The Barbarian West A.D. 400-1000: The Early Middle Ages

176 Pages·1962·8.98 MB·English

by  John Michael Wallace-Hadrill

Th e
B arbarian
West
A.D. 400-1000
THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES
harper t orcbooks
editors' note: A check-list of Harper Torchbooks, clas­
sified by subjects, is printed at the end of this volume.

The
barbarian
W e s t
A.D. 400-1000
THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES
J. M. W ALLACE-HADRILL
HARPER TORCHBOOKS ▼ The Academy Library
Harper & Row, Publishers • New York and Evanston
THE BARBARIAN WEST
Printed in the United States of America
This volume was first published in the History series of the
Hutchinson University Library, edited by Sir Maurice Powicke,
in 19 52,with a second, revised impression img62.lt is here re­
printed by arrangement with Hutchinson & Co., Ltd., London.
First HARPER TORCHBOOK edition published 1Ç62
CONTENTS
Preface viii
I Introductory 9
II Mare Nostrum 21
III Italy and the Lombards 43
IV The Franks ( 1 ) 66
V The Franks (2) 91
VI Imperium Christianum 121
Select Bibliography H7
Index 151
MAPS
Europe at the Accession of Justinian vi-vii
The Western Empire, 843 A.D. 159-160

PREFACE
The reader who requires a balanced introduction to the early
Middle Ages will do best to turn without delay to the general
books cited at the end of this volume, which, so far from seeking
in any particular to replace, I gratefully build upon. In them,
and in other books and articles that scholars will at once detect
my debt to, will be found proper consideration of much that I
have lacked space to cover, such, for example, as the history
of barbarian Spain; or have relegated to a secondary position,
like the development of the papacy, and early medieval adminis­
tration; or I feel is still problematical, like the continuing
pressure of Byzantium upon Western thought and action.
These are integral parts of the full picture. Mine is only a
sketch of certain aspects that interest me particularly, and
which I think are sufficiently indicated by my title: the Roman
West became barbarized ; and yet it looked back. It remembered
Rome. I ask myself not ‘Why?’ for that is obvious, but ‘How?*
Some readers may find the chronology difficult to follow
and, especially in the last chapter, may become confused by
the names and numbers of many kings. To have added genea­
logical tables would materially have increased the length of
the book; but instant help may be had from the books I cite
in my bibliography or in such a work as Steinberg’s Historical
Tables, which is easily obtainable.
Sir Maurice Powicke, my mother and my wife have all,
in different ways, given me help I could not have foregone;
and I thank them for their generosity. I have also to thank the
Cambridge University Press for permission to use Map 28a
from the map volume of the Cambridge Medieval History.
A second impression (1957) has given me the opportunity
to correct a few mistakes and to make certain slight additions
to the text. I have added a further section to the bibliography
which I have revised again for the fourth impression (1961).
J. M. W-H,
Vlll