The Fifth Century and After: the West
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• Barbarian invasion and settlement by Vandals and Goths less effect on city than thought, genral effect to accelerate trends started in 4^th century; depopulation of surrounding country make feeding urban population difficult. Factors make city vulnerable; small territory, infertile soil, weak manufacturing, absence of admin organs (civil, military, ecclesiastical). Not lead to abandonment but fading away of population or failure to rebuild or reoccupy. More utilitarian usage as garrison, bishops residence. Population smaller but maybe larger than small size of walls suggest.
• To what extent did the rural elite move into the countryside – late Roman aristocrats spent time in villas, but were they country gentleman. Progressive militarization and decline secular literary tradition favoured ruralization of urban society. It is not obvious where they went.
• Decline of artisan based goods – cause or consequence of declining emptying cities? Motive might have been avoidance of tax - collegia – tax on craftsmen. Northern France and Rhineland aristocracy into countryside and when there was a revival in crafts, not based in cities.
• Cities continued to perform late Roman function as centres for civil or ecclesiastical administration – refuges for country population and bases for defending troops in times of war. Some became residences for Germanic kings. Some cities survived others didn’t, 75/100 Roman municipia (northern It, and Tuscany)survived after AD 1000 – majority never had a bishop. Less than half of southern Italian cities survived. In Aquitaine survival paralleled by coinage – later half 5^th century Visgothic Kings minting their own coinage. Survival of full urbanism was evidentially inked with continuation of a money economy and trade.
• 5^th century urban population increasingly C. – new Christian identity, particular saint bought prestige and glory to a city, provisions for pilgrims added communication with outside world. Churches became the most prominent buildings in society. Territorial magnats who had freed themselves from civic responsibilities incentive to return to civic service. Bishops more into secular administration in the East, but times of crisis Bishops to the fore. In guise of ecclesiastical diocese unity of city and territory, essence of Graeco-Roman city survived longest
• Ecclesiastical trend of breaking up units – Nice, Toulon out of control of civitas to receive bishop of their own.
• Rise of bishops not necessarily paralleled by decline in city self-government, may have been enhanced by Germans – Goth and Vandal kingdoms made little difference to condition of cities under their rule.
• 506 Alaric II lawbook – modifications on Roman law. Reduction in importance of provincial administration increase in city officials – provincial governors still exist but have representatives in the city
• Provincial decline not surprising when not subject to Roman governor, but Empire wide a Justinian novels tell of provincial decline. Still need to keep decursions as often fled into other cities, married non decursions etc. Proliferation and devaluation of titles characteristic of late Roman society
• Late Roman tax system survives and preserved unity of urban core and surrounding agricultural territories – difficult to collect of rural landowners, still land based power of obstruction still great. Bishops also protested and public revenue diminished. As late as 590 evidence of curiales collecting taxes under supervision royal officials.
• No surprise that amenities suffered; Breviarium has no provision for actors, doctors or teachers. Literary education was provided in senatorial houses and was private, decline of literary culture and closing of school big incentive to move away.
• One function of council very much more prominent – witnessing and recording in gesta of legal transactions such as wills etc. Shows city councils survived into 8^th century.
• Defensor along with curator replaced traditional curial magistrates. Imperial device for centralisation but became local magistrate.
• Aquitaine defensor elected by the people, ore likely in the East that the bishop choose him.
• Enhanced position of defensor in Visgothic Gaul similar to enhanced position of as defined by Justinian in the East.
• Similar pattern on Ostrogothic Itay – defensor responsible for setting prices, and even asked Theoderic permission to do things.
• Fundamental change in relations between city and countryside resulted in militarization of the countryside – not only a result of German settlement. Landowners acquiring armies (Ecdicius who around 471 raised an army to resist the Visgoths. Fundamental importance. Independent city state the peasants were the army and called up by the city, under empire peasants y be conscripted into imperial army, Late Empire landowners provided recruits as tax, whilst remaining civilians. That landowners should join as head of armed tenantry is a fundamental departure from principle of city state and practice of the empire, way of the future.. Gradual breakdown of the Roman tax system and the militarization of the landed aristocracy end of integration of urban centre and territory 0 principal character of ancient city.
• Power moves out of city to countryside – 6^th century Bishops have palaces in countryside and Frankish families live outside city fortifications. Carolingians abandon Roman system of taxation and cease to use city organisation as basis of administrative system.
• Marks transition from Late Roman to Early Medieval form of organization – Lombard invasion of Italy and Arab invasion of Spain. Degree of physical and demographic continuity between ancient and medieval cities of former WRE varies greatly. Strong in coast and around Northern Italy 0 weak to point of insignificance in Britain and along Danube.

Other Notes in this Category

1. Factors Transforming the city
2. Post-Roman unity, disintegration and renewal
3. Regional survey of urban change ad survivals
4. The 5^th century and after: the East
5. The ancient city: a centre of administration and a way of life
6. The Fifth Century and After: the West
7. The third-century crisis and the inscriptions of Aphrodisias
8. The transformation of classical cities and the Pirenne debate
9. Types of Post-Roman City
10. Urban Survival and the role of the middleman
11. Why and when did the ancient cities end?

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