This history of Spain in the period between the end of Roman rule and the time of the Arab conquest challenges many traditional assumptions about the history of this period.
- Presents original theories about how the Visigothic kingdom was governed, about law in the kingdom, about the Arab conquest, and about the rise of Spain as an intellectual force.
- Takes account of new documentary evidence, the latest archaeological findings, and the controversies that these have generated.
- Combines chronological and thematic approaches to the period.
- A historiographical introduction looks at the current state of research on the history and archaeology of the Visigothic kingdom.
Table of Contents:
List of Maps. Introduction: Visigothic Spain in the Twenty-First Century.
Part I: A Political History:.
1. From Empire to Kingdom, 409-507:.
A Turning Point.
The Visigoths.
The Gothic Conquests of Hispania, 456-507.
2. The Imposition of Unity, 507-586:.
A Fractured Kingdom.
The Reign of Leovigild, 569-586.
3. The Catholic Kingdom, 586-672:.
Conversion and Reaction, 586-590.
Changing Dynasties, 590-642.
Kings and the Political Elite, 642-672.
4. Visigothic Twilight, 672-710:.
Court Conspiracies, 672-681.
The Uneasy Throne, 681-710.
5. The End of the Kingdom:.
The Coming of the Arabs.
The Last Kings, 710-713.
Part II: Society and Culture:.
6. Books and Readers:.
The Legacy of Africa.
The Golden Age.
7. Archaeology: Cemeteries and Churches:.
Goths in the Ground.
A Visigothic Architecture?.
8. Archaeology: Rural and Urban Settlements:.
Country Dwellers.
Towns in Transition.
9. Law and Ethnic Identity:.
The Fog of the Law.
Gothia and Hispania.
Bibliographical Essay.
Index
About the Author :
Roger Collins is a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. His previous publications include The Oxford Archaeological Guide to Spain (1998), Law, Culture and Regionalism in Early Medieval Spain (1992), The Arab Conquest of Spain (Blackwell, 1989) and The Basques (Blackwell, 1986).
Review :
"Readers interested in more detailed accounts of Spanish history will ... find this book very accessible." British Bulletin of Publications
"There is much to admire and enjoy in this volume … highly readable and impressively researched work." History
