Review article: Continuity, culture and the state in late antique and early medieval Iberia

Abstract

Until the 1970s, most studies of late antique and early medieval Iberia focused on a monolithic entity constructed by Iberian historians concerned about the nature and origins of their own nations and identities. The unified, centralized, Catholic Visigothic state dominated historical narratives for decades, defining categories and methods of analysis, questions addressed, and the basic shape of the period. While a statecentred historiography tied to national concerns was not unusual in the twentieth century, the Iberian narratives that were generated -like the trajectory of modern Iberian history -were distinct, setting both

Early Medieval Christian Identity and Anti‐Judaism: The Case of the Visigothic Kingdom

“…One of the factors hindering the incorporation of Visigothic history into understandings of early medieval change is the lop‐sided body of evidence for the kingdom (Stocking 2007, p. 347). In seeking to define and impose a unified Christian identity upon their subjects, seventh‐century church leaders and kings produced a large body of canonical and secular laws that often contained elaborate theological explanations 6 .…”

“…336–46 and Drews 2002, 2006. For reviews, see Stocking 2006, 2007. For a general bibliography on recent works on Visigothic history, see Ferreiro 2007.…”