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Having defeated the Huns at Chalons and at the Nedao, migrating Germanic tribes invaded the Western Roman Empire and transformed it into Medieval Europe.

Nevertheless, it was only with Germanic help that the empire was able to survive as long as it did, as the Roman Army was nearly entirely composed of Germanic soldiers by the 4th century.

By the year 500, the Anglo-Saxons were in Britain, and the Burgundians were in the Rhône valley.

Ruled by Theodoric, the Ostrogoths were established in Italy, while the Vandal leader Gaiseric had sacked Rome and founded a kingdom in Africa.

In 507, the Visigoths were expelled by the Franks from most of their Gallic possessions, and thereafter ruled a state in Hispania.

In 568, the Lombard leader Alboin invaded Italy, and founded an independent kingdom which in 774 was overthrown by Charlemagne, who was crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800.

In the 8th century, North Germanic seamen launched a massive expansion, founding important states in Eastern Europe and northern France, while colonizing the Atlantic as far as North America by around 1000 AD ( L ' Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada ).

Subsequently, Germanic languages became dominant among many European countries but in Southern and Eastern Europe the Germanic elite eventually adopted the native Slavic or Latin dialects.

All Germanic peoples were eventually converted from Paganism to Christianity.