Emperor, prefects, & kings : the Roman West, 395-565

The subject of this book is the administrative structure of the western half of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, and that of the 'barbarian' kingdoms which came to be established in the territory of the Empire during the course of that century. My purpose is to examine the extent to which 'barbarian' government was influenced by its Roman predecessor. The period chosen commences with the 'definitive' splitting of the Empire on the death of Emperor Theodosius I in 395, and its end lies in the sixth century, at approximately the time of the death of Emperor Justinian and the subsequent abandonment of serious attempts to re-conquer the west from the 'barbarians' who had occupied it in the intervening period. P.S. Barnwell examines the development of imperial and royal government in the western part of the Roman Empire and in the early "barbarian" kingdoms that were established within its frontiers - the Visigothic, Burgundian, Frankish, and Vandal nations. Covering the fifth century - the period from the death of the Emperor Theodosius to the death of the Emperor Justinian - Barnwell's book demonstrates the extent to which barbarian government was influenced by its Roman predecessor. Earlier studies have argued implicitly that the fifth century witnessed the disintegration of an ordered Roman governmental system and its replacement by a series of disorganized "Germanic" administrations. Barnwell, by contrast, examines Roman government of the fifth-century western Empire on its own terms, and then analyzes the administrations of individual Barbarian kingdoms in relation to this fifth-century Roman background. He shows that the law and government of the Barbarian kingdoms were more deeply indebted to Roman institutions than most previous historians have realized Preface vii Introduction 1 Part I. The Emperor and the Imperial Court 1. The Sources 7 2. The Emperor 11 3. The Imperial Court 20 4. Conclusion 48 Part II. Provincial Administration 5. The 'Roman' System of Provincial Administration 53 6. The Kingdom of the Visigoths, c. 418-568 71 7. The Kingdom of the Burgundians 82 8. The Franks and Gaul in the Sixth Century 90 9. The Vandals and Africa 114 10. Conclusion 125 Part III. Italy under Odoacer and the Ostrogoths 11. The Sources 131 12. 'Barbarian' Kings in Italy, 476-552 134 13. The Royal Court 140 14. Senators and Provincial Governors 155 15. The 'Uariae' of Cassiodorus 166 Conclusion 170 Maps 176 Abbreviations 179 Notes 182 Bibliography 225 Primary sources 225 Secondary works 231 Index 246 P.s. Barnwell. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 225-245) And Index.