-
I.
The Ostrogothic
Kingdom of Italy
a.
Zeno
- i. Roman emperor in Constantinople who wasn’t pleased with Odoacer’s actions and plotted to unseat him
- 1. Brought German tribe, Ostrogoths,
- a. Recovered from defeat by Huns under Theodoric and attacked Constantinople
- 2. Zeno invited Theodoric to act as deputy to defeat Odoacer and bring Italy back into empire
- a. Accepted--> marched into Italy--> killed Odoacer--> established himself as ruler of Italy in 493
-
The
Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy
Theodoric
- b. Theodoric
- i. He received Roman education while hostage in Constantinople
- ii. Ostrogothic kingdom of Italy
- 1. maintained Roman tradition of government
- 2. After control of Italy,
- a. Eager to create mix of Ostrogothic and Roman practices
- b. Maintained entire structure of imperial government and established separate systems of rule for Ostrogoths and Romans
- i. Italian under Roman law by Roman officials
- ii. Ostrogoths governed by customs and officials of their own
- 1. Only they controlled the army
- 3. Friction between groups still developed
- a. Religion
- i. Ostrogthic Arian Christianity was heresy to Italian western Christians
- 1. Caused harsh rule of Theodoric
-
The Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy
After Theodoric death
- 1.
- After his death in 526, his successors encountered
- opposition from imperial forces of Byzantine (East)
-
- i.
- Byzantine armies reconquered Italy (535-552),
- devastating peninsula and destroying Rome and great urban center of Mediterranean
- world
- 1.
- Brief due to Lombards invading and conquering Italy
- in 568
- a.
- Harsh rulers and cared little for Roman traditions
- b.
- Their fighting allowed some Byzantine control
-
Visigoth Kingdom of Spain
Similarities to Ostrogothic kingdom
- i.
- Both favored coexistence between Roman and German
- populations
-
- ii.
- Both featured warrior caste dominating larger native
- population
-
- iii.
- Both continued to maintain much of Roman government
- while excluding Romans from power
-
Visigothic kingdom of Spain
Differences
- i.
- Visigothic rulers converted to Catholic Christianity
- instead of Arianism, ending tension
-
- ii.
- Laws banning intermarriage dropped
-
- iii.
- New body of law common to both people
-
Visigothic kingdom of Spain
Weakness of kingdom
- i.
- Fighting over kingship
- 1.
- No hereditary monarchy
- 2.
- No established procedure for successors
- 4.
- Assassinations remained way of life in Visigothic
- kingdom
-
The Frankish Kingdom
- a.
- Long lasting due to Clovis (482-511), the leader of
- one group, and later, all Franks
-
- i.
- 500: Catholic Christian
- 1.
- Roman catholic church regarded Arians as heretics
- a.
- His conversion gained Catholic church support
-
- ii.
- Conversion caused conversion of Franks
-
- iii.
- Pose as defender of orthodox Catholic faith in order
- to justify his expansion
- 1.
- Defeated Alemanni and Visigoths
- 2.
- 510: established powerful and large Frankish kingdom
-
Frankish Kingdom
Clovis
Responsibility adn Reliance
- i.
- Responsible for establishment of Frankish kingdom
- under Merovingian dynasty
-
- ii.
- Relied on Frankish followers to rule in old Roman
- city-states under title of count
- 1.
- Forced to share power with Gallo-Roman Catholic bishops
- a.
- Led to fusion of Latina and German cultures
-
- i.
- Church served to preserve Latin culture
-
- iii.
- Spent last years of life ensuring survival of
- dynasty by killing off relatives who were leaders of other groups of Franks
-
Frankish Kingdom
Successors
- i.
- Sons divided newly created kingdom into three main
- areas
- 1.
- Austrasia (ancient Frankish lands on both sides of
- the Rhine
- 2.
- Neustria (northern Gaul)
- 3.
- Former kingdom of Burgundy
-
- ii.
- All three ruled by members of Merovingian dynasty
- 1.
- Within three territories, members assisted by
- powerful nobles
- a.
- Frankish society possessed ruling class that
- intermarried with old Gallo-Roman senatorial class to form new nobility
-
- i.
