While Gaiseric has not become a household name like other 'barbarian' leaders such as Attila or Genghis Khan, his sack of Rome in AD455 has made his tribe, the Vandals, synonymous with mindless destruction. Gaiseric, however, was no moronic thug, proving himself a highly skilful political and military leader and was one of the dominant forces in Western Mediterranean region for almost half a century.The book starts with a concise history of the Vandals before Gaiseric's reign and analyses the tactics and weaponry with which they carved a path across the Western Roman Empire to Spain. It was in Spain that Gaiseric became their king and he that led the Vandals across the straits of Gibraltar to seize a new home in North Africa, depriving Rome of one of its most important remaining provinces and a key source of grain. Roman attempts at reconquest were defeated and the Balearic Islands, Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia were all added to Gaiseric's kingdom. His son, Huneric, was even betrothed to Eudoxia, daughter of the Emperor Valentinian III and it was her appeal for help after her father's murder that led Gaiseric to invade and sack Rome. He took Eudoxia and the other imperial ladies back to Africa with him, subsequently defeating further attempts by the Eastern Roman Empire to recapture the vital North African territory. Ian Hughes' analysis of the Gaiseric as king and general reveals him as the barbarian who did more than anyone else to bring down the Western Roman Empire, but also as a great leader in his own right and one of the most significant men of his age.

This history of Spain in the period between the end of Roman rule and the time of the Arab conquest challenges many traditional assumptions about the history of this period. Presents original theories about how the Visigothic kingdom was governed, about law in the kingdom, about the Arab conquest, and about the rise of Spain as an intellectual force. Takes account of new documentary evidence, the latest archaeological findings, and the controversies that these have generated. Combines chronological and thematic approaches to the period. A historiographical introduction looks at the current state of research on the history and archaeology of the Visigothic kingdom.

This book explores one of the central myths of Spain: the idea that Spanish culture arose from that of the Visigoths. It begins with a sketch of Visigothic history, then proceeds to explore attitudes towards the Goths and legends and myths that developed around them from late antiquity to the twentieth century; such ideas proved influential among those who saw the Goths as their spiritual, if not literal, ancestors. The focus is on the myth of the Goths as expressed in literature of a broadly historical nature; many authors have played a significant role in forming and shaping this myth, and thus in shaping the mentality of their contemporaries and descendants. The Gothic myth was of great use to the different monarchies that succeeded the Goths after the Arabic invasion of 711. Visigothic kings were adopted as models by one age after another, from the rudimentary kingdom of Asturias in the ninth century to the world-monarchy of Spain under the Catholic Kings and the Habsburgs. Over the centuries, adroit 'improvements' on history and even outright fabrications influenced the creation of an idealized, epic past to which Spaniards look even today. This study of the evolution and persistence of the myth of Spain's Gothic roots is essential reading for scholars of Spanish history.

Explore an insightful and original discussion of the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire In Why Rome Fell: Decline and Fall, or Drift and Change?, celebrated scholar of Roman history Dr. Michael Arnheim delivers a fascinating and robust exploration of the causes of and reasons for Rome’s fall in the West. Steeped in applications of elite theory to the later Roman Empire, the author discusses several interconnected issues that influenced the decline of Rome, including monarchy, power structure, social mobility, religion, and the aristocratic ethos. Incisive comparisons of the situation in Rome to those in the Principate and the Byzantine Empire shed light on the relative lack of “indissoluble union and easy obedience” (in Gibbon’s phrase) in the later Roman Empire. Instead, the book reveals the divided loyalties of a fractured society that characterized Rome in its later years. Why Rome Fell also includes: A thorough introduction to the transition from the ancient to the medieval world, including discussions of monarchy, Diocletian and his relationship to the aristocracy, and Constantine’s reforms Comprehensive explorations of the rise of the Roman Christian empire and Constantine’s role Practical discussions of conflicting theories of what caused the fall of the Roman empire, including the Pirenne thesis, the malaria hypothesis, Gibbon’s ‘decline and fall’ theory, and the role played by religion An indispensable resource for students, scholars and the general reader with an inquiring mind about history, Why Rome Fell deserves a place on the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in a sophisticated and original take on historical continuity and change.

The Rome that Did Not Fall provides a well-illustrated, comprehensive narrative and analysis of the Roman empire in the east, charting its remarkable growth and development which resulted in the distinct and enduring civilization of Byzantium. It considers: * the fourth century background * the invasions of Attila * the resources of the east * the struggle for stability * the achievements of Anastasius.