History 222 (Spring 206): The Barbarian Kingdoms of Early Medieval Europe

This course examines the Barbarian successor states established in the fifth and sixth centuries after the disintegration of the Roman empire in the west. It will focus primarily on the Frankish kingdom of Gaul, but will also make forays into Ostrogothic Italy, Visigothic Spain, and Vandal North Africa. In particular, the course will look in-depth at the Carolingian empire established c. 800 by Charlemagne, who is often seen as the founder of Europe, and whose empire is often regarded as the precursor of today’s European Union. Political, cultural, religious, and economic developments will be given equal time.

Books

The following books are available for purchase:

John Moorhead, The Roman Empire Divided, 400-700

Roger Collins, Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000

Requirements and Grading

You will be graded based on the following components:

4 short response papers (various due dates) (20%)

1 short essay due on March 2 (4-5 pages) (15%)

1 historiographical essay due on March 30 (5-7 pages) (20%)

1 take-home final (due on May 17) (25%)

Class participation (20%)

HIST 222 Course Conference

I have set up a course conference on First Class where you can find the course syllabus, e-reserves, paper topics, instructions for writing papers, and changes in reading assignments. Please be sure to check the conference before doing your readings as I do anticipate some modifications. I will also be posting messages from time to time.

E-reserves

All primary source texts can be found as e-reserves. Please bring printed copies of the source readings to class.

History 222: Readings

(Subject to change - Please check HIST 222 conference)

I. The Early Barbarian Kingdoms

1/30 Introduction

2/2 Constantine and the Christianization of the Roman Empire

Collins, pp. 16-25

Averil Cameron, “The New Empire: Constantine” (e-reserve)

Eusebius, Life of Constantine (e-reserve)

Anonymous Life of Constantine (e-reserve)

2/6 Romans and Barbarians

Moorhead, pp. 1-24

Patrick Geary, The Myth of Nations, pp. 63 and 73-79 (e-reserve)

Tacitus, Germania (e-reserve: Early Medieval Society, Herlihy)

Ammianus Marcellinus, Histories, Book 23.6 and Book 31.2 (e-reserve: Book 31,

Hamilton)

2/9 The Battle of Adrianople

Collins, chapter 4

Patrick Geary, The Myth of Nations, pp. 93-103 (e-reserve)

Ammianus Marcellinus, Histories, Book 31 (e-reserve: Book 31, Hamilton)

Jordanes, History of the Goths, pp. 94-95 (e-reserve)

2/13 The Ostrogoths in Italy

Collins, pp. 100-11

Jordanes, History of the Goths, pp. 107-08, 111-15 (e-reserve)

Cassiodorus, Letters (e-reserve: Variae Barnish)

2/17 Visigoths and Vandals

Collins, chapter 6

Moorhead, pp. 49-60

Isidore of Seville, History of the Kings of the Goths (e-reserve)

II. The Fall of Rome?

2/23 Bishops and Pagans

Collins, pp. 61-68

Robert Markus, The End of Ancient Christianity (e-reserve)

Mark the Deacon, The Life of St. Porphyry of Gaza (e-reserve)

2/27 Monks and Philosophers

Collins, pp. 75-79

Life of St. Antony, chapters 1-14 and 72-92

(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/vita-antony.html)

3/2 First Paper Due

Film

3/6 The Justinian Wars

Collins, chapter 8

Averil Cameron, The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity, pp. 120-27

(http://0-site.ebrary.com.luna.wellesley.edu/lib/wellesley/Doc?id=5003260)

Procopius, History of the Wars (e-reserve)

Procopius, Secret History (e-reserve)

3/9 The Pirenne Thesis

Henri Pirenne, Charlemagne and Muhammad (e-reserve)

Moorhead, chapter 9

3/13 The Crisis of Cities and Countryside

Riccardo Francovich and Richard Hodges, Villa to Village , chapters 1-3 (Knapp

reserve) or

Brian Ward-Perkins, From Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, preface and

chapters 2 and 7 (Knapp reserve)

III. Merovingian Gaul

3/16 Clovis and the Conquest of Roman Gaul

Collins, pp. 161-63 (on Gregory of Tours)

Moorhead, pp. 76-82

Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, Book II: chapters 27-43 (e-reserve)

3/27 Law and Government

Collins, pp. 163-72

Moorhead, pp. 82-93

Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks , Book IX, chapters 19-23 (e-reserve)

Salic Law (e-reserve)

3/30 Second Paper Due

No Class

4/3 Bishops and Saints

Mayke de Jong, “Religion” in McKitterick, The Early Middle Ages (e-reserve)

Life of Saint Martin (e-reserve)

4/6 Family and Women

Susan Wemple, Women in Frankish Society, Introduction and chapters 2-5

(Knapp reserve)

Life of St. Balthild (e-reserve)

IV. The Carolingian Empire

4/10 The Franco-papal Alliance

Collins, pp. 262-78

Liber Pontificalis (e-reserve)

4/13 Charlemagne’s Conquests

Collins, pp. 278-90

Einhard, Life of Charlemagne (e-reserve)

4/18 Charlemagne’s Government

Collins, chapter 16

Selected Capitularies (e-reserve)

4/20 Religion and Empire

Pierre Riché, The Carolingians, pp. 117-40 (e-reserve)

Einhard, The History of the Translation of the Blessed Martyrs of Christ (e-reserve)

4/24 The Carolingian Economy

N. J. G. Pounds, An Economic History of Medieval Europe, chapter 2 (e-reserve)

Philip Grierson, “Commerce in the Dark Ages: A Critique of the Evidence”

(e-reserve)

De Villis (e-reserve)

4/27 The Carolingian Renaissance

Collins, pp. 333-49

Rosamond McKitterick, The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians,

pp. 140-52 (e-reserve)

Theodolf of Orléans, Precepts for the Priests of his Diocese

5/1 The Break-up of the Carolingian Empire

Collins, pp. 349-63

Nithard’s History (e-reserve)

Treaty of Verdun (e-reserve)

5/4 The Saxon Empire of the Tenth Century

Collins, chapter 20

Liudprand of Cremona, A Chronicle of Otto’s Reign (e-reserve)

5/8 Review