Political Instabilities
Bookmark this page

•        Yes – some cities retracted to hill-top fortifications to improve defence capacity.

•        Pressures of invasion / insecurity increased military expenditure; new priorities from C6 : Byz and Syria suffering Persian invasions / Arab conquest …. Italy suffering due to Lombard attacks … Huge physical damage in Rhineland … no time to sit around in cities and practise rhetoric.

•        Some cities bounced back from sack / ruin, but stronger middle ground with development of provincial units and some cities flourished as provincial capitals (esp in Greek E).

•        Some cities flourished in W as seats for new Germanic kings (Metz / Trier / Paris)

•        ‘Island cities’ whose antique wall enclosed derelict land and a few administrative nuclei. Run-down suburb areas.

•        Spartan walls enclosed acropolis but not a civic centre. Cities now = garrisons / refuges / seat of bishop only.

•        Govt role in food supply crucial – reinforced dependence of popn and maintained it at threatening level.

Other Notes in this Category

1. Christianity
2. Decline?
3. Economy
4. Ideological retreat into private sphere?
5. Political Instabilities

Didn't find this useful?

• Visit Coursework.Info for over 14,000 GCSE, A-Level and University Essays