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.
List of Maps.
Introduction: Visigothic Spain in the Twenty-First Century.
Part I: A Political History:.
1. From Empire to Kingdom, 409-507:.
A Turning Point.
The Visigoths.
The Gothic Conquests of Hispania, 456-507.
2. The Imposition of Unity, 507-586:.
A Fractured Kingdom.
The Reign of Leovigild, 569-586.
3. The Catholic Kingdom, 586-672:.
Conversion and Reaction, 586-590.
Changing Dynasties, 590-642.
Kings and the Political Elite, 642-672.
4. Visigothic Twilight, 672-710:.
Court Conspiracies, 672-681.
The Uneasy Throne, 681-710.
5. The End of the Kingdom:.
The Coming of the Arabs.
The Last Kings, 710-713.
Part II: Society and Culture:.
6. Books and Readers:.