Edward James - Europe’s Barbarians, AD 200–600

EUROPES BARBARIANS,
AD 200600

The Medieval World

Series editor: Julia Smith, The University of Glasgow

Alfred the Great
Richard Abels

The Western Mediterranean Kingdom
David Abulafia

The Fourth Crusade
Michael Angold

The Cathars
Malcolm Barber

The Godwins
Frank Barlow

Philip Augustus
Jim Bradbury

Medieval Canon Law
J. A. Brundage

Crime in Medieval Europe
Trevor Dean

Charles I of Anjou
Jean Dunbabin

The Age of Charles Martel
Paul Fouracre

Margery Kempe
A. E. Goodman

Edward the Black Prince
David Green

Bastard Feudalism
M. Hicks

The Formation of English Common Law
John Hudson

The Mongols and the West
Peter Jackson

Europes Barbarians, AD 200600
Edward James

Cnut
K. Lawson

The Age of Robert Guiscard
Graham Loud

The English Church, 9401154
H. R. Loyn

Justinian
J. Moorhead

Ambrose
John Moorhead

The Devils World
Andrew P. Roach

The Reign of Richard Lionheart
Ralph Turner/Richard Heiser

The Welsh Princes
Roger Turvey

English Noblewomen in the Later Middle Ages
J. Ward

EUROPES
BARBARIANS,
AD 200600

EDWARD JAMES

First published 2009 by Pearson Education Limited

Published 2014 by Routledge
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Copyright 2009 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved.

The right of Edward James to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book can be obtained from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

James, Edward, 1947

Europes barbarians, AD 200600 / Edward James. 1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-582-77296-0 (pbk.)

1. RomeHistoryGermanic Invasions, 3rd-6th centuries. 2. Germanic peoplesRomeHistory.

3. Germanic peoplesEuropeHistory. 4. Roman provincesHistory. 5. EuropeHistoryTo 476.

6. EuropeHistory476-1492. 7. RomeCivilizationForeign influences. 8. EuropeEthnic

relations. 9. RomeEthnic relations. I.Title.

DG312.J365 2009

937.004dc22

2009002079

A CIP catalog record for this book can be obtained from the Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-0-582-77296-0 (pbk)

Set by 35 in 10.5/13pt Galliard

CONTENTS

W hy did the Western Roman Empire end? How and why did medieval Europe begin? These perennially important questions lie at the heart of some of the most vibrant historical scholarship currently being conducted. While some historians have breathed new life into the paradigm of decline and fall, others argue for a complex process of transformation whether gradual or abrupt, peaceful or violent. What no one disputes is that barbarians from outside the boundaries of the Roman Empire played a part. But what part? Who were they anyway? How many were there? What were they like? In this book, Edward James guides the reader through these debates with a sure interpretive touch and an authoritative grasp of all the evidence.

He tells this story with a difference. Its central characters are never the Romans but always the barbarians. His theme is what the barbarians contributed to European history, and his geographical scope extends from Ireland and Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and the Danube basin. On this broad canvas, he takes account of a large number of different peoples, not only those who remain household names such as the Goths, Franks, Saxons or Picts, but also such half-forgotten groups as the Heruls, or Sarmatians and he even mentions the Ohtgaga and Noxgaga, whose names only occurs once in the historical record.

James explains how new kingdoms emerged on Roman soil, taking their identity from barbarian armies and their leaders. His account balances narrative (Chapters 24) with analytic overviews (Chapters 512) of issues central to current debates: the changing character of late Roman provincial societies; the nature of early medieval ethnic identities; the multiple interactions of Romans and barbarians besides warfare; the problem of how many people may have migrated, and how far. The nature of barbarian kingship and governance, and the role of religion in political change and cultural identity also receive full attention. He closes by demonstrating that the barbarians contribution to Europes political mythologies remains potent.

A key feature of this book as of Edward Jamess earlier work is his skill in juxtaposing archaeological evidence with the historical record. By balancing material culture with the written word, he brings nuance and fair-mindedness to key controversies. He is also alive to the importance of complementary disciplines such as the history of language and of place-names, and introduces readers to the newest research methods, notably genetic anthropology.

All those interested in the early Middle Ages will find James an enlightening and often witty guide to the rich and fascinating story of Europes barbarians.

Julia M.H. Smith

We are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce copyright material:

Maps

Map 1 adapted from The Decline of the Ancient World, Longman (Jones, A.H.M. 1966) 100101; Map 2 after Tacitus: Germania, by permission of Oxford University Press (Rives, J.R. 1999) xiixiii; Map 3 from Borders, Barriers and Ethnogenesis: Frontiers in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Brepols (Curta, F. 2005) 156; Map 5 after The Making of the Slavs, Cambridge University Press (Curta, F. 2001) 198; Map 7 from