The Visigothic Kingdom: The Negotiation of Power in Post-Roman lberia (Late Antique and Early Medieval Iberia, 9)

How did the breakdown of Roman rule in the Iberian peninsula eventually result in the formation of a Visigothic kingdom with authority centralised in Toledo? This collection of essays challenges the view that local powers were straightforwardly subjugated to the expanding central power of the monarchy. Rather than interpret countervailing events as mere 'delays' in this inevitable process, the contributors to this book interrogate where these events came from, which causes can be uncovered and how much influence individual actors had in this process. What emerges is a story of contested interests seeking cooperation through institutions and social practices that were flexible enough to stabilise a system that was hierarchical yet mutually beneficial for multiple social groups. By examining the Visigothic settlement, the interplay between central and local power, the use of ethnic identity, projections of authority, and the role of the Church, this book articulates a model for understanding the formation of a large and important early medieval kingdom. Sabine Panzram is Professor of Ancient History at Hamburg University (Germany). She focuses on social history of power in the Western Mediterranean, and in particular on urban history in the Iberian Peninsula. Currently she is preparing a study on Christendom without the Church: The Genesis of an Institution in the Dioecesis Hispaniarum (4th to 7th centuries). Paulo Pachá is Assistant Professor of Medieval History at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). He works on the history of the Visigothic kingdom and the development of its political structure and power relationships. ¿Cómo es que la ruptura de la dominación romana en la Península Ibérica dio lugar a la formación de un reino visigodo con la autoridad centralizada en Toledo? Esta colección de ensayos pone en tela de juicio la idea de que los poderes locales se sometieron sin más al creciente poder central de la monarquía. En lugar de interpretar los acontecimientos contrarios como meros "retrasos" en este proceso inevitable, los colaboradores de este libro se preguntan de dónde proceden estos acontecimientos, qué causas pueden descubrirse y qué influencia tuvieron los actores individuales en este proceso. Lo que se desprende es una historia de intereses contrapuestos que buscan la cooperación a través de instituciones y prácticas sociales lo suficientemente flexibles como para estabilizar un sistema que era jerárquico pero mutuamente beneficioso para múltiples grupos sociales. Al examinar el asentamiento visigodo, la interacción entre el poder central y el local, el uso de la identidad étnica, las proyecciones de autoridad y el papel de la Iglesia, este libro articula un modelo para entender la formación de un gran e importante reino altomedieval How did the breakdown of Roman rule in the Iberian peninsula eventually result in the formation of a Visigothic kingdom with authority centralised in Toledo? This collection of essays challenges the view that local powers were straightforwardly subjugated to the expanding central power of the monarchy. Rather than interpret countervailing events as mere 'delays' in this inevitable process, the contributors to this book interrogate these moments to uncover the hidden agency of individuals and local authorities. What emerges is a story of contested interests seeking cooperation through institutions and social practices that were flexible enough to stabilise a system that was hierarchical yet mutually beneficial for multiple social groups. By examining the Visigothic settlement, the interplay between central and local power, the use of ethnic identity, projections of authority, and the role of the Church, this book articulates a model for understanding the formation of a large and important early medieval kingdom. Bron: Flaptekst, uitgeversinformatie