University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ScholarWorks @ UTRGV History Faculty Publications and Presentations College of Liberal Arts 2017 Shifting Ethnic Identities in Spain and Gaul, 500-700: From Romans to Goths and Franks Erica Buchberger The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/hist_fac Part of the History Commons, and the Medieval Studies Commons Recommended Citation Buchberger, E. (2017). Shifting Ethnic Identities in Spain and Gaul, 500–700: From Romans to Goths and Franks. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1pk3jrb This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Liberal Arts at ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Shifting Ethnic Identities in Spain and Gaul, 500-700: From Romans to Goths and Franks Erica Buchberger 1 Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7 Scholarly Tradition ...................................................................................................................... 8 Applying This Method ............................................................................................................... 17 Chapter Breakdown .................................................................................................................. 20 Terminological Note .................................................................................................................. 23 Part One: From a Roman to a Gothic World in Visigothic Spain .................................................. 26 Chapter 1: Arians to Catholics ...................................................................................................... 29 John of Biclar’s Chronicle .......................................................................................................... 30 Isidore of Seville’s History (up to 589) ...................................................................................... 37 The Third Council of Toledo ...................................................................................................... 42 The Lives of the Fathers of Mérida ........................................................................................... 44 Conclusion: The Evidence Together .......................................................................................... 51 Chapter 2: Church and State: Isidore and his Influence ............................................................... 57 Isidore’s History (post-589) ....................................................................................................... 58 Church Councils to 654 ............................................................................................................. 63 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 67 Chapter 3: The Later Seventh Century.......................................................................................... 68 Chindaswinth, Recceswinth, and Visigothic Law ...................................................................... 68 Later Councils and Laws ............................................................................................................ 82 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 84 Part Two: From a Roman to a Frankish World in Merovingian Gaul ............................................ 86 Chapter 4: Gregory of Tours ......................................................................................................... 89 2 The Late Roman Empire and Clovis’ Reign ............................................................................... 92 Contemporary Era ..................................................................................................................... 96 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 109 Chapter 5: Venantius Fortunatus ................................................................................................ 112 Duke Lupus .............................................................................................................................. 113 Leontius II of Bordeaux ........................................................................................................... 114 The Ruricii ............................................................................................................................... 115 Vilithuta ................................................................................................................................... 116 Duke Launebod ....................................................................................................................... 117 King Charibert ......................................................................................................................... 118 Radegund ................................................................................................................................ 120 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 122 Chapter 6: Fredegar .................................................................................................................... 125 Book Three: Rewriting Gregory .............................................................................................. 126 Book Four: Fredegar’s Original Work...................................................................................... 131 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 139 Chapter 7: Frankish Hagiography ................................................................................................ 141 Caesarius of Arles .................................................................................................................... 142 Gaugeric of Cambrai ............................................................................................................... 145 Eligius of Noyon ...................................................................................................................... 147 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 151 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 153 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 162 Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... 162 3 Primary Sources ...................................................................................................................... 163 Secondary Sources .................................................................................................................. 166 4 Acknowledgements I have incurred many debts since beginning this book as a doctoral thesis at the University of Oxford. First and foremost, my doctoral supervisors, Chris Wickham and Bryan Ward-Perkins, provided generous doses of patience, guidance, and encouragement. I would also like to thank my examiners, Mark Whittow and Patrick Geary, and earlier readers, Ian Forrest and Conrad Leyser, for pushing me to analyze my sources in greater depth. I have benefited greatly during both the doctoral and post-doctoral stages from the funding of a number of institutions. A Scatcherd European Scholarship from the University of Oxford enabled me to spend time at the Institut für Mittelalterforschung in Vienna working with Walter Pohl and his team, whom I thank for their friendly welcome and shared ideas. Both the History Faculty and University College at Oxford funded conference and research travel. I have also received travel funding from the Royal Historical Society, and from the History Department and School of Humanities and Social Sciences while a Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of Charleston. Over the years, I have presented my work in a variety of forums, including at the International Medieval Congress (Leeds), the International Congress on Medieval Studies (Kalamazoo, MI), the Medieval Academy of America, the Southeastern Medieval Association, the Institute of Historical Research (London), the University of Exeter, the Charleston Association of Medieval Scholars, and a variety of seminars and conferences at the University of Oxford. My work has benefited greatly from the comments and questions posed there by fellow attendees. Chris Wickham, Jamie Wood, Phyllis Jestice, Helmut Reimitz, and my two anonymous reviewers read all or parts of the book and offered many useful suggestions