The Early Middle Ages, 284--1000

Yale, , Prof. Paul Freedman

Updated On 02 Feb, 19

Overview

Course Introduction: Rome's Greatness and First Crises - The Crisis of the Third Century and the Diocletianic Reforms - Constantine and the Early Church -The Christian Roman Empire - St. Augustine's Confessions - Transformation of the Roman Empire - Barbarian Kingdoms - survival in the East - The Reign of Justinian - Clovis and the Franks - Frankish Society - Britain and Ireland-Monasticism - Mohammed and the Arab Conquests - Islamic Conquests and Civil War - The Early Middle Ages, 284 -1000: The Splendor of the Abbasid Period - The Crucial - Seventh Century - The Splendor of Byzantium - Charlemagne - Intellectuals and the Court of Charlemagne - Crisis of the Carolingians

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Lecture 9: The Reign of Justinian

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Lecture Details

The Early Middle Ages, 284--1000 (HIST 210)Professor Freedman opens by discussing why historians use the writings of Procopius and Gregory of Tours, a sixth century bishop whose history of the Merovingian kings is discussed the following week. Procopiuss three works -- The Wars, the adulatory Buildings, and the invective Secret History -- are the best sources on the reign of the Emperor Justinian. Under Justinian and his wife Theodora, the Roman Empire reached its height as it reclaimed territories in North Africa and Europe previously lost to the Vandals, Visigoths and Ostrogoths.. However, defeats in war accompanied by heavy taxation led to civil unrest. In addition to the wars, Justinian commissioned a number of large projects like the building of the Hagia Sophia and the organization of Roman law in the Corpus Iuris Civilis. 0000 - Chapter 1. Primary Sources Procopius and Gregory of Tours0219 - Chapter 2. The Emperor Justinian0842 - Chapter 3. Procopius as a Source on Justinian1628 - Chapter 4. Background on Justinian2410 - Chapter 5. The Circus, the Blues and the Greens, and the Nika Riots3020 - Chapter 6. Justinians Wars3811 - Chapter 7. Justinians Law Code, the Corpus Iuris CivilisComplete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website httpoyc.yale.eduThis course was recorded in Fall 2011.