Narbonne and its Territory in Late Antiquity: From the Visigoths to the ArabsThis work centres on the post-Roman period of Narbonne and its territory, up to its capture by the Arabs in 720, encompassing not only recent archaeological findings but also perspectives of French, Spanish and Catalan historiography that have fashioned distinct national narratives. Seeking to remove Narbonne from any subsequent birth of France, Catalonia and Spain, the book presents a geopolitical region that took shape from the late fifth century, evolving towards the end of the eighth century into an autonomous province of the nascent Carolingian Empire. Capturing this change throughout a 300-year period somewhat lacking in written sources, the book takes us beyond an exclusive depiction of the classical city to an examination of settlement in various forms. Discourses of literary criticism also lie behind aspects of this study, mapped around textual commentaries which highlight a more imaginative biography of a city. Narbonne's role as a point of departure and travel across the Mediterranean is examined through a reading of the correspondence of Paulinus of Nola and the writings of Sulpicius Severus, enabling the reader to gain a fuller picture of the city and its port. The topography of Narbonne in the fifth century is surveyed together with Bishop Rusticus’s church-building programme. Later chapters emphasise the difficulties in presenting a detached image of Narbonne, as sources become mainly Visigothic, defining the city and its region as part of a centralised kingdom. Particular attention is given to the election of Liuva I as king in Narbonne in 568, and to the later division into upper and lower sub-kingdoms shared by Liuva and his brother Leovigild, a duality that persisted throughout the sixth and seventh centuries. The study therefore casts new light on Narbonne and its place within the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo, suggesting that it was the capital of a territory with roots in the post-Roman settlement of barbarian successor states. |
Contents
Narbonne and the Roman World of the Fourth Century | |
Christian and Classical Histories of Narbonne | |
Sidonius and the Passing of Roman Narbonne | |
From Liuva I to Reccared | |
The NorthEast and the Territory of Narbonne | |
The Regnum Orientalis | |
The Arabs and the Fall of Narbonne | |
The First and Last City | |
Bibliography | |
Other editions - View all
Narbonne and its Territory in Late Antiquity: From the Visigoths to the Arabs Frank Riess Limited preview - 2016 |
Narbonne and Its Territory in Late Antiquity: From the Visigoths to the Arabs Frank Riess No preview available - 2019 |
Common terms and phrases
Achila Aquitaine Aquitania Arab archaeological Arles Athanagild Athaulf Ausonius Avitus barbarian Barcelona basilica Béziers Biclar bishop Bonnery Brunhild Byzantine Carcassonne centre Chapter Christian Chronicle church Consentius Córdoba D'Abadal Dellong Díaz earlier early ecclesiastical Egica fifth century foundation fourth century Frankish frontier Fructuosus Galla Placidia Gallia Narbonensis García Moreno Gaul Gayraud Goths Gundemar Hermenegild Hispania Hydatius imperial important inscription Jovinus king lagoon land late antiquity later Leovigild letter linked literary Liuva Loseby Mathisen Mediterranean mentioned Merovingian Minerve Narbonne Narbonne’s narrative Nola Orosius Ostrogothic panegyric Paulinus Paulus period poem political port Postumianus Primuliacum probably province Puig Rom Pyrenees Reccared references region regnum reign Ripoll Roman Empire Rome Rusticus Rutilius Septimania settlement seventh century Sidonius Sidonius’s siècle Sisenand sixth Solier southern Gaul Spain St Felix suggests Sulpicius Tarraconensis territory Theudis Toledo Toulouse tradition villa visigodo Visigothic kingdom walls Wamba Wittiza