An anachronistic fifteenth-century miniature depicting the sack of 410.

The Sack of Rome occurred on August 24, 410. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Events By place Western Roman Empire Alaric I deposes Priscus Attalus as Emperor. The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Alaric I ( Alareiks in the original Gothic; Alarik or Alarich in modern Germanic languages Alaricus in Latin and Alarico The Roman capital had been moved to the Italian city of Ravenna by the young emperor Honorius, after the Visigoths entered Italy. Honorius may refer to Honorius (emperor (Flavius Augustus Honorius western Roman emperor 395-423 Honorius of Canterbury (Saint Honorius The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East

This was the first time in almost 800 years that Rome had fallen to an enemy. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The previous sack of Rome was by Gauls under their leader Brennus in 387 BC. The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Italy Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Brennus (or Brennos) was a chieftain of the Senones, a Gallic tribe originating from the modern areas of France known as Seine-et-Marne Some historians see this as a major landmark in the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire. The Decline of the Roman Empire, leading to the Fall of the Roman Empire, or the Fall of Rome, was the end of the Western Roman Empire.

Prelude

Troubles in the East

Further information: Migration period

Barbarian tribes had been growing stronger for a long time, uniting in fear of the Roman juggernaut. The Migration Period, also called Barbarian Invasions, or sometimes Völkerwanderung ( German for "wandering of peoples" is the English name However, in the late 4th century, the Huns began to overrun barbarian territories. The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy In 376, they forced many Thervings, led by Fritigern to seek exile into the Eastern Roman Empire. The Thervingi, Tervingi, or Teruingi (sometimes pluralised "Tervings" or "Thervings" were a Gothic people of the Danubian plains west Fritigern, or Fritigernus (died ca 380 was a Gothic war-leader whose military victories in the Gothic War (376-382 extracted favourable terms for the Soon, however, high taxes, Roman prejudice, and government corruption turned them against the Empire. The Visigoths began looting and pillaging throughout the Eastern Balkans. In the Second Battle of Adrianople in 378, Fritigern decisively defeated the Eastern Emperor Valens, who died during or soon after the battle. The second Battle of Adrianople ( August 9 378) sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between a Roman army led by the Fritigern, or Fritigernus (died ca 380 was a Gothic war-leader whose military victories in the Gothic War (376-382 extracted favourable terms for the This article is about the Roman Emperor For other people called Valens see Valens Flavius Julius Valens ( Latin: DOMINVS

A peace was forged in 382, in which the new Eastern Emperor, Theodosius I, signed a treaty with these Goths (later known as the Visigoths) that recognized their claim to the province of Thrace. Flavius Theodosius (January 11 347 – January 17 395 also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great ( Greek: Θεοδόσιος Α΄ The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe

Soon Alaric the Visigoth was rising through the Visigothic ranks. The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East He accompanied Theodosius' army invading the West in 394, where, at the Battle of the Frigidus, around half the Visigoths present died fighting the Western Roman army under Eugenius and his general Arbogast. The Battle of the Frigidus, also called the Battle of the Frigid River, was fought between September 5&ndash6 394 between the army of the Eastern Emperor The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Flavius Eugenius (died 6 September 394 was a Roman usurper (392-394 against Emperor Theodosius I. Theodosius had explicitly ordered the Goths to charge the usurpers army before he engaged his Roman soldiers, with the intent of weaken both the Visigoths and the Western Romans. Theodosius won the battle, but Alaric was likely convinced by this point that the Romans sought to weaken the Goths by making them bear the brunt of warfare, in anticipation of a day when the Goths were weak enough to be completely subjugated.

Alaric was practically ruler of the Visigoths by the time Theodosius died in 395; Fritigern had died in 380. The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East

Return to hostilities

Alaric soon resumed hostilities against the Eastern Empire after Theodosius died. Flavius Stilicho, the Eastern Empire's top general, and later the Western Empire's top general, soon chased him into Italy, and then through Italy. Flavius Stilicho (occasionally written as Stilico) (ca 359 &ndash August 22, 408) was a high-ranking general ( Magister militum

Fearing the Visigoths, the Western Roman Empire moved its capital from Mediolanum to Ravenna, which was strategically located so as to be easily defended. The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285 the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Mediolanum, the ancient Milan, was an important Celtic and then Roman centre Ravenna is a City and Comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. In the mean time, Alaric made several attempts at invading Italy, but was halted by Stilicho and decisively defeated at the Battle of Pollentia and later in the Battle of Verona. The Battle of Pollentia was fought on 6 April 402 ( Easter) between the Romans and the Visigoths. The Battle of Verona was fought in June of 403 by Alaric 's Visigoths and a Roman force led by Stilicho. In time, he became an ally of Stilicho, agreeing to help reclaim Illyricum for the Western Empire. However, when the Vandals and Sueves crossed the Rhine and invaded Gaul, the invasion was called off and Alaric was left with the expense of preparations for the campaign. Stilicho persuaded the Roman Senate to reimburse Alaric, but the fiasco had sown resentment in both the Romans and in Alaric's Goths. The Roman Senate was a political institution in Ancient Rome.

