Leadership and Social Cohesion in Merovingian Gaul and Visigothic Spain : The Case of Military Groups

The aim of this chapter is to examine the mechanisms used by secular authority and the aristocracy to exert leadership among military groups in Merovingian Gaul and Visigothic Spain. Moreover, the chapter will study how social cohesion was created by kings and elites among armed groups within the aforementioned regna. With that aim, I will examine the manner in which the narrative and legal sources of the period describe and characterize such processes. My hypothesis is that elements such as violence, the control of resources (money, goods, lands, and positions of institutional power), and beliefs and symbols of authority were used by the Merovingian and Visigothic kings and armed groups in order to strengthen leadership and create social cohesion.