As the Western Roman Empire crumbled, control passed to the Visigoths, who established their own kingdom in Hispania. For a short time in the 6th century, Barcelona was even the capital of that kingdom. While Roman institutions faded, the city retained some urban character, with bishops playing an increasingly powerful role. This was a period of decline and transition, marked by shifting alliances, declining infrastructure, and religious transformation—from paganism to Christianity to the beginnings of tensions with Islam.