SIXTH CENTURY. This century was a time of sad confusion and distress, but in the midst of it the first hints of the beginnings of modern Europe as we know it may be traced. The Franks succeeded in establishing them selves under Clovis in a kingdom which em braced a considerable part of what we now tall France and Germany. The country was unsettled, and though Clovis and his people were formally converted to Christianity, the process of real Christianization had only just begun. The Vandals, originally a Germanic tribe from the regions near the Baltic Sea, after their invasion of Italy, moved over into Spain and conquered a kingdom there, the word Andalusia being a modification of their name, but they were pushed out of the peninsula by the Suevi and the Visigoths and then estab lished a kingdom in northern Africa. Their original removal from their homelands on the Baltic had probably been due to the intrusion of Slavonic tribes coming from the east and north of them, who in their progress also dis located the Lombardi (Lombards). These made their way down into Italy and have left their name on the northern portion of it. At the close of this century, the northwestern part of what is now Spain and Portugal was the kingdom of the Suevi, the rest of the peninsula with southwestern France being the kingdom of the Visigoths (West Goths). Northern Italy, Austria and the northwestern Balkan States constituted the kingdom of the Ostrogoths (East Goths), the Franks held a kingdom stretch ing along the Channel and including northern and eastern France and most of the Netherlands, while the kingdom of Burgundy represented central and eastern France. The Britons of Celtic origin, under separate rulers, occupied southwestern England and what is now known as Brittany in France. These kingdoms of the barbarians were not, as might be supposed, al ways disturbed dominions, for one of the great est rulers of this century is Theodoric of Verona (Dietrich of Bern of the German legends) who ruled the Ostrogoths in Italy (493-526) and gave that unhappy country, whose fairness attracted the barbarians, its one generation of quiet and prosperity since the death of Marcus Aurelius. Before the 6th century closed, men told of Theodoric's reign in Italy the same story that was told in England of Alfred's time, that law was so well en forced that gold pieces could be left on the highway without being stolen. The kingdom established by him lasted scarce a quarter of a century after his death. It was overthrown
by the armies of Justinian, and Italy was once more united with the Eastern Empire 553.
The statesman of the century is Cassiodorus, born in southern Italy about 490, died about 583. He attracted the attention of Theodoric by a panegyric on that monarch who in recog nition appointed him quxstor when he was about 21. Cassiodorus continued to be the coun cillor of that king until his death in 526 and then became prxtorian prefect under the regency of Amalswintha. The Goths in Italy were being overcome by the Eastern Empire, however, and Cassiodorus at the age of 50 decided to retire. Some years before Benedict had founded his great monastery at Monte Cassino and follow ing his example Cassiodorus founded a mon astery on his estate at Vivarium. Here he con tinued to write for more than 40 years. He gathered together a large library of books, en couraged the monks in their use, outlined studies and by example as well as precept gave a great impetus to classical scholarship. Having during his public career tried to recon cile the two races, the Goths and the Romans, in his religious retreat he labored with greater success to harmonize the culture of the ancient and the Christian world. He had broad, deep interests in all departments of artistic effort and deeply influenced the music of the time. His work (Institutiones Music is particularly valuable for the knowledge of the early be ginnings of the music of the Church. With his contemporary Bcethius he is the chief ex ponent 'of the theory of music between an tiquity and the early Middle Ages. The man of Theodoric's reign whose personality lived on to affect men deeply is Beethius (475-524). He was the greatest intellectual genius of the period and his writings widely influenced the students of a thousand years until the end of the Middle Ages. He was put to death by Theodoric on a charge of treason, though it seems likely that there were religions motives involved— Theodoric was an Arian —and Bcethius is often hailed as a Christian martyr. His Consolatione Philosophise' was the most read book of the Middle Ages. It was translated by King Alfred (9th century) and by Chaucer (14th century) and influenced Dante more deeply than any other book except the of Aquinas. It has the interest of Marcus Aurelius (Meditations) and while containing no reference to formal religion was a not unworthy predecessor of Thomas a Kempis.