HIST 216 Beyond the 'Fall' of Rome, 400-800
During the course of the fifth century in the West, the Roman empire fell. Or did it? This course will take up the classic theme of the Fall of Rome, and introduce students to new ways of understanding this pivotal period of transformation. First, the class will consider the Roman empire at its height; what did the Pax Romana mean? We will look at how the empire actually worked in the period immediately leading up to and following the reigns of Constantine (d. 337) and his successors. Second, we will examine the traditional narrative of "decline and fall" that supposedly followed upon early "barbarian" intrusion in the late fourth century and the Sack of Rome in 410. Third, turning our attention chiefly (although not exclusively) to the West, we will present an alternative and rather less simplistic account of "post-Roman" developments, focusing on patterns of government within the new settler kingdoms, changes in economy and culture, the impact of Christianization, and the endurance of Roman values, down to the rise of the Carolingians in 751. In short, the course will introduce students to a period of what was certainly radical change in European history, but will attempt to identify more accurately the causes, speed, and nature of that change.