The Early Medieval World [2 volumes]: From the Fall of Rome to the Time of Charlemagne [2 volumes]

"From the fall of Rome to the age of Charlemagne and his successors, the early Middle Ages was a time of profound importance in European and world history. The great changes that occurred in this tumultuous and oft-misunderstood time laid the foundation for subsequent Western civilization. This book examines a pivotal period in ancient human history: the fall of the Roman Empire and the birth of a new European civilization in the early Middle Ages. The Early Medieval World: From the Fall of Rome to the Time of Charlemagne addresses the social and material culture of this critical period in the evolution of Western society, covering the social, political, cultural, and religious history of the Mediterranean world and northern Europe. The two-volume set explains how invading and migrating barbarian tribes--spurred by raiding Huns from the steppes of Central Asia--contributed to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and documents how the blending of Greco-Roman, Germanic, and Christian cultures birthed a new civilization in Western Europe, creating the Christian Church and the modern nation-state. A-Z entries discuss political transformation, changing religious practices in daily life, sculpture and the arts, material culture, and social structure, and provide biographies of important men and women in the transitional period of late antiquity. Features: A chronology of events; Dozens of primary document excerpts; and A substantial bibliography of print and nonprint sources. Highlights: Provides broad coverage of both social and cultural history; Includes biographies of significant men and women of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages; Contains entries on the key battles in the fall of Rome and rise of barbarian Europe, important barbarian peoples who replaced the Roman Empire, and major cities and geographic regions; and Supplies articles on key figures and doctrines of early Christianity." -- Publisher's description. Title Page 5 Copyright Page 6 Table of Contents 7 Volume One 5 List of Entries 9 Guide to Related Topics 15 Preface 21 Acknowledgments 23 Introduction 25 Chronology of the Late Antique and Early Medieval World 39 Maps 52 Entries A-K 57 Volume Two 419 Title Page 419 Copyright Page 420 Table of Contents 421 Entries L-Z 423 Primary Documents 641 1. Tacitus’s Description of Early Germanic Society 641 2. An Early Crisis of Church and State: Ambrose of Milan’s Excommunication of Theodosius 642 3. Ammianus Marcellinus’s Account of the Battle of Hadrianople 644 4. Pope Leo I, the Great, Defends Rome against Attila the Hun 650 5. Augustine of Hippo’s Definition of a True Commonwealth 651 6. Augustine of Hippo’s Conversion Experience 653 7. The Anglo-Saxon Conquest of England according to Bede 655 8. Bede’s Description of the Life and Works, Including the Conversion of England, of Pope Gregory I, the Great 657 9. Bede’s Account of the Synod of Whitby 662 10. Charlemagne’s Letter Promoting Learning in His Empire 667 11. An Inventory of a Carolingian Royal Estate 669 12. Charlemagne’s Law Imposing Christianity on the Saxons 670 13. Excerpts from Einhard’s Biography of Charlemagne 674 14. Eusebius’ Description of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge and the Conversion of Constantine 685 15. Gildas’s Version of the Conquest of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons 688 16. A Letter from Pope Gregory III to Charles Martel Seeking Aid against the Lombards 690 17. Gregory of Tours: Clovis and the Vase of Soissons 691 18. Gregory of Tours: The Conversion of Clovis 692 19. An Account of the Battle of Tours by a Spanish Christian Chronicler 693 20. Excerpts from Jordanes’s Getica 695 21. Justinian’s Codification of Roman Law 711 22. Charlemagne and a Painted Mouse Humble a Proud Bishop 721 23. Paul the Deacon Explains the Name of the Lombard People 722 24. The Lombards Invade Italy on the Invitation of Narses 723 25. Priscus’s Description of Attila the Hun and his Court 724 26. Procopius Describes the Excesses of Justinian and the Character of the Empress Theodora 726 27. Rebellion against the Emperor Justinian 732 28. Procopius’s Description of the Hagia Sophia Following its Reconstruction by Justinian 737 29. Martin of Tours Gives his Cloak to a Poor Beggar 739 30. Boniface: An Early Medieval Missionary and Saint 740 Appendix: Rulers of Early Medieval Europe 751 Bibliography 757 Index 779 About the Author 803 This book examines a pivotal period in ancient human history: the fall of the Roman Empire and the birth of a new European civilization in the early Middle Ages. The Early Medieval World: From the Fall of Rome to the Time of Charlemagne addresses the social and material culture of this critical period in the evolution of Western society, covering the social, political, cultural, and religious history of the Mediterranean world and northern Europe. The two-volume set explains how invading and migrating barbarian tribes—spurred by raiding Huns from the steppes of Central Asia—contributed to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and documents how the blending of Greco-Roman, Germanic, and Christian cultures birthed a new civilization in Western Europe, creating the Christian Church and the modern nation-state. A-Z entries discuss political transformation, changing religious practices in daily life, sculpture and the arts, material culture, and social structure, and provide biographies of important men and women in the transitional period of late antiquity. The work will be extremely helpful to students learning about the factors that contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire—an important and common topic in world history curricula. A chronology of events Dozens of primary document excerpts A substantial bibliography of print and nonprint sources