Western Civilization.p

114 Chapter 6

and Christianity had long found penetrating the rural
world difficult. That world was dominated by the estate
owners, some of whom were still attached to the values
of ancient Rome. Others, especially those of German
origin, were Christian but remained Arians until well
into the seventh century.
The church was more powerful in the western
towns. It maintained a degree of independence that
contrasted sharply with attitudes prevalent in the east.
There, the imperial office retained some of the reli-
gious character it had inherited from paganism. The
emperor normally controlled the appointment of east-
ern bishops and, in later years, would acquire the right
to define dogma. Western bishops, meanwhile, were
elected, sometimes by public acclamation. They often

controlled their city governments and were beginning

to formulate the idea of separation between church

and state. St. Ambrose (c. 339–397), as bishop of Mi-

lan, once imposed a public penance on Theodosius for

ordering the massacre of rebels and told him on an-

other occasion: “[D]o not burden your conscience

with the thought that you have any right as Emperor

over sacred things.”

A society so burdened by poverty and decentraliza-

tion could not defend itself against the renewed on-

slaughts of the barbarians (see documents 6.3 and

6.4). After 406 a Germanic people known as the Van-

dals marched through Gaul and Spain to establish

themselves in Africa. In 410 an army of Visigoths

sacked Rome. Attila the Hun invaded Italy between

Black Sea

Medi

terranea

n Sea

Ad

ria

tic

Sea

Baltic

Se

a

Red

Sea

Atlantic

Ocean

North

Sea

Oder

R.

PoR. Da

nube

RhineR

.

TaurusMts.

Sein

eR.

Ebro

R.

Vistu

laR

.

Ni

leR

.

R.

Volga

River

Sardinia

Corsica

Sicily

Crete Cyprus

450

c. (^450)
c. (^450)
406
41
8
409
(^42)
9
431
(^39)
(^7) -
(^401)
443
489
(^45)
0
568
(^41)
0
45
5
FRANKS
BURGUNDIANS
VISIGOTHS
ANGLES
SAXONS VANDALS
OSTROGOTHS
HUNS
SAXONS
ANGLES
VANDALS
BURGUNDIANS
OSTROGOTHS
FRANKS
VISIGOTHS
LOMBARDS
LOMBARDS
Pyren
ees
Mts
.
Alp
sMts

. Carpa

thianMt

s.

0 200 400 Miles

0 200 400 600 Kilometers

MAP 6.2

Migration and Invasion Routes