (now known as the Visigoths). Alaric is used by Theodosius, who sent him to Italy to attack the Western Empire in 394 (I'm hazy on the details of why, but I understand some conflict over who got to inherit the Western Empire, with Theodosius wanting to unify the whole thing back under his command?). The idea was to handle two birds with one stone. Subdue the Western empire, and have a lot of the annoying Visigoths die in the process. Alaric was successful (at great cost it seems), and was annoyed at how he was used / under-rewarded by Theodosius. Once the Eastern Emperor was dead the following year, Alaric considered the agreement finished, and started gathering forces. There was a protracted period of various attacks, sieges, deals, retreats, and eventually he sacked Rome in 410.
Roman control over Italy (from Byzantium) was later successfully re-established for a time, but it couldn't last. Eventually, the Lombards (another German tribe) moved in, in 568. For the next two centuries or so Italy was contested ground between the Byzantines and the Lombards.
Along with the Visigoths and the Lombards, it seems the Franks were one of the most important Germanic tribes. They were united under their leader Clovis, who founded the Merovingian dynasty (which I had not heard of). They came to dominate not just post-Roman Germany territory, but also France / Belgium / Netherlands. This whole kind of western sweep. So what we think of as French culture has some Germanic elements too (like English culture does from the Anglo-Saxons). (Later the Franks would form the Carolingian dynasty, which is also an important force in the early development of medieval Europe.)
The Visigoths were eventually displaced from Gaul by the Franks, and pushed down into Spain. There they did not have as long a hold (a few hundred years?), so their long-term influence on the development of the local culture was weaker.
Another points Koenigsberger makes that I thought interesting was that the barbarian tribes were relatively small groups (generally 80k or so people at most). In occupying parts of the Western empire, they replaced the existing elites to a degree, but were also in turn gradually Romanized to an extent in terms of different customs, through marriage, etc.
Major Takeaway - Importance of Germanic Tribes
For me, reading this part of the history of early Europe, what struck me was the extent to which the Germanic tribes are a key part of the development of a broader 'European' culture. England. France. Germany. Italy, and Spain (to a lesser extent) were all occupied for extensive periods by these tribes, whose language and customs combined with Latin / Roman culture. In the past, I had only thought of these tribes from the perspective of their role in ending the Western Empire, and didn't really appreciate how extensively they roamed, or for how long they ruled different regions.
Other Things I Learned
I was hazy on the nature of the Celts. In reading this section of the book I dug around online more, and finally learned about how extensive Celtic culture was prior to the Romans pushing them out of much of their territory. I didn't really appreciate in the past that the Gauls belonged to the Celtic cultural group, such that both the Gauls and the Britons were Celts. I think I had a feel for it due to how similar they were in Rome Total War, haha, but that might have been it.
I also learned that the Gaels (from whence we get "Gaelic"), although originating in Ireland, also spread to Scotland. From Wikipedia: "In Latin, the Gaels were called Scoti, but this later came to mean only the Gaels of Scotland." It seems that after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Gaels were successful in expanding further into Wales + Scotland, while the Anglo-Saxons took the lowlands (and later we have the Vikings of course coming in and taking bits and pieces for a while). I'm unclear though on how much of what we understand as 'Welsh Culture' is Gaelic vs the older Celtic Briton culture of that area, and even specifically what differences really exist between Celtic Britains and Gaels. I'd be interested in learning more about this!
Lastly, I think I gained a greater appreciation for how most of the continental lands of the Western Empire (outside of Italy) were much lower in population when compared to the Eastern Empire (to what extent it was depopulated by the Empire's collapse I am not sure). The great urban centers of the Ancient world lay in the East. Which makes sense. The Germanic tribes were culturally not interested in urbanism (or at least, so Koenigsberger claims), and cities in the West diminished quite a bit. The climate of North-Western Europe was also still quite cold in the first millennium AD, and the heavy soil was harder to till prior to the use of iron plows and oxen. This contrasts with the east, which had long been home to relatively large urban areas for longer (kinder weather, soil that was easier to manage with wooden plows, etc.). (Also, Germany, France and England were covered in dense forests of hardwood. Difficult to clear for agriculture without iron tools, which were in very scarce supply.) How this changes is interesting, and something I'm reading about currently, but can leave for future discussion.
Further Reading
If anyone has some recommendations, I wouldn't mind reading some more books on the German Tribes. I feel like our knowledge of them (from what I have seen online) must have expanded a great deal / been re-evaluated since the time Koenigsberger wrote this book. For example, when it comes to an appreciation of their building skills, etc. discovered in the archaeological records.
I'm curious as to what made them so effective in fighting the Romans? What differentiated the different tribes from each other? What skills and crafts they were experts at, etc.
#36
History, Science, and Interesting Information - The Great Library / Medieval European History
August 02, 2026, 11:39:36 AM
Hello all. While looking after our newborn I've been slowly reading a book on European history.
Specifically Medieval Europe 400 - 1500 by H.G. Koenigsberger (1987).
It's a bit of an old text (and I imagine there's many newer better overviews), but something I had on my shelf for a few years that I'd been meaning to look at.
