After the fall of the Roman Empire, large migrations of people occurred all over Western Europe. Most of these tribes (known by Romans as "barbarians") were of Germanic and Slavic origin, as well as Huns from Asia. These migrations started as early as 300 AD and it is not clear how they affected the Roman Empire (whether they were a cause or a consequence of its decline). As the Roman government dissolved, "Barbarian" kingdoms arose to shape the Early Middle Ages.
