MEDIEVAL POWER: THE BEGINNING (THE CASE OF ROMAN HISPANIAE)

The review deals with the contemporary historiographical conceptions of the installation of medieval power model explained on example of the Late Roman diocese Hispaniae. In the Middle Ages its territory became a place of the appearance of the Visigothic kingdoms of Toulouse (c. 418-507) and of Toledo (c. 568 - c. 720). The Kingdom of Toledo was destroyed by Moslem invasion, but its political inheritance influenced directly to the installation of the Carolingian Empire. Special attention is paid to the causes and the character of tire crisis of tire Late Antique political structures. The Antique nature of the Late Roman Hispanie political system is obvious because of the part of the municipia (urban self-governed civil communities) as a base of the political order in the beginning of tlie 5th century at least. The bureaucratic element of the political system (i.e. the officici of the vicar and of the governors of Spanish provinces) existed but its main function was to connect the municipia as the base of power organization with the Emperor and central power institutions in Arles (praefectus praetoria Gallianim) and Milan (then Ravenna). Crisis of the Antique foundations of the political order passed three main periods in its development. During the first period (from the beginning of the 5th century till the middle of the 6th century) the municipia conserved its main functions, but the economic base of its existence was weaken after the partition of municipal lands with the Barbars and the diffusion of Christianity undermined the local consciousness mainly founded on the cult of tlie local pagan gods. Bishop became the main figure in the municipal administration. During tlie second period (till 670s) the municipal institutions disappeared and the civil community converted into tlie Cristian parish community. Bishop occupied a dominant position in urban administration in a concurrence with the count, which represented the royal power in the urban territory. The king’s power and central administration changed their social base from the civil society to tlie depended persons of tlie royal familia. On the level of the ideology the Christian God occupied tlie ancient position of tlie people (or civil society) as a main source of power. During the last period secular and ecclesiastical nobility became the main subject of the political system. As a consequence, the weaken royal power was betrayed by tlie most part of tlie nobility during tlie Moslem invasion.

medieval power, Roman Hispaniae, Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse, Visigotliic Kingdom of Toledo, Visigothic Symphonic!