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To: artichokegrower

Just an over-view of what and where was what in the former Roman Empire at that time. I think that if I were living then and I was surrounded by the relics of Rome but with almost all of the trade destroyed, no stability and almost constant local wars but nothing conclusive and then having crop failures exceeding ancestral memories ... yep, I’d be quite discouraged!

In England, this is the estimated time of legendary King Arthur fighting the Angles & Saxons as a defender of the native Celtic Britons. [Angles, Saxons, Frisians and Danes probably ‘pushed’ by others.] Wales is completing a conversion to Christianity started under Roman times. Ireland is becoming a center for Celtic Christianity following St.Patrick’s efforts in the 400s because it is the most distant from a roiling Europe. Scotland gets its name from Irish invaders of that name moving over the then native Picts.

The Atlantic shore of Europe has become chaotic with the former Roman Empire & Germania awash from the waves of steppe barbarian invasions (Vandals, Alans and Suevi) with the Franks starting to dominate in the south above Visigothic Hispania. Also native Celtic Britons move across the English Channel to what is now Brittany (modern France) which remains independent of the Franks.

The Ostrogoths ruled in Italy and Dalmatia but will be defeated at war with the Franks and Byzantium within this century. Eastern Rome (Byzantium) remains under continuous ‘Roman’ rule but looks to reconquer the lost west while also resisting more barbarians in the Balkans and a continuous war with Persia/Iran as their MAJOR equal military adversary.

Add in a real mix of expanding Christianity BUT lots of flavors (heretical) from Arianism to Insular Celtic to Monophysitism. The principal power of ‘organized’ Christianity lies with Byzantium and the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch & Alexandria. The Pope of Rome is respected but has little international power until the end of the 500s with Gregory the Great.


47 posted on 11/16/2018 8:03:50 AM PST by SES1066 (Happiness is a depressed Washington, DC housing market!)
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To: SES1066

That all makes 21st century America look boring.


114 posted on 11/17/2018 1:14:02 AM PST by Vermont Lt
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