Table of Contents

Introduction 8

Chapter 1 The Idea of the Middle Ages 13

Historiography Before the 18Th Century 13

Dividing Up Time 16

Enlightenment Scorn and Romantic Admiration 21

The Middle Ages in Modern Historiography 24

Chapter 2 Romans and Barbarians 30

The Romans 30

The Germans and Huns 38

Constantine the Great 42

Reshaping the Empire 47

Arianism 48

Chapter 3 The World of Late Antiquity 54

The People of the Empire 55

The Organization of Late Imperial Christianity 58

Monasticism 60

Benedict of Nursia 62

Heterodoxy and Heresy 70

Trinitarianism and Christology 72

Chapter 4 Western Christendom 75

Kings and Peoples 77

The Great Commission 79

The Irish and English Influence 85

The Bishops of Rome 86

The Venerable Bede 88

Conclusion 91

Glossary 93

Bibliography 96

Index 100