Roman Successor Empires

How Roman were the successor states in the former western Empire? 500ad to 800ad
(GENERAL)
The successor kingdoms are homogenous forms of power in terms of culture, administration, military power, etc. and were all variations of the former Empire.
The barbarian forces were able to effectively invade the roman empire and the military fighting was used to show the power of the ruler. Traditionally the Roman forces were paid in fee regularly whilst the Barbarians were not due to the lack of a tax system. The men enlisted to fight were often men from the aristocrats’ army and the king’s men (a small proportion of the total population). If a war leader was successful they are able to set up a post- roman regime like Clovis. In this period there
Some aspects of Roman culture survived, but, he thinks that it would be a mistake to minimize the importance of the disappearance of the western Roman state. Roman political domination involved the rapid spread of urbanization as local elites adopted Roman public and domestic styles of building. This was the concrete manifestation of a cultural change that was also expressed in the spread of education that would equip the next generation with the polished Latin that would qualify them to participate in the ruling circles of the Empire. Once that state ceased to exist there was no reason to have one’s children expensively educated. Even where Roman landowners survived, they had to learn new ways to impress the semi-literate local king on whom their status now depended. Literary culture survived to some degree in the Church, but even the Church had to adapt and evolve institutionally. The local organization of the Church began to reflect the new boundaries of kingdoms that cut across the old administrative structures. Centrally, the Popes assumed an importance that would have been inconceivable if the western emperors had survived. In the eastern Empire the Patriarchs of Constantinople never achieved the degree of political authority that the Popes of Rome secured for themselves.
The Barbarian kings were keen to keep the roman elite such as Theoderic. This is seen in Conssedorous- writing the histories of the Goths. The Barbarian elites engage in the Roman lifestyle such as speaking Latin, writing and adherence to law and order. The Warlords needed to cooperate with the Roman elite due to it being pragmatic. Both parties had motives with the Barbarians wanting the prestige, culture and skills needed for administration, etc. and the romans wanting to retain their power and