wtfox?!

amberguessa:

dr-wtfox replied to your post: curliestofcrowns replied to your post: Any of you…

I know a bit, although the period I study is a century or so later (9th-12th). Whatchoo need?

Either

Which state controlled the largest territory of the Roman Empire by 750

Which “barbarian” group had the greatest success sustaining a state by 750 (If I do this, I’m leaning toward the Gauls in Francia)

or

4 actions which played a major role in the evolution of the role of the Bishop of Rome from 6th-8th centuries. 

Technically, there aren’t “states” as such (or nations, in our sense of the term) at this point, but the stablest political entity in Europe—which is still not terribly stable—at around 750 is probably the Franks under the Merovingians, in the sense that there’s a single family or group in charge, with a clear plan of succession, and something approaching a government or hierarchy. They’re also the most successful group not only in terms sustaining but expanding their empire; by 770, the Carolingians (the Merovingians’ successors) had absorbed the Lombards and the Saxons, which both had decent territories in the south and east, respectively. 

As for the second, I don’t really know enough about church history to help much. One major figure from the 6th-8th centuries was Gregory the Great, who reformed church bureaucracy along the lines of the Roman government, wrote a ton of exegetical material, and also took some time to standardize practices relating to the selection of clergy, the performance of pastoral duties, and so on. But overall, those few centuries actually were kind of a lousy time to be pope. Lombards attacking and everything.