Chronicle the nature of Germanic tribal expansion and cultural expression

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Germanic peoples were a tribal folk who followed a migratory existence. Dependent on their flocks and herds, they lived in pre-urban village communities throughout Asia and frequently raided and plundered nearby lands for material gain, yet they settled no territorial state. Lacking the hallmarks of civilization—urban settlements, monumental architecture, and the art of writing—the Germanic tribes struck the Romans as inferiors, as outsiders, hence, as "barbarians." As the tribes pressed westward, an uneasy alliance was forged: the Romans allowed the barbarians to settle on the borders of the Empire, but in exchange the Germanic warriors were obliged to protect Rome against other invaders. Eventually, this truce disintegrated and after repeated victories, the Visigoths fell Rome in 410.
Germanic culture differed dramatically from that of Rome: in the agrarian and essentially self-sufficient communities of these nomadic peoples, fighting was a way of life and a highly respected skill. In addition to introducing to the West superior methods of fighting on horseback, the Germanic tribes imposed their own long-standing traditions on medieval Europe. The bond of fealty, or loyalty, between the Germanic warrior and his chieftain and the practice of rewarding the warrior would become fundamental to the medieval practice of feudalism.