The ‘Late Antique' political model in the ‘Early Mediaeval' context: Satisfactio by Dracontius in 5th and 7th' century redactions

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of transformation of the political ideology in the Late Roman Empire and in the postimperial world, in the barbarian kingdoms that appeared during the period of decline and fall of the West Roman Empire and existed in the Mediterranean region. The main source for our work is the poem Satisfactio, written in Carthage at the end of the 5th century by the Roman rhetor and lawyer Dracontius, and republished in an abridged version in the 7th century in Toledo by the bishop of this city, Eugene. Based on this material, we examine the question of how the image of an ideal ruler had been evolving in the Late Empire, as well as in the Vandal and Visigothic kingdoms.