Euric

Euric became king of the Visigoths after assassinating his brother Theodoric II. His reign marked the beginning of Visigothic expansion and independence from the Western Roman Empire, as he consolidated power in Gaul and Hispania.

Euric's forces besieged and captured the city of Clermont in Auvergne, a key stronghold of the Gallo-Roman aristocracy. This conquest extended Visigothic control over much of southern Gaul, weakening the remaining Roman authority in the region.

Euric issued the Code of Euric, the first written law code of the Germanic peoples. It compiled Roman and Germanic legal traditions, governing both Visigoths and Romans in his kingdom. This code influenced later Visigothic legislation and legal development in early medieval Europe.

Euric negotiated a treaty with the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, which recognized Visigothic control over most of Gaul and Hispania. This formalized the Visigothic Kingdom as an independent state, ending any nominal allegiance to the Roman Empire.