Shifting Ethnic Identities in Spain and Gaul, 500-700: From Romans to Goths and Franks (Late Antique and Early Medieval Iberia)

Traditional scholarship on post-Roman western culture has tended to examine the ethnic identities of Goths, Franks, and similar groups while neglecting the Romans themselves, in part because modern scholars have viewed the concept of being Roman as one denoting primarily a cultural or legal affiliation. As this book demonstrates, however, early medieval 'Romanness' also encompassed a sense of belonging to an ethnic group, which allowed Romans in Iberia and Gaul to adopt Gothic or Frankish identities in a more nuanced manner than has been previously acknowledged in the literature Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 10 Scholarly Tradition 11 Methodology 23 Chapter Breakdown 25 Terminology 28 Part I – From a Roman to a Gothic World in Visigothic Spain 32 1. Arians to Catholics 38 John of Biclar’s Chronicle 39 Isidore of Seville’s History (up to 589) 46 The Third Council of Toledo 52 The Lives of the Fathers of Mérida 54 Conclusion: The Evidence Together 62 2. Church and State: Isidore and his Influence 68 Isidore’s History (post-589) 69 Church Councils to 654 75 Conclusion 79 3. The Later Seventh Century 82 Chindaswinth, Recceswinth, and Visigothic Law 82 Later Councils and Laws 97 Conclusion 100 Part II – From a Roman to a Frankish World in Merovingian Gaul 102 4. Gregory of Tours 108 The Late Roman Empire and Clovis’ Reign 111 Contemporary Era 115 Conclusion 131 5. Venantius Fortunatus 134 Duke Lupus 135 Leontius II of Bordeaux 137 The Ruricii 138 Vilithuta 139 Duke Launebod 140 King Charibert 141 Radegund 143 Conclusion 146 6. Fredegar 148 Book Three: Rewriting Gregory 149 Book Four: Fredegar’s Original Work 154 Conclusion 163 7. Frankish Hagiography 166 Caesarius of Arles 167 Gaugeric of Cambrai 171 Eligius of Noyon 173 Conclusion 178 Conclusion 180 Abbreviations 188 Bibliography 190 Index 214 Previous scholarship has examined the ethnic identities of Goths, Franks, and other 'barbarian' groups in the post-Roman West, but Romans have been relatively neglected. Part of the reason for this lacuna is the assumption that 'Roman' continued to denote solely cultural and legal affiliation. In fact, as Shifting Ethnic Identities in Spain and Gaul, 500-700: From Romans to Goths and Franks demonstrates, contemporaries also associated Romanness with descent and described Romans just like they described Franks and Goths whom scholars are perfectly happy to call 'ethnic groups'. By distinguishing between political, religious, and descent nuances with which authors used the terms 'Roman,' 'Goth', and 'Frank', this comparative study tracks changes in the use and perception of these identifications, which allowed Romans in Iberia and Gaul to adopt the Gothic or Frankish Identities of their new rulers, one nuance at a time. Book jacket Previous scholarship has examined the ethnic identities of Goths, Franks, and other 'barbarian' groups in the post-Roman West, but Romans have been relatively neglected. Part of the reason for this lacuna is the assumption that 'Roman' continued to denote solely cultural and legal affiliation. In fact, as this book demonstrates, contemporaries also associated Romanness with descent and described Romans just like they described Franks and Goths - whom scholars are perfectly happy to call 'ethnic groups'. By distinguishing between political, religious, and descent nuances with which authors used the terms 'Roman', 'Goth', and 'Frank', this comparative study tracks changes in the use and perception of these identifications, which allowed Romans in Iberia and Gaul to adopt the Gothic or Frankish identities of their new rulers, one nuance at a time Erica Buchberger. Originally Presented As The Author's Thesis (doctoral)--university Of Oxford. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 189-211) And Index.