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The Visigothic Kingdom in Iberia: Construction and Invention
The structures of the late ancient Visigothic kingdom of Iberia were rooted in those of Roman Hispania, Santiago Castellanos argues, but Catholic bishops subsequently produced a narrative of process and power from the episcopal point of view that became the official record and primary documentation for all later historians. The delineation of these two discrete projects—of construction and invention—form the core of The Visigothic Kingdom in Iberia .
Castellanos reads documents of the period that are little known to many Anglophone scholars, including records of church councils, sermons, and letters, and utilizes archaeological findings to determine how the political system of elites related to local communities, and how the documentation they created promoted an ideological agenda. Looking particularly at the archaeological record, he finds that rural communities in the region were complex worlds unto themselves, with clear internal social stratification little recognized by the literate elites.
Castellanos reads documents of the period that are little known to many Anglophone scholars, including records of church councils, sermons, and letters, and utilizes archaeological findings to determine how the political system of elites related to local communities, and how the documentation they created promoted an ideological agenda. Looking particularly at the archaeological record, he finds that rural communities in the region were complex worlds unto themselves, with clear internal social stratification little recognized by the literate elites.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published November 13, 2020
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January 28, 2023
Castellanos guides us through a selected history of the Visigothic kingdom from the period where the fledgling state collapsed in southern Gaul and shifted to Iberia proper, consolidating its power and constructing a stable form of government and rule.
Regicide, the "Gothic Disease", plagued the kingdom alongside interference from stronger, more established powers like the Eastern Romans, Ostrogoths and Franks. Religious tension between Arian and Catholic Christians was another internal issue between the Roman and Gothic citizens.
Monarchs like Reccared and Suinthila united the population by means of conversion to Catholicism (or Nicene Christianity) and the conquest of territory held by imperial forces. The Gothic state had now matured and become a power in its own right. The Roman and Gothic citizens were united under one identity.
Regicide, the "Gothic Disease", plagued the kingdom alongside interference from stronger, more established powers like the Eastern Romans, Ostrogoths and Franks. Religious tension between Arian and Catholic Christians was another internal issue between the Roman and Gothic citizens.
Monarchs like Reccared and Suinthila united the population by means of conversion to Catholicism (or Nicene Christianity) and the conquest of territory held by imperial forces. The Gothic state had now matured and become a power in its own right. The Roman and Gothic citizens were united under one identity.
Displaying 1 of 1 review