Before France and Germany : the creation and transformation of the Merovingian world

In This Innovative New Study, Patrick Geary Rejects Traditional Notions Of European History To Present The Merovingian Period (ca. 400-750) As An Integral Part Of Late Antiquity. Drawing On Current Scholarship In Archaeology, Cultural History, Historical Ethnography, And Other Fields, The Author Formulates An Original Interpretation Not Only Of Merovingian History But Of The Romano-barbarian World From Which It Arose. Mapping The Complex Interactions Of A Volatile Era, He Carefully Traces The Romanization Of Barbarians And The Barbarization Of Romans That Ultimately Made These Populations Indistinguishable. (barnes & Noble). The Roman West At The End Of The Fifth Century -- The Barbarian World To The Sixth Century -- Romans And The Franks In The Kingdom Of Clovis -- Sixth-century Francia -- Francia Under Chlothar Ii And Dagobert I -- Merovingian Obsolescence -- The Legacy Of Merovingian Europe. Patrick J. Geary. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 241-248. Frontmatter I THE ROMAN WEST AT THE END OF THE FIFTH CENTURY (page 3) II THE BARBARIAN WORLD TO THE SIXTH CENTURY (page 39) III ROMANS AND FRANKS IN THE KINGDOM OF CLOVIS (page 77) IV SIXTH-CENTURY FRANCIA (page 117) V FRANCIA UNDER CHLOTHAR II AND DAGOBERT I (page 151) VI MEROVINGIAN OBSOLESCENCE (page 179) VII THE LEGACY OF MEROVINGIAN EUROPE (page 221) APPENDIX A. THE MEROVINGIAN GENEALOGY (page 232) APPENDIX B. A NOTE ON NAMES (page 234) NOTES (page 235) SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING (page 241) INDEX (page 249) From the twilight of the Roman Empire emerged the kingdoms of Merovingian Europe (c.400 - 700 AD), which were, in turn, the basis for the nations of medieval and modern Europe. Professor Geary draws on the latest archaeological and historical findings to elucidate one of the least understood periods of European history. This text is aimed at both survey and graduate courses on medieval history, which invariably take the Merovingian period as their starting point. Around A.D. 30, a Roman merchant named Gargilius Secundus purchased a cow from Stelus, a barbarian who lived near the present-day Dutch town of Franeker.