In the fourth century the Roman Empire was under threat. TheBarbarians were becoming a powerful force in Europe, and the Huns,the most savage of these tribesmen, were sweeping south towards theimperial frontiers. At the same time the Empire faced growinginternal social and economic problems: plague and war haddiminished the agricultural population and productivity wasfalling; the army was under increasing strain in defending theextensive boundaries. Christianity, too, continued to prove anunsettling influence - accepted and established in Constantinople,but not in Rome. In this perceptive and stimulating book, ProfessorWallace-Hadrill traces the development of Western Europe from thedissolution of the late Roman Empire to the emergence, in the tenthcentury, of the individual states of medieval Europe. Now in itsfourth edition, The Barbarian West contains a fully revisedand up-to-date bibliography.