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Mediterranean Connections: The Frankish Kingdoms and the Roman Empire (476â756)
Series: - The Medieval Mediterranean, Volume: 145
Author:
This monograph challenges the idea that Roman imperial authority in the West ended in 476. It shows how the Frankish realm maintained ties to the empire, with real separation only emerging in the late sixth century.
Tracing enduring Frankish-Byzantine diplomacy, shared identities, religious controversy, and trade into the seventh century, it reveals a landscape of continued exchange rather than abrupt decline. Including previously overlooked sources, the study offers a new perspective on Frankish identity, imperial affiliation, and the evolving relationship between Rome, the empire, and the Merovingians from the fifth to the eighth century.
Tracing enduring Frankish-Byzantine diplomacy, shared identities, religious controversy, and trade into the seventh century, it reveals a landscape of continued exchange rather than abrupt decline. Including previously overlooked sources, the study offers a new perspective on Frankish identity, imperial affiliation, and the evolving relationship between Rome, the empire, and the Merovingians from the fifth to the eighth century.
Laury Sarti, Ph.D. (2012), University of Hamburg, is Heisenberg Fellow at Heidelberg University. Her monographs include Orbis Romanus. Byzantium and the Legacy of Rome in the Carolingian World (Oxford University Press, 2024) and Westeuropa zwischen Antike und Mittelalter (WBG, 2023), and she edited Mobility in the Early Middle Ages, and beyond. Interdisciplinary Approaches (De Gruyter, 2025). Her research focuses on the military, Mediterranean interchanges, and mobility in the medieval period.
Preface
List of Figures and Maps
7 Introduction
â1.1âOutline and Question
â1.2âPrior Research
â1.3âApproach and Methods
âNote on Names
8 The Empireâs Western Territories
â2.1âOdoacer and Theodoric
â2.2âOne Empire, Not Two
â2.3â476 in Retrospective
â2.4âThe Empire and the West
â2.5âResults
9 Kings of the Empire
â3.1âClovis and Theudebert I
â3.2âRomans and Franks in Gaul
â3.3âThe Empireâs Kingdom
â3.4âFranko-Byzantine Exchanges
â3.5âFactors of Alienation
â3.6âResults
10 Christian Community
â4.1âThe Pope between East and West
â4.2âThe Three Chapters Controversy
â4.3âThe Monothelite Controversy
â4.4âResults
11 Mediterranean Connectivity
â5.1âDiplomatic Exchange in a âDark Ageâ
â5.2âPilgrimages to the East
â5.3âTravel Routes and Trade
â5.4âLanguage and Knowledge Exchange
â5.5âResults
12 Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
List of Figures and Maps
7 Introduction
â1.1âOutline and Question
â1.2âPrior Research
â1.3âApproach and Methods
âNote on Names
8 The Empireâs Western Territories
â2.1âOdoacer and Theodoric
â2.2âOne Empire, Not Two
â2.3â476 in Retrospective
â2.4âThe Empire and the West
â2.5âResults
9 Kings of the Empire
â3.1âClovis and Theudebert I
â3.2âRomans and Franks in Gaul
â3.3âThe Empireâs Kingdom
â3.4âFranko-Byzantine Exchanges
â3.5âFactors of Alienation
â3.6âResults
10 Christian Community
â4.1âThe Pope between East and West
â4.2âThe Three Chapters Controversy
â4.3âThe Monothelite Controversy
â4.4âResults
11 Mediterranean Connectivity
â5.1âDiplomatic Exchange in a âDark Ageâ
â5.2âPilgrimages to the East
â5.3âTravel Routes and Trade
â5.4âLanguage and Knowledge Exchange
â5.5âResults
12 Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
The book is aimed at a broad educated audience, including scholars, postgraduate students, and advanced undergraduates with an interest in medieval history, particularly those focusing on the early medieval period. The book is written in a clear and accessible style to ensure that it is approachable for readers beyond experts in the field, making it an ideal resource not only for researchers and specialists but also for advanced students who are looking to deepen their understanding of the period and its complexities.