History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 5

This volume surveys the transformation of late antique Europe and the Mediterranean into medieval polities, tracing how papal authority allied with Frankish power to establish new western rulership and coronation rituals. It analyzes the rise of the founder of Islam and the successive caliphates that conquered Persia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain, and the military and administrative effects on Byzantine territories. It considers Byzantine wealth, administration, and periodic military reverses across the tenth century, together with heterodox movements such as the Paulicians and their suppression and transplantation. It follows the migrations and settlements of Bulgarians, Hungarians, and the early Russian polity and examines their interactions with the Greek empire. Finally, it surveys the rivalries of Saracens, Franks, and Normans in Italy and the Mediterranean and the gradual reconstitution and fragmentation of western imperial authority.