Empires of Faith: The Fall of Rome to the Rise of Islam, 500-700.
Peter Sarris. Oxford University Press. [pounds sterling]35.00. xv + 428
pages. ISBN 978-0-19-926126-0. In this latest volume in the Oxford
History of Medieval Europe Mr Sarris asserts in a prose that is clear
and well argued that these centuries 'witnessed a series of crucial
developments' that were to do much to define the 'medieval
world'--the collapse of Roman authority in the West (to be replaced
by local 'martial elites') and in the East the creation of a
specifically Byzantine empire. The first two chapters are concerned with
the creation of a 'highly fractured and fragmented social and
economic landscape' in the western Empire by the end of the fifth
century, with special emphasis on the army, landholding and taxation.
The unending debate over collapse v transformation is explored on a
regional basis with emphasis on the importance of localised
leaders' military strength. From here he moves to the eastern
Empire (in particular the reign of Justinian and his 'imperial
Christianity'), the collapse of the recently reimposed imperial
authority in Italy, the situation in the Balkans and Britain, and the
importance of religion in political and social developments (and vice
versa) which is a most interesting discussion. After this the book moves
back to the Eastern empire, the role of Justin II, the Persian threat,
the rise of Mohammed and his new militaristic religion which was
'engaged with wider debates and concerns that were coming to
dominate the religious life of the Mediterranean world', the
'western' threat to Constantinople, the Arab incursions into
modern Spain, Merovingian rule to the north and the rise of England as
'the first "nation" of Europe'. By 700 Europe was
experiencing an economic rejuvenation based on a more established
localised order. (R.G.C.)
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