1. “Barbarians”
In East: Visigoths (West Goths),
Huns
In West: Ostrogoths (East Goths),
Franks

2. c. 500 BC Germanic peoples migrating to
borders of Roman Empire
4th c. AD By now regular contact between
barbarians and Romans. Ostrogoths and
Visigoths have adopted Arian Christianity
375 Visigoths granted permission to settle in
Empire by Valens (r )
378 Battle of Adrianople

3. Map Link: The Roman Empire about 395:
<
roman_empire_395.jpg>

4. 410 Visigoths under Alaric (r. 395-410) sack
Rome
410 Death of Alaric. Succeeded by Ataulph
(r ), who married Galla Placidia,
mother of Valentinian III (r )
451 Huns under Attila (r ) attack empire,
defeated by Aetius at Châlons-sur-Marne
452 Huns invade Italy, threaten Rome
455 Vandals sack Rome

5. Map Link: Peoples and Kindoms in the West about 476:
<
maps/map001.jpg>

6. 451 Battle of Châlons 453 Death of Attila
476 Odoacar brings Western Roman Empire to
an end
486 Clovis (Frank, r ) takes northern
France/Gaul from Syagrius
Theoderic (Ostrogoth, r )
takes Italy from Odoacar for Emperor Zeno
(r )

7. The Franks
496 Clovis defeats Alemanni, adopts
Catholic Christianity
511 Death of Clovis, kingdom divided
Neustria (Paris) Austrasia
(Reims, Metz)
Burgundy

8. Map Link: Europe and the East Roman Empire, 533-600:
<
shepherd-c-052.jpg>

9. The Franks
Reign of Clothar II of Neustria.
Civil conflicts end
623 Austrasia receives son of king of Neustria
as king. Arrangement broadly thus until
8th c.

10. The Ostrogoths
Theoderic tolerating Catholics under rule,
though wary after 518
524 Theoderic executes some Roman
aristocrats for treason, incl. Boethius
(Consolation of Philosophy)

11. The Ostrogoths
526 Death of Theoderic. Succession dispute
follows
Byzantines under Belisarius conquer
Sicily, most of Italy
Byzantines complete conquest of Italy
568 Lombards conquer parts of Italy

12. The Visigoths
Reign of Leovigild, who attempts to
impose Arianism on state (unsuccessfully)
Reign of Recared, who converts state
to Catholicism
Toledo
711 Muslims invade Spain

13. Cassiodorus
Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus (c. 490-
c. 583)
Politician, scholar, educator
Classical education. Rhetorical skills win him
position at court of Theoderic. Holds
various positions until c. 540
c. 540 Leaves court, spends c. 15 years in
Constantinople

14. Cassiodorus
Retires to monastery of Vivarium, at Squillace,
Italy
Several works, including Variae (c. 538),
collection of official documents from
time at court

15. Gregory of Tours
538/39-594/95
Born Clermont-Ferrand, with
name Georgius Florentius
573 Becomes Bishop of Tours
History of the Franks/
Ecclesiastical Histories, plus
saints’ lives