- Took advantage of their position to expand own lands
- and wealth at expense of monarchy
-
- ii.
- w/in royal household, major dommus, mayor of the palace, began to
- overshadow king
-
The Frankish Kingdom
Successors of Clovis
At the beginning of the eighth century, the most
important political development in Frankish kingdom was ___
- At the beginning of the eighth century, the most
- important political development in Frankish kingdom was Rise of Charles Martel, who was mayor of palace of
- Austrasia beginning in 714
- 1.
- Martel led troops that defeated Muslims near
- Poitiers in 732 and by the time of his death in 741 was ruler of the three
- kingdoms
- a.
- Not ruler, but efforts enabled new dynasty
-
The Frankish Kingdom
Successors of Clovis
Sixth and Seventh centuries
- a.
- Sixth and seventh centuries, Frankish kingdom
- witnessed fusion between Gallo-Roman and Frankish cultures and peoples, a process
- accompanied by a significant decline in Roman standards of civilization and
- commercial activity
-
- i.
- Franks were warriors and barely encouraged urban
- life or trade
- 1.
- Commerce declined in interior
- 2.
- 750:Frankish Gaul= agricultural society with
- Latifundia
- Germanic concepts
- replaced Roman governmental structure
-
Anglo-saxon England
- a.
- Barbarian pressures on Western Roman Empire forced
- withdrawal of Roman armies and abandonment of Britain
-
- i.
- Led to Angles and Saxons settlements
- 1.
- Resisted by Celtic Britons who still controlled west
- b.
- German invaders created small kingdoms
-
Society of the Germanic Kingdoms
Influence of ROman Society
- i.
- Meaningful fusion of Roman and German upper classes
- in new kingdoms
- 1.
- Intermarriage led to new ruling class in Merovingian
- Frankish lands
- a.
- Construction of Roman-style villas
- b.
- Adoption of Frankish weapons
-
- ii.
- Crucial social bond among Germanics were family,
- especially the extended or patriarchal family
- 1.
- Worked land together and passed down to succeeding
- generations
- Extended family
- provided protection
-
Society of the Germanic Kingdoms
Germanic Law
- i.
- Affected by concept of family and kinship
- 1.
- Murder: offense against society and handled by court
- 1.
- Injury by one could lead to feud of revenge of
- injured party’s family on kin of wrongdoer
- a.
- Savage acts of revenge
- 2.
- Out of controlà
- led to wergild, which was amount paid by a wrongdoer to family who was injured
- or killed
- Vaule of person that
- varied by social status
-
Society of Germanic Kingdoms
Law of Salic Franks and Under German Customary Law
- Law of Salic Franks
- --Offense against noble cost more than against free
- person/ slave
Under German customary law,
- 1.
- Compurgation and ordeal were two most commonly used
- procedures for determining guilt and payment of wergild
- a.
- Compurgation was swearing of oath by accused, backed
- up by “oathhelpers” (12 or 25 people) who would swear that they were innocent
- b.
- Ordeal based on divine intervention
-
- i.
- Innocent wouldn’t be harmed
-
Society in Germanic Kingdoms
Frankish Family
- i.
- Extended family at center of social organization
- 1.
- Males dominated and made decisions
- 2.
- Women obeyed father and later husband
- a.
- Window holds property without male guardian
- b.
- Wergeld of a wife of
- childbearing age was higher than that of man
-
Society in Germanic Kingdoms
Marriage
- 1.
- Fathers/ uncles arrange marriages for good of family without child consideration
-
- i.
- Son-in-law made payment symbolizing purchase of
- authority over bride
-
- ii.
- Essential feature: physical union of couple in bed
- 1.
- Before: wife be a virgin to make sure father of
- child known
- a.
- Symbolized ability of bloodline continuation
-
- i.
- Adultery= women severely punished; men not
-
- ii.
- Divorce initiated by husband; wives went back home
-
Society in Germanic Kingdoms
Women
- 1.
- Legal status reflected material condition
- 2.
- 10-15% died in childbearing
- 4.
- Childbearing most important
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