Regna and Gentes: The Relationship Between Late Antique and Early Medieval Peoples and Kingdoms in the Transformation of the Roman World

Hans-Werner Goetz, Ph.D. (1977) in Medieval History, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Habilitation 1981, is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Hamburg since 1990. He has published a great number of books and articles on the Early and High Middle Ages, particularly on medieval historiography and the history of ideas and mentalities.Jörg Jarnut, Ph.D. (1970) in Medieval History, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Habilitation 1977, has been Professor of Medieval History at the University of Paderborn since 1983. He has published extensively on the history of the Lombards and the Franks and he is one of the founders of the Institut zur interdisziplinären Erforschung des Mittelalters und seines Nachwirkens in Paderborn.Walter Pohl, Dr. phil. (1984) is researcher for the Austrian Academy of Arts and Sciences (Commission for Research on the Early Middle Ages) and lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Vienna. His publications include Die Awaren ( Munich, 1988).

In the research on "The transformation of the Roman world" relatively little attention has been paid to the transformation of early medieval peoples and the development of their communities into kingdoms, and we lack a comparative study on this subject. The aim of this volume is, therefore, to examine the relationship between gens and regnum by systematically comparing the "Germanic" and non-Germanic successor states of the Roman Empire, a question that leads to important results about the role of ethnic processes and of political developments in the formation of the new kingdoms. By trying to answer leading questions, 16 authors (historians, archaeologists and linguists) deal with ten important kingdoms of this period and with their political and legal context (role of the Empire and the law-codes). An introduction to the subject and its inherent problems and a comparative conclusion summarizing the results completes the volume. Contributors: Javier Arce, Ann Christys, Evangelos Chrysos, Falko Daim, Hans-Werner Goetz, Matthias Hardt, Peter Heather, Jvrg Jarnut, J.H.W.G. Liebeschuetz, Walter Pohl, Michael Schmauder, Isabel Velazquez, Ian N. Wood, Alex Woolf, Patrick Wormald, and Barbara Yorke.

List fo Contributors Abbreviations Introduction Hans-Werner Goetz The Empire, the gentes and the regna, Evangelos Chrysos The Leges Barbarorum: law and ethnicity in the post-Roman West Patrick Wormald Gens into regnum: the Vandals J.H.W.G. Liesbeschuetz Gens and regnum: among the Ostrogoths Peter Heather The enigmatic fifth century in Hispania: some historical problems Javier Arce Pro patriae gentisque Gothorum statv, Isabel Velazquez The Transformation of Hispania after 711 Ann Christys Gentes, kings and kingdoms- the emergence of states. The kingdom of the Gibichungs Ian N. Wood The relationship between Frankish gens and regnum a proposal based on the archaeological evidence Michael Schmauder Gens, kings and kingsdoms: the Franks Hans-Werner Goetz The Britons: from Romans to barbarians Alex Woolf Anglo-Saxon gentes and regna, Barbara Yorke Gens, rex and regnum of the Lombards Jorg Jarnut The Bavarians Matthias Hardt Avars and avar archaeology. An introduction Falko Daim A Non-Roman Empire in central Europe: the Avars alter Pohl Conclusion Bibliography Indices