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Germanic Tribes Facts & Worksheets

Germanic tribes were a historical group that once occupied Northwestern, Central Europe, and Scandinavia during the early Middle Ages.

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The Germanic tribes were a historical group that once occupied Northwestern, Central Europe, and Scandinavia during the early Middle Ages. Since the nineteenth century, they have traditionally been characterized using the ancient and early medieval Germanic languages and thus are roughly equated with Germanic-speaking peoples.

See the fact file below for more information about the Germanic Tribes, or you can download our 28-page Germanic Tribes worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

  • The origins of the Latin word Germani, which comes from Latin Germania and English Germanic originated, are unknown, though several theories have been proposed. The language it derives is debatable, with claims of Germanic, Celtic, Latin, and Illyrian origins. Herwig Wolfram, for instance, believes Germani must be Gaulish. 
  • According to historian Wolfgang Pfeifer, the name Germani is likely of Celtic origin and is linked to the Old Irish word gair or to the Celtic word for their battle cries, gairm, which translates into ‘the neighbours’ or ‘the screamers’.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

  • Germanic-speaking peoples use an Indo-European language. The most common argument for the origin of Germanic languages, supported by archaeological, linguistic, and genetic evidence, proposes the spread of Indo-European languages.
  • Germanic borrowed words in the Finnic and Sámi languages retain archaic forms from Proto-Germanic, with older loan layers that could date back to an earlier period of intense contact between pre-Germanic and Finno-Permic speakers.
  • Early Roman Imperial Period– During Augustus’ reign, which lasted from 27 BCE to 14 CE, the Roman Empire developed into Gaul, with the Rhine as its border. The Usipetes, Sicambri, and Frisians were initially pacified near the Rhine, but attacks on the Chauci, Cherusci, Chatti, and Suevi increased further away from the Rhine. These campaigns eventually reached and even crossed the Elbe in 5 CE.
  • Marcomannic Wars– Following sixty years of peace on the frontier, the Marcomannic Wars began in 166 CE with a significant invasion of individuals from north of the Danube under Marcus Aurelius’ reign.
  • By 168, barbarian hosts such as Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatian Iazyges had attacked and pushed their way into Italy. They moved to Upper Italy, destroyed Opitergium/Oderzo, and attacked Aquileia.
  • Early Migration Period- The Greuthungi, a Gothic group in modern Ukraine ruled by Ermanaric, were among the first to be attacked by the Huns, and they appeared to have been under Hunnic pressure for some time. 
  • Following Ermanaric’s death, the Greuthungi opposition crumbled, and they fled to the Dniester river. A second Gothic group, the Tervingi, led by King Athanaric, built a fortified earthwork towards the Huns near the Dniester. However, these measures did not deter the Huns, and most of the Tervingi abandoned Athanaric; in 376, they fled to the Danube, accompanied by a contingent of Greuthungi, in search of asylum in Rome.
  • The Hunnic Empire- In 428, Vandal leader Geiseric led his troops throughout the Strait of Gibraltar into North Africa. In two years, they had taken over the majority of North Africa. For the next 20 years, the Huns’ former subject peoples would fight for supremacy.
  • After the death of Attila- In 455, following Aetius’ death in 453 and their assassination of Emperor Valentinian III in 455, the Vandals occupied Italy and sacked Rome. In 456, the Romans convinced the Visigoths to oppose the Suevi, who had violated the treaty with Rome. Over the decades, the Huns’ rule over their territories collapsed.
  • Early Middle Ages- The Franks ruled a multilingual and multi-ethnic kingdom divided into a primarily Romance-speaking West and a mostly Germanic-speaking East, which incorporated former Roman elites while remaining focused on a Frankish ethnic identity. 
  • The Pippinids took control of the Merovingian rulers as mayors of the Neustrian palace in 687. The Frankian subkingdoms were reunified under their leadership.

LANGUAGES

  • Proto-Germanic- It is the revived proto-language for the Germanic branch of Indo-European languages. All Germanic languages descended from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) were spoken between 4500 and 2500 BCE. The ancestor of Germanic languages, Proto- or Common Germanic, most likely reflected a group of mutually understood dialects. 
  • Early Attestations- Absolute and broad evidence of Germanic lexical units emerged only after Caesar invaded Gaul in the first century BCE when contacts with Proto-Germanic speakers intensified. 
  • Tacitus identifies the Alcis, a pair of brother gods worshipped by the Nahanarvali, as a Latinized form of *alhiz (a kind of ‘stag’), while the word sapo (‘hair dye’) is derived from Proto-Germanic *saipwōn- (English soap), as indicated by the parallel Finnish borrowed word saipio.
  • Linguistic disintegration- By the moment that Germanic speakers got into written history, their linguistic territory had expanded southward, as a Germanic dialect continuum covered a region roughly bounded by the Rhine, Vistula, Danube, and southern Scandinavia throughout the first two centuries of the Common Era.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

