Dr. John Rao explores the different problems that varied groups of invaders posed for the eastern and the western sections of the old united Empire. While the East remained more of a unit, the West saw power shared by remnants of the imperial administration, renegade generals, city magistrates, bishops, and barbarian chieftains, often very confusedly intermingled with one another. Justinian’s attempt to reconquer the West in the 530’s, and the Lombard incursion in 568 very much complicated matters in the region.