My knowledge of medieval European history is quite fragmentary, so what I was looking for was more broader context that could help me hang different bits of my knowledge together better (rather than learning fine details). I'm only half way through so far, but I thought I might post a few observations / impressions so far. Perhaps some of you might have some thoughts they could add? This can also help me solidify some of what I have learned into long-term memory. Otherwise I fear I will have forgotten much of it soon!
I'll start a new post below to get into some specifics.
Specifically Medieval Europe 400 - 1500 by H.G. Koenigsberger (1987).
It's a bit of an old text (and I imagine there's many newer better overviews), but something I had on my shelf for a few years that I'd been meaning to look at.
My knowledge of medieval European history is quite fragmentary, so what I was looking for was more broader context that could help me hang different bits of my knowledge together better (rather than learning fine details). I'm only half way through so far, but I thought I might post a few observations / impressions so far. Perhaps some of you might have some thoughts they could add? This can also help me solidify some of what I have learned into long-term memory. Otherwise I fear I will have forgotten much of it soon!
I'll start a new post below to get into some specifics.
#37
Discussion and Debate - The Philosopher's Plaza / Re: UK Politics 2026
July 25, 2026, 01:11:05 PM
What do you think of the count's chances Jubal?
#38
General Gaming - The Arcade / Re: Vintage Story
July 25, 2026, 01:09:51 PM
Nice work with the interior decorating! And I am very jealous of the elk!
#39
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Innkeep! - Serve Ale. Collect Rumors. Make Coin.
February 17, 2026, 08:42:57 AMHi everybody!
I've been keeping at it with the blog posts. I just posted a new one today on our cooking system, but it looks like the previous two I haven't posted here! So here's the most recent stuff all together. :-0
Moving from Concept to Actual Game
Building the Thief Minigame
Building the Cooking System
#40
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: On Inventory Design
October 10, 2025, 08:21:39 AM
Another person here who likes tetris-style inventory in general. I agree that it's done well in Subnaughtica. Another good example from recent history would be Dredge. I didn't really enjoy it too much, but I think the inventory system was a good choice given what they were trying to achieve. As SoTK says, I think it depends on the type of game and what you are trying to do.
I'm also a big fan of encumbrance, even in RPGs. I agree that it often feels arbitrary / tacked on, and it seems clear a lot of players don't like it at all given the popularity of mods to remove / massively increase it in games like Skyrim. But people play RPGs for a lot of different reasons. Personally I usually like it when they have survival mechanics as a way to help you feel immersed in the world. Certainly I wouldn't play a Bethesda game without those features modded in quite heavily.
I've added a GUMPS style Ultima inventory system to Innkeep this year, although it's specifically used for handling the stealing side of the game. One of the downsides of that system (think UO, Ultima 7, Ultima 8) was the clutter it created. With items overlapping / hiding other items it could be a real pain to organize what you had. But if you -want- items to hide other items (because you are hunting around for things in somebody elses belongings, for example) then it's pretty neat.
It's also just very tactile. I'd love to see more games bringing back GUMPs.
I'm also a big fan of encumbrance, even in RPGs. I agree that it often feels arbitrary / tacked on, and it seems clear a lot of players don't like it at all given the popularity of mods to remove / massively increase it in games like Skyrim. But people play RPGs for a lot of different reasons. Personally I usually like it when they have survival mechanics as a way to help you feel immersed in the world. Certainly I wouldn't play a Bethesda game without those features modded in quite heavily.
I've added a GUMPS style Ultima inventory system to Innkeep this year, although it's specifically used for handling the stealing side of the game. One of the downsides of that system (think UO, Ultima 7, Ultima 8) was the clutter it created. With items overlapping / hiding other items it could be a real pain to organize what you had. But if you -want- items to hide other items (because you are hunting around for things in somebody elses belongings, for example) then it's pretty neat.
It's also just very tactile. I'd love to see more games bringing back GUMPs.
#41
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Innkeep! - Serve Ale. Collect Rumors. Make Coin.
June 07, 2025, 04:13:25 PM
Hi all!
I've rebooted my series of dev diaries for youtube.
Now with video editing, and a script. Phoar!
Hope you enjoy it. <3
I've rebooted my series of dev diaries for youtube.
Now with video editing, and a script. Phoar!
Hope you enjoy it. <3
#42
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Innkeep! - Serve Ale. Collect Rumors. Make Coin.
February 04, 2025, 05:10:20 AM
Hi everybody.
I'm busy beavering away with Innkeep development. If you'd like to get caught up to speed, I've made a few blog posts!
https://innkeepgame.com/end-of-year-developer-update/
https://innkeepgame.com/conversations-and-clues-in-innkeep/
I'm busy beavering away with Innkeep development. If you'd like to get caught up to speed, I've made a few blog posts!
https://innkeepgame.com/end-of-year-developer-update/
https://innkeepgame.com/conversations-and-clues-in-innkeep/
#43
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: The Hidden Art of Innkeeping - manage an inn and discover hidden treasures!
February 04, 2025, 05:08:51 AM
Hello fellow Inn-themed game developer! :-) :-) This looks lovely.
#44
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Dungeons of Ironshade
February 04, 2025, 05:08:20 AM
Very fancy looking! I like how you can rotate your view within a square that you're in.
#45
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Relentless Expanse
February 04, 2025, 05:06:58 AM
Welcome to Exilian! This looks really cool! I'm reminded of Wing Commander Armada.