  • Runic Writing– Germanic speakers created a native script called runes (or fuþark), with the earliest known form consisting of 24 characters. The runes are widely believed to have been used solely by Germanic-speaking peoples.
  • Germanic personal names are often dithematic, with two components that can be freely combined. For example, the Old Norse female personal name Sigríðr is made up of the words sigr ‘victory’ and fríðr ‘beloved’. Per Vikstrand, “The old Germanic personal names are, from a social and ideological point of view, defined by three major features: religion, heroism, and family bonds.” 
  • Furthermore, the ancient Germanic-speaking people had a predominantly oral culture. Written literature in Germanic languages is not documented until the 6th century (Gothic Bible) or the 8th century in England and Germany. Andreas Heusler, a philologist, proposed the existence of various literary genres in the “Old Germanic” period that were heavily influenced by high medieval Old Norse poetry.
  • Warfare- Warfare appears to have been ongoing in Germanic society, including conflicts between and within Germanic peoples. There is no prevalent Germanic word for “war,” and it was not always distinguished from other forms of violence. Historical data regarding Germanic warfare is almost entirely based on Greco-Roman sources, but their accuracy has been questioned.

ECONOMY AND MATERIAL CULTURE

  • Unlike agriculture in the Roman provinces, which was organized around large farms known as villae rusticae, Germanic agriculture was centered on villages. When Germanic peoples broadened into northern Gaul in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, they restored village-based agriculture with them, increasing agricultural productivity; Heiko Steuer believes this means Germania was more agriculturally productive than previously thought.
  • On the other hand, despite claims by Roman writers such as Tacitus that Germany had limited iron and lacked expertise in its use, iron deposits were common in Germany, and Germanic smiths were skilled metalworkers. Smithies have been found in various settlements, and smiths were frequently buried alongside their tools.
  • Clothing does not typically preserve well in archaeological settings. Early Germanic clothing can be seen on some Roman stone monuments, such as Trajan’s Column and Marcus Aurelius’ Column, and it is occasionally discovered in moors, primarily in Scandinavia. Long trousers, sometimes with attached stockings, shirt-like gowns (Kittel) with long sleeves, vast pieces of cloth, and fur-lined capes are common finds.

Germanic Tribes Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Germanic Tribes across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Germanic Tribes. Since the nineteenth century, they have traditionally been characterized using the ancient and early medieval Germanic languages and thus are roughly equated with Germanic-speaking peoples.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Germanic Tribes Facts
  2. ThRIBE The Story
  3. Decode The Secret
  4. Amazing Facts!
  5. TRIBE Travel
  6. Germanic_Vocabulary
  7. The Major Periods
  8. #Warfare
  9. Eco-Settlements!
  10. GermaniClothes
  11. GerMan of the Tribe

Frequently Asked Questions

Who were the Germanic tribes?

The Germanic tribes were a collection of various ethnic groups that inhabited regions of Northern and Central Europe during antiquity and the early Middle Ages. They included tribes such as the Goths, Vandals, Franks, Saxons, Angles, and Lombards, among others.

Where did the Germanic tribes originate?

The exact origins of the Germanic tribes are difficult to pinpoint, but they are believed to have emerged from the Nordic Bronze Age cultures of Northern Europe. Over time, they migrated and settled across the regions of Scandinavia, the North German Plain, and the Baltic coast.

What were the main characteristics of Germanic society?

Germanic society was predominantly tribal and decentralized, with each tribe led by a chieftain or king. They practiced a mixture of agriculture, animal husbandry, and hunting. Additionally, they had a strong oral tradition, with storytelling playing a significant role in their culture. Social structure was often hierarchical, with warriors holding considerable status.

How did the Germanic tribes influence European history?

The Germanic tribes played a crucial role in the transformation of the Western Roman Empire. Their migrations and invasions led to the decline of Roman authority in Western Europe and contributed to the fragmentation of the empire. Moreover, the establishment of Germanic kingdoms, such as the Frankish Kingdom under Charlemagne, laid the foundations for the medieval European states.

What was the significance of the Germanic law codes?

Germanic law codes, such as the Salic Law, the Visigothic Code, and the Code of the Lombards, were instrumental in shaping legal systems in medieval Europe. These codes provided insights into Germanic customs, social structure, and concepts of justice. They influenced subsequent legal developments in Europe, contributing to the evolution of feudal law and the establishment of feudalism.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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