Contested Monarchy: Integrating the Roman Empire in the Fourth Century AD (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) - Tapa dura

This exceptionally valuable book offers multiple perspectives on the development of the institutional, ideological and religious aspects of the Roman empire's first Christian century. Breaking away from traditional divisions according to dynasty or religion, we see how the Roman state developed new answers to the central question of its own legitimacy. Eschewing simplistic generalizations, the diverse contributions offer multiple perspectives on the way the Roman system of government interacted with its subjects. Wienand has performed an invaluable service by facilitating a wide ranging encounter among scholarly styles to promote a well-articulated discussion of significant themes in the governance of the Roman Empire, illuminating not only the period under consideration, but earlier and later periods as well. (David Potter, University of Michigan)

It is a pleasure to be asked to review a book for which one has such unreserved praise. Contested Monarchy is an enormously valuable volume without a weak link in its chain of articles. It is a must have for any scholar working on late Roman political, social, or religious history and for the library of any university that offers courses on the fourth century. (Adrastos Omissi, Sehepunkte)

An inspiring volume ... this is a fine collection of articles articulating the contested Roman imperial rule of late antiquity. Everybody interested in the late Roman empire will profit from it. (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)

This is a book that deepens our sense of the complexity, and unexpectedness, of the late Roman Empire. It is a landmark. (Alexander Skinner, Journal of Roman Studies)

This volume aims to reappraise the wide-ranging and lasting transformation of the Roman monarchy between the Principate and Late Antiquity. The book takes as its focus the period from Diocletian to Theodosius I (284-395) and thus on a major developmental phase in the history of the Roman Empire. During this period, the stability of monarchical rule depended heavily on the emperor's mobility, on collegial or dynastic rule, and on the military resolution of internal political crises. At the same time, profound religious changes modified the premises of political interaction and symbolic communication between the emperor and his subjects, and administrative and military readjustments changed the institutional foundations of the Roman monarchy. This volume concentrates on the measures taken by Roman emperors of this period to cope with the changing framework of their rule. The collection will examine monarchy along three distinct yet intertwined fields: Administering the Empire, Performing the Monarchy, and Balancing Religious Change. Each field possesses its own historiography and methodology, and accordingly has usually been treated separately. This volume's multifaceted approach builds on recent trends to examine imperial rule in a more integrated fashion. A brief introductory article to each thematic section provides an overview of the major developments in the field, thereby providing a coherent framework for the contributions. Including new work from a wide range of European and American scholars, both established and junior, ContestedMonarchy promises to provide a fresh survey of the role of the Roman monarch in a period of significant and enduring change.