BARGAINING WITH THE RULERS : THE POLITICS OF CONSTITUENCY–BASED DECISIONS IN FIFTH–CENTURY GAUL

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the careers of three separate Gallic rulers of the fifth century: Constantine III, Theoderic II and Euric. Although the past forty years has witnessed a renewed scholarly interest in the local aspects of rule and leadership in this period, there has been no detailed study that accounts for the various stakeholders themselves which surrounded the Gallic rulers. This thesis will argue that, while the personal ambitions of rulers were important, policies were not shaped by them. Rather, four constituencies – a ruler’s army, the imperial court, the local aristocracy, and the local episcopate – determined a ruler’s decision. Moreover, it will demonstrate that these four groups swayed rulers in their own ways, but that each reign can be best understood by examining the ebb and flow of each constituency’s ever-changing influence. As the importance of local constituencies grew over the course of the century, Gallic bishops and aristocrats had greater say in the policies of Theoderic and Euric, than they had under Constantine III. Conversely, the ability of civilian and military office-holders at the imperial court in Italy to affect the Tolosan kings’ decisions waned. As the central Italian administration grew distant from Gallic affairs, the local constituencies seized control. This dissertation aims to cast new light upon the people within these constituencies, as well as the communities they represented. It will show how a constituency consisted of ambitious individuals and parties who formed loose alliances with each other in order to pressure a ruler into enacting a particular policy.