Post-Roman Kingdoms: ‘Dark Ages' Gaul & Britain, AD 450–800

Raffaele D’Amato

ene 2023 · Bloomsbury Publishing

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Meticulously researched, this book examines the evidence for the post-Roman military forces of France and Britain during the 'Dark Ages', reconstructing their way of life and the battles they fought in compelling detail.

The collapse of the former Western Roman Empire during the so called 'Dark Ages' c. AD 410 was gradual and piecemeal. Out of this vacuum arose regional tribes and leaders determined to take back kingdoms that were theirs and oust any Roman presence for good. However, the Roman guard was tenacious and survived in small pockets that emerged in both Gaul and Britain. These areas of Romano-Celtic resistance held out against the Saxons until at least the mid 6th century in Britain and against the Visigoths and the Merovingian Franks until the late 8th century in France.

Drawing on archaeological finds, contemporary sculpture and manuscript illuminations, Dr Raffaele D'Amato presents contemporary evidence for 5th to 9th-century Gallic and British 'Dark Age' armies and reconstructs their way of life and the battles they fought. The text, accompanied by photographs and colour illustrations, paints an intricate picture of how these disparate groups of Roman soldiers survived and adapted on the fringes of the Roman Empire.

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Raffaele D'Amato, PhD, is the author of some 40 books and numerous articles on the military of Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire including Byzantium, and medieval Europe. He has taught at the University of Ferrara, and for two years as a visiting professor at Fatih University, Istanbul. He currently lives in England, working as an archaeological consultant and lawyer for Timeline Auctions Ltd of Harwich, and also as an external researcher for the Laboratory of the Danubian Provinces at the University of Ferrara.
Andrea Salimbeti has had a lifelong interest in ancient military historical research, in particular the Bronze Age in Greece and the Middle East, and has collaborated with magazines and special publications in these fields. He also writes on aviation topics such as aerospace technology and flight equipment. He has contributed to various Osprey titles including ELI 223 The Etruscans, MAA 533 The Normans in Italy 1016–1194 and WAR 180 Early Iron Age Greek Warrior 1100–700 BC.