The Visigothic Kingdom was the state that dominated the Iberian peninsula. Firmly established by the 6th century AD, the Visigoths maintained their hold on Iberia tenaciously, though by the late 7th century, some of the northern provinces had drifted out of their orbit. Various insanguinary wars against the Franks resulted in only the independence of Septimania, which did far better against the Franks than the Visigoths.