European Kingdoms in Bede's Time (Early 8th Century)

When the Venerable Bede completed his Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731 CE), Europe's political map was dominated by these major powers:

• Francia (Merovingian/Carolingian) – The largest realm, covering most of modern France, Germany, and the Low Countries.
• Visigothic Kingdom – Ruled the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal) and parts of southern France.
• Lombard Kingdom – Controlled northern Italy (Lombardy, parts of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna).
• Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms – The Heptarchy (Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, Wessex) covering most of England.
• Byzantine Empire – The Eastern Roman Empire, spanning the Balkans, Anatolia, Greece, southern Italy, and North African coast.

These entities defined the geopolitical landscape of Western and Southern Europe in Bede's era.