In 408, Emperor Arcadius died, and Honorius wanted to journey East to settle the succession of the Eastern Empire. Stilicho forbade it and suggested that he go instead. Rumor spread that Stilicho wanted to place his son on the Eastern throne. Soon after, a mutiny of the army was staged by Olympius, a Roman bureaucrat, wherein most of Stilicho's appointees were killed. Having persuaded Honorius that Stilicho was an enemy of the state, Olympius was appointed Magister Officium. Stilicho, who was taking refuge in a church, was arrested and executed. These events were followed by more violence on the part of the Roman army, this time aimed at the barbarian soldiers and slaves in Italy, many of them captured by Stilicho in his many wars. Around 30,000 escaped Italy and fled to Alaric's banner, giving him a massive army with which to force a deal out of the Romans.

First siege

The angry Visigoths soon invaded Italy and headed straight for Rome, laying siege to the city in late 408. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Starvation and disease spread in Rome. The situation became so bleak that Pope Innocent assented to several pagan priests who wanted to try to use magic to ward off the besiegers, though the plan was abandoned when no one in the senate could be found to take part in the ceremony. The senate was forced to make a deal with Alaric, giving him 5,000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver, along with silk and pepper in exchange for lifting the siege. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Silk is a natural Protein Fiber, some forms of which can be woven into Textiles The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons

Second siege

The Senate sent several envoys, including the Pope, to Ravenna to encourage the Emperor to make a deal with the Goths. Alaric went to Ariminum where he discussed such a deal with Honorius' diplomats. He wanted the provinces of Rhaetia and Noricum as a home for the Visigoths, and a generalship in the Roman army. Raetia (so always in inscriptions classical manuscripts usually use the form Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, bounded on the west by the country Noricum, in ancient Geography, was a Celtic kingdom (perhaps better described as a federation of by tradition twelve tribes stretching over the area of However, Honorius refused to grant Alaric the title of Magister Militium, and insulted Alaric in a letter. In addition, Honorius tried to sneak a force of Illyrian soldiers into Rome. The army was intercepted by Alaric and, outraged by the insults, Alaric besieged Rome a second time, this time destroying the granaries at Portus. For homonyms see Porto (disambiguation Porto (Italian or Portus (Latin was a town in Lazio or Latium Faced with the return of starvation, the Senate surrendered again, this time, under pressure from Alaric, appointing Priscus Attalus as a rival Emperor. Priscus Attalus (d after 416 was twice Roman usurper (in 409 and in 414 against Emperor Honorius, with Visigothic support Alaric was made Magister Utriusque Militium and his brother-in-law Ataulf, who had arrived with reinforcements, Comes Domesticorum Equitum. Ataulf (sometimes Athavulf, Atawulf, or Athaulf — "noble wolf" — Latinized as Ataulphus or Adolphus in Spanish and They marched toward Ravenna to depose Honorius, and Honorius was ready to surrender when an army from the Eastern Empire arrived to defend Ravenna. In addition, Heraclian, who governed Africa, cut off Rome's grain supply, threatening the city with another famine. Alaric wanted to send Gothic soldiers to invade Africa and secure food for Rome, but Attalus refused, supposedly because he feared that the Goths would seize Africa for themselves. In response, Alaric had Attalus ceremonially deposed and reopened negotiations with Honorius.

Third siege and sack

Alaric was on the verge of an agreement with Honorius when his forces were attacked by Sarus, a fellow Gothic commander who was allied to Honorius and who had a blood feud with Ataulf. Alaric returned to Rome and laid siege to it a third time. On August 24, 410, slaves opened Rome's Salarian Gate and the Visigoths poured in and looted for 3 days. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Porta Salaria was a Gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, demolished in 1921 Though it was not a particularly violent looting with relatively little rape or murder^[1], it had a profound effect on the city. This was the first time the city had been sacked in 800 years, and its citizens were devastated.

Tens of thousands of Romans fled the economically ruined city into the countryside, with many of them seeking refuge in Africa.

Aftermath

After the sack, Alaric and his forces journeyed south, where they expected to take ships to Africa. However, the ships were destroyed in a storm and Alaric died around the same time. Ataulf took command of the Goths, leading them north, into Gaul, where they settled in Aquitaine.

See also

• The City of God

References

1. ^ Peter Heather, The Fall of the Roman Empire. A new History (London, 2005), pp. 227-229

• The Histories of Olympiodorus of Thebes
• Historia Nova, by the Greek Historian Zosimus