Suebi Influence on Portuguese Culture

In the year 409, less than 3 years after the Vandals, Alans, and Suebi crossed the Rhine, all three tribes had found new homelands in Iberia.

However, of all the kingdoms carved out by these barbarians, only the Suebi Kingdom, located in the north west of the Iberian Peninsula, lasted for more than 100 years.

The Vandals and Alans were soon expelled from the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans and Visigoths. By year 460, Iberia was largely in the hands of the Visigoths, with Romans present in the south and Suebi present in the north west.

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The Suebi were able to remain for longer than their fellow barbarians to the south and west, most likely to be due to two factors. The Suebi Kingdom was located too far away from Rome to be of much importance, and the rugged terrain in the area made it hard to wage large scale invasions.

The Suebi are also likely to have been less oppressive than the Visigoths, and therefore seen as preferable by the locals. However, this is not to say that the Suebi were a tolerant lot. They made no secret of their philosophy of "might makes right".

If anything, the Suebi may have been more unpredictable and chaotic than the Vistrigoths. Constantly shifting alliances, giving favors one moment, and raiding an pillaging the next. At the very least, they must have been seen as an oppressive nuisance by the locals.

The sensible attitude towards such unpredictable behavior would be one of cautious disinterest. Getting too involved in Suebi politics would easily get one killed. Loyalty was therefor fleeting and brief at best.

In areas dominated by the Visigoths, things were different. While more oppressive, the Visigoths were also more predictable. Loyalty to a Visigoth king could be a viable career path. Taking sides in conflicts made sense. The possibility of great rewards were real, outweighing the risk by sufficient margin to make it worth the effort.

The curious difference in culture between the Portuguese and the Spanish can, at least in part, be explained by the difference between the Suebi and Visigoths.

Portuguese people are much less prone to violent solutions to domestic problems than the Spanish.

This was particularly noticeable during the Fascist Era that lasted from the 1920s to the 1970s in both countries. While the body count in Spain ended up in the 100s of thousands, only a handful of Portuguese dissidents lost their lives.

While the Spanish are quick to choose sides and stick to it through bitter fighting, the Portuguese shrug their shoulders. Laws and rules are not taken very seriously. The Portuguese find a way around things, and do not readily turn to violence.

The survival strategy of non-involvement was likely first adopted under the Suabi, and has formed the Portuguese into a people of nonconformists, always seeking to maximize profits without getting too involved in the day to day politics of strife and conflict.

The Spanish, on the other hand, see principle and loyalty as virtues worth fighting for. They are more prone to aggression for the sake of the just cause. This was a sensible survival tactic under the Visigoths.

There are of course many other reasons why the Spanish and Portuguese have adapted different approaches to conflict, law and order. But the Suebi and the Visigoths have no doubt had their part in forming the two people into what they are today.