Notes 6Transformation of the Roman Empire
410 to 480
West empire disintegrated
Dismembered by Barbarians
Wanted to share in wealth and accomplishments not destroy it
476 fall of the Western Empire
Barbarian deposed a Roman emperor
Barbarian leader Odavacer
Deposed Romulus Augustus
Us means little
He didn’t appoint new emperor and said he would follow the East
Kingdom smaller than empire
King of Italy, King of Franks
Etc
Why did the West fall?
External or internal
Who were these Barbarians?
How severe was this change?
Destruction of government also of the military
Lost works
Esculus wrote 60 plays 3 survive
Also Cicero’s work Hortensius
End colosseums
Literacy fell except in church
Some historians say a cataclysmic change, others quite a bit of continuity
Continuists
Survival of trade
Roll of bishops replacing government order
Bishops ensure food supply and lead rally against Barbarians
Barbarian leaders collected tax
Some maintenance of order
Not radically more primitive
Lecturer is a moderate catastrophist
Wickham – the inheritance of
Romans
Barbarian – Greek term
Uncivilised – speech unclear
Nomads
Illiterate
Not unfamiliar
Most Arian Christians
Been at Roman border for ever
Continuous
What changed 250 to 600
The ancient world became the medieval world
More rural
Why collapsed
Taken over by Germans
Who admired Rome
Last thing they wanted was to live in huts in the forest
Not that numerous
Tens of thousands
Changes in Roman Army
Afghan Mujahideen
Trained by USA
Lots in army were barbarians
In 370s Visigoths asked to be an allied army
Federati – barbarian troops serving
In Roman Empire
In 378 they were on the move
Emperor Valens defeated Adrianople
Magister Militum title to Barbarian leader of army
Visigoths given land in Romania
Balkans
Stilicho and Alaric
Moving from the Balkans towards Italy
Where was the Roman army?
The Huns
Interested in plunder
450s Huns united under Attila
Huns decided East too hard
Then lost in France
Started sacking Roman cities
Leo the first
Goes to remonstrate with Attila
Attila dies soon after
Pope
After this Barbarians takes
430
Vandals have taken over North Africa
Cut off grain supply
Vandals have navy
Sack Rome 455
Ostrogoths in Hungary
Angles and Saxons in Britain
493 eastern empire
Have biography of saints
Severinus in Austria
Takes over helping poor
Organising society
Urban population declines
Radical material simplification
Fewer imports
More homemade crude building materials
When vandals blocked grain supply
Cities could not support all people
In 5BC Rome 800,000 or 1,000,000
At time of Constantine
600,000
After sack of Rome
300,000 – 500,000
590
150,000
In 800
Charlemagne crowned in St Peters
Rome
Max 30,000
People not aware at the time
That there was a decline
Compare
Patrick Leigh Fermov
Conversation with General
Knowledge of Latin and classics a lot weaker than in past – 100 years ago
Heirs of Roman Empire
1 Byzantium
2 Barbarian Kings
3 Islam
4 Church