The western branch of the Referring to an Indo-European ethnic group of people originating in northern Europe. The Roman Empire bordered on Germanic lands for centuries and the... more Goths who sacked Rome. They were later granted foederati (allied) status by the Western (27 B.C.) After a period of unrest and competing generals jockeying for power, Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, becomes the first official ... more, and they established a kingdom in southern France. They proved to be unreliable allies, and their Arian Christianity put them at odds with the Pope in Rome.