other · Iberia

Gallaecia

293 CE – 409 CE (approx.) · capital Bracara Augusta

The late Roman province of north-western Iberia, created by Diocletian and soon to become the home of the Suebic kingdom.

Origins

Gallaecia was formed around 293 by Diocletian's reform, which split Hispania Tarraconensis into smaller provinces. It covered the lands of the Callaeci and Astures, from the Douro to the Bay of Biscay, with Bracara Augusta (Braga) as its capital.

Rule and society

A governor ran the province under the Diocese of Hispania. Its economy was rural, based on farming, herding and the remains of the gold-mining industry around Asturica Augusta. Towns such as Lucus Augusti (Lugo), with its surviving walls, were fortified in the late 3rd century. Christianity spread, and the ascetic movement of Priscillian, executed in 385, found strong support here.

Decline and legacy

In 409 Suebi and Hasding Vandals entered Gallaecia, and the Suebi made it the centre of their kingdom. Roman rule faded, as recorded by Hydatius, bishop of Aquae Flaviae, and the name lived on in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia.

Lineage

Hispania Tarraconensis 27 BCE – 472 CEGallaeciaKingdom of the Suebi 409 CE – 585 CE

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Gallaecia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/gallaecia
MLA
“Gallaecia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/gallaecia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Gallaecia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/gallaecia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Gallaecia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/gallaecia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