The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes & Imperial Pretenders

Following up on his Fall of Rome: A New History, Heather zeros in on three pivotal figures of Late Antiquity: the Goth emperor Theodoric, the Greek/Roman emperor Justinian, and the spiritual progenitor of modern Europe, Charlemagne. Each man is meticulously examined in the context of his time and in his attempts to save or reconstitute at least the image of Imperial Rome. Theodoric and Charlemagne, in particular, used Christian bishops as state officials to legitimize their authority. However, it is the final section of the book that breaks ground that might be debated by some scholars. Here, Heather makes a cogent argument for the slow growth of papal power, culminating in 1215 C.E. with the Fourth Lateran Council, which has long been considered a watershed. This, he avers, created a new Roman empire that still exists. The transition from the first empire to the present is wonderfully retold, with the rise of the Islamic states appearing like a wild card, diverting the flow of history. Heather’s style is seductive and his British wit enlivens this engrossing history of the piecemeal “restoration” of a Rome that lingers still. Illus. (Mar.)