Roman Aristocrats in Barbarian Gaul: Strategies for Survival in an Age of Transition

Ralph Whitney Mathisen

Published by University of Texas Press 1992

Roman Aristocrats in Barbarian Gaul

Strategies for Survival in an Age of Transition

Ralph Whitney Mathisen

https://doi.org/10.7560/770515

Overview
Contents

About this book

Skin-clad barbarians ransacking Rome remains a popular image of the "decline and fall" of the Roman Empire, but why, when, and how the Empire actually fell are still matters of debate among students of classical history. In this pioneering study, Ralph W. Mathisen examines the "fall" in one part of the western Empire, Gaul, to better understand the shift from Roman to Germanic power that occurred in the region during the fifth century AD Mathisen uncovers two apparently contradictory trends. First, he finds that barbarian settlement did provoke significant changes in Gaul, including the disappearance of most secular offices under the Roman imperial administration, the appropriation of land and social influence by the barbarians, and a rise in the overall level of violence. Yet he also shows that the Roman aristocrats proved remarkably adept at retaining their rank and status. How did the aristocracy hold on? Mathisen rejects traditional explanations and demonstrates that rather than simply opposing the barbarians, or passively accepting them, the Roman aristocrats directly responded to them in various ways. Some left Gaul. Others tried to ignore the changes wrought by the newcomers. Still others directly collaborated with the barbarians, looking to them as patrons and holding office in barbarian governments. Most significantly, however, many were willing to change the criteria that determined membership in the aristocracy. Two new characteristics of the Roman aristocracy in fifth-century Gaul were careers in the church and greater emphasis on classical literary culture. These findings shed new light on an age in transition. Mathisen's theory that barbarian integration into Roman society was a collaborative process rather than a conquest is sure to provoke much thought and debate. All historians who study the process of power transfer from native to alien elites will want to consult this work.

Author information

Ralph Mathisen is Professor of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Reviews

"I can warmly recommend Mathisen's latest book to all students of the western provinces in Late Antiquity. It is a well-planned, well-presented, lucid and illuminating work that confidently gathers together ideas that Mathisen and other scholars . . . have been floating for the last few years, and takes them to a very satisfying conclusion. In brief, Mathisen provides an excellent summary of recent research in his field . . . enlivened by his own interpretation of a number of important issues."

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
PREFACE Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
INTRODUCTION. The Barbarians in Gaul: In Search of an Identity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
PART ONE. Setting the Stage: Romans and Barbarians in Conflict
CHAPTER ONE. The Aristocratic Background of Late Roman Gaul Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
CHAPTER TWO. Gaul, Italy, and Isolationism in the Fifth Century Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
CHAPTER THREE. The Barbarian Settlement: Impressions of Harassment, Interference, and Oppression Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	27
PART TWO. Immediate Responses: The Disruption of Old Institutions
CHAPTER FOUR. The Intellectual Response: Conflicting Perceptions of the Barbarians Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
CHAPTER FIVE. Gallic Traditionalists and the Continued Pursuit of the Roman Ideal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	50
CHAPTER SIX. Flight and Dislocation, Emigrants and Exiles Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	58
CHAPTER SEVEN. Between Romania and Barbaria: The Barbarian Alternative Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
CHAPTER EIGHT. Conflicting Loyalties: Collaborators, Traitors, and the Betrayal of Territory Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
PART THREE. Coming to Terms with the Barbarians: The Restructuring of the Gallo-Roman Aristocracy
CHAPTER NINE. The Acquisition of Church Office and the Rise of an Ecclesiastical Aristocracy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
CHAPTER TEN. The Pursuit of Literary Studies: A Unifying Element Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	105
CHAPTER ELEVEN. Coming to Terms with the Barbarians Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
CHAPTER TWELVE. The Final Resolution: Aristocratic Options in Post-Roman Gaul Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	132
EPILOGUE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	144
APPENDIX A. Roman Emperors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
APPENDIX B. Barbarian Rulers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
GLOSSARY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
ABBREVIATIONS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
NOTES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
PRIMARY BIBLIOGRAPHY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227
SECONDARY BIBLIOGRAPHY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	237
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	263

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 293

eBook

Published: August 28, 2013
ISBN: 9780292758063