Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World

by Patrick J. Geary

Book Overview

In this innovative new study, Patrick Geary rejects traditional notions of European history to present the Merovingian period (ca. 400-750) as an integral part of Late Antiquity. Drawing on current scholarship in archaeology, cultural history, historical ethnography, and other fields, the author formulates an original interpretation not only of Merovingian history but of the Romano-barbarian world from which it arose. Mapping the complex interactions...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195044576
• ISBN13: 9780195044577
• Release Date: February 1988
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

From Late Antiquity to Mediaeval Europe in a Nutshell

The transformation of the Roman Empire of the West into the barbarian kingdoms and thence into Mediaeval Europe was a process of interaction and assimilation between Rome and the barbarians during which both refashioned the other. Geary examines the Roman and barbarian worlds before the 5th century AD. In the West, the Roman world was faced with depopulation of rural areas, low tax revenues, and the stratification of society as occupations became hereditary - the distinction between free labourers and slaves all but vanished while the senatorial aristocracy enjoyed vast agricultural holdings. The barbarian 'tribes', somewhat loose confederations of peoples, vacillated between fighting against and for the Empire, while absorbing by one means or another the material benefits Rome could provide. Thus the Visigoths entered the Eastern Empire as foederati, or allies, after which followed a period of turbulent relations - in AD 410 they sacked Rome; three years the Visigoths were an official Roman army in Gaul. After this overview, the emphasis is on the kingdom of the Franks (consisting of large parts of what are now France, Germany, Switzerland and the Low Countries) and the interaction amongst the Frankish barbarians and the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, in particluar the role played by the Church through the bishops (largely an aristocratic preserve) and different monastic traditions. The appearance of the Franks and their expansion of their authority was not a direct displacement of the Roman world, rather a gradual merging of two societies. Despite the disappearance of the political power of the Empire in the West, the lives of the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, with their vast wealth, changed slowly. The authority of the Merovingian kings suffered from serious obstructions - the several partitions and unifications of the kingdom amongst different heirs; royal succession passing to minors; the centrifugal tendencies of outlying regions; and the desire of the aristocracy for autonomy. Finally the Merovingians became mere figureheads as real power passed to the maiores domus (majors of the palace) until finally Pippin III assumed kingship in 751 with papal approval and the Carolingian dynasty was established. The church in Francia also changed with bishops becoming essentially secular magnates dependent on royal patronage and no longer drawing on the tradition of classical learning, which latter was relegated to the monasteries as lay literacy also faded. This is an introductory work which offers a synthesis of research, much of which is in German or French. It maintains a balance by not delving too deeply into intricacies (although even a short account of Merovingian history is necessarily somewhat complicated) while distinguishing important participants and trends. It is a good starting point before proceeding to more specialist and detailed works and provides a practical historical background useful not only to those studying history, archaeology or

Enlightening

Geary's work is an enlightening look at the transformation from the Roman to the medieval in the transalpine Roman provinces. Geary easily dispels the myth of barbarian invasions and the "fall" of Rome. A complex and weary narrative is turned into a simple and intersting one. Geary does not waste his time (and ours) in pointless name-dropping. He gets right down to the core of the social, economic, and political story. Additionally, Geary quietly, but effectively, addresses one of the major controversies in early medieval studies: what was the economic impact of the Germanic migrations? This book is a must have for anyone interested in the classical or medieval periods and goes a long way to clearing up a lot of misconceptions.

A must-have.

Paints an entirely plausible picture of life after the putative "fall of Rome". Scholarly and in-depth treatment of the time period make this an absolute must-have in any history maven's collection. I haven't ever seen a better treatment of this time period. What is nicest, it's not terribly long or dry. It says what it needs to say with knowledgability and wit, and then it gets out of there, leaving you lots of places to take up study. To the person just seriously delving into this period (this history is not for the casual reader), this is the perfect book to get you started. It definitely was for me. Also an excellent bridge between "fall of Rome" period history and the "Middle Ages". You don't see a lot about that period. It's largely a mystery how it all went from togas to braies. This dispels many notions of pseudo-history and once-cherished errors, and effectively explains how we got from there to here. There's a very sweeping sense of history about this book. When I finish reading it, I get a sense that Charlemagne wouldn't have happened if this period hadn't happened the way it did, and see the whole time period in a different light -- the light of perspective. Definitely recommend it.

A Frank Exploration of The Merovingian Dynasty

During the fifth century, the country we know as France was overrun by a horde of German speaking barbarians called the Franks. After subjugating the Gallo-Roman population, the Franks somehow ended up speaking French and wearing berets. Or so I was taught in high school. What is wrong with this picture? Generally when a country is conquered, the victors impose their language and culture on the vanquished, not the other way around. Most history books devote about two paragraphs to this period of French history. If you have ever wondered how a group of plain, down to earth, barbarians could have produced a guy by the name of Charlemagne, Patrick J. Geary has the answer. (Hint: The barbarians were relatively few in number, and the Gallo-Roman aristocracy was never really conquered.) Geary's book is heavy reading in places, but it explores in depth the complex relationship between the Franks and the Gallo-Romans. Much that is confusing about European history can be cleared up by reading this book.