Visigothic Spain 409 - 711
A History of Spain
1. Edition March 2006
272 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
This history of Spain in the period between the end of Roman rule
and the time of the Arab conquest challenges many traditional
assumptions about the history of this period.
* * Presents original theories about how the Visigothic kingdom was
governed, about law in the kingdom, about the Arab conquest, and
about the rise of Spain as an intellectual force.
* Takes account of new documentary evidence, the latest
archaeological findings, and the controversies that these have
generated.
* Combines chronological and thematic approaches to the
period.
* A historiographical introduction looks at the current state of
research on the history and archaeology of the Visigothic
kingdom.
Introduction: Visigothic Spain in the Twenty-First Century.
Part I: A Political History:.
1. From Empire to Kingdom, 409-507:.
A Turning Point.
The Visigoths.
The Gothic Conquests of Hispania, 456-507.
2. The Imposition of Unity, 507-586:.
A Fractured Kingdom.
The Reign of Leovigild, 569-586.
3. The Catholic Kingdom, 586-672:.
Conversion and Reaction, 586-590.
Changing Dynasties, 590-642.
Kings and the Political Elite, 642-672.
4. Visigothic Twilight, 672-710:.
Court Conspiracies, 672-681.
The Uneasy Throne, 681-710.
5. The End of the Kingdom:.
The Coming of the Arabs.
The Last Kings, 710-713.
Part II: Society and Culture:.
6. Books and Readers:.
The Legacy of Africa.
The Golden Age.
7. Archaeology: Cemeteries and Churches:.
Goths in the Ground.
A Visigothic Architecture?.
8. Archaeology: Rural and Urban Settlements:.
Country Dwellers.
Towns in Transition.
9. Law and Ethnic Identity:.
The Fog of the Law.
Gothia and Hispania.
Bibliographical Essay.
Index
will ... find this book very accessible." British Bulletin of
Publications
"There is much to admire and enjoy in this volume ... highly
readable and impressively researched work." History
