The sacking of the great city by the barbarians made a great impression on his contemporaries and hastened the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire. Rome fell for the first time in 8 centuries (after the capture of the city by the Gauls around 390 BC) and was soon sacked again in 455 as a result of a naval raid by Vandals from North Africa.

background

Alaric's first campaign in Italy. - 403 years.

At first, Alaric led his tribesmen to Constantinople, but after negotiations with the prefect Rufinus, a favorite of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius, he turned to the south of the Balkans. In Thessaly, the Visigoths faced superior forces under the command of the Roman general Stilicho, who led the still united forces of the already split Roman Empire. Emperor Arcadius, fearing the strengthening of Stilicho, ordered him to return the legions of the Eastern Roman Empire and withdraw from its territory. The Goths broke into Greece, which they devastated. Corinth, Argos, Sparta were devastated, Athens and Thebes miraculously survived. In 397, Stilicho landed in the Peloponnese and defeated the Goths, but did not defeat them due to political contradictions between the Western and Eastern empires. Alaric went to Epirus, where he made peace with the emperor Arcadius.

On April 6, 402, a battle took place at Pollentia (in the foothills of the Western Alps). Alaric was not defeated, but lost the camp, and, according to some sources, his family was captured, which may have forced him to accept the peace terms of the Romans. In the summer of that year (or the following year), Stilicho again defeated the Goths near Verona (in the foothills of the Central Alps in northern Italy), surrounded in the mountains, but released into Illyricum to use military force Visigoths to annex the western Balkan provinces to the Western Roman Empire.

In the first unsuccessful campaign of Alaric in Italy fighting were conducted in the Po Valley in northern Italy and ended with the return of the Visigoths to the same places (to Epirus) from where they started their movement. Only now they are back as federates of the Western Roman Empire.

The second campaign of Alaric in Italy. 408 year

Despite the victories of Stilicho over the Goths, he consistently pursued a policy of using barbarians in a rather complicated internal political struggle between the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, formed as a result of the division of a single state in 395 between the sons of Emperor Theodosius. Although both parts of the empire were ruled by brothers, the interests of the ruling groups began to alienate them from each other, without pushing, however, in direct armed conflict.

The joint actions of Stilicho and Alaric to conquer Illyricum were delayed by the invasion of the barbarians Radagaisus into Italy in -406 and the capture by the Germans and the usurper Constantine of Gaul in 407. Alaric in 408 from Epirus moved to the territory of the Western Empire in the Danubian province of Noric, demanding compensation for the fruitless stay in Epirus and the march to the border with Italy. The Senate, at the urging of Stilicho, approved the payment of 40 centinaries (1300 kg) of gold to the Goths, however it is not clear whether Alaric received this tribute.

Meanwhile, Emperor Honorius decided to get rid of his commander-in-chief (and at the same time his former father-in-law), assuming in him the main threat to his power and relying on the senatorial aristocracy, dissatisfied with the growing role of barbarians in governing the empire. On August 22, 408, Stilicho was executed during a rebellion by Roman soldiers against barbarians in the service of the empire. Soldiers also, without any order from above, attacked barbarian families living in Rome, killing women and children and robbing their property. 30 thousand relatives of the dead went to Alaric with the desire to induce him to oppose the Romans.

However, Alaric wanted to establish peace with the empire. He offered Honorius to exchange hostages, demanded the promised tribute (probably the same 40 centinaries of gold) and promised in return to withdraw the army from Noricum to Pannonia. Honorius, under the influence of his retinue, acted inconsistently. The Emperor of the West refused to make peace with Alaric and at the same time made no substantial preparations for war.

First siege of Rome. 408 year

The second campaign of Alaric in Italy began immediately after the execution of the Roman commander Stilicho, the only person whom the Goths had every reason to fear. Alaric summoned his wife's brother Ataulf from Pannonia with an army of Goths and Huns, and without waiting for them, in the autumn of 408, he crossed the Julian Alps from Noricus, freely crossed the Po River at Cremona and headed for Rome, without stopping for sieges. major cities and ruining passing if possible. In October 408, Alaric appeared under the walls of Rome, cutting off all supply lines.

The Senate of Rome decided to execute Serena, the wife of Stilicho, assuming a source of treason in a woman. Then the senate, without waiting for help from Honorius, who settled in impregnable Ravenna, decided to negotiate with Alaric. By this time, according to Zosimas, the streets of Rome were filled with the corpses of those who died of starvation and related diseases. The diet was reduced to a third of the usual. When the ambassadors of Rome announced the townspeople were ready to fight, Alaric laughed: “ Dense grass is easier to mow than sparse grass ».

When discussing the terms of peace, Alaric demanded all the gold and silver in Rome, as well as all the property of the townspeople and all the slaves from the barbarians. One of the ambassadors objected: If you take all this, what will be left for the citizens? The king is ready answered briefly: Their lives". The Romans, in desperation, heeded the advice to bring pagan sacrifices, which allegedly saved one of the towns from the barbarians. Pope Innocent, for the sake of saving the city, allowed the ceremony to be held, but among the Romans there were no people who would dare to publicly repeat the ancient ceremonies. Negotiations with the Goths resumed.

Alaric agreed to lift the siege on the terms of paying him 5 thousand pounds (1600 kg) of gold, 30 thousand pounds (9800 kg) of silver, 4 thousand silk tunics, 3 thousand purple bedspreads and 3 thousand pounds of pepper. For ransom, the Romans had to tear off the decorations from the images of the gods and melt down some of the statues. When, after paying an indemnity in December 408, the gates of the city opened, most of the slaves, up to 40 thousand, left for the Goths.

Alaric withdrew the army from Rome to the south of Etruria, waiting for the conclusion of peace with the emperor Honorius.

Second siege of Rome. 409 year

In January 409, Honorius sent five divisions from Dalmatia, total number 6 thousand soldiers, to strengthen the garrison of Rome. Alaric intercepted them on the march and destroyed almost all of them. According to Zosima, only a hundred people broke through with their commander Valens and Priscus Attalus, the emperor appointed treasurer of Rome.

In Italy, an uncertain state of "no war, no peace" remained, which caused anarchy in the country. When Alaric's relative Ataulf with an insignificant detachment was heading from Pannonia to join with Alaric, they were intercepted near Pisa by imperial troops (the imperial guard and 300 Huns) from Ravenna under the command of Olympius, a favorite of Honorius. 1100 Goths perished. This local victory did not change general position, which led in the early spring of 409 to the fall of Olympius and the rise of a new favorite at the court of Honorius, Jovius.

Jovius began negotiations with Alaric. The leader of the Goths demanded: 1) an annual tribute in gold and grain; 2) the right to populate the lands of Venice, Norica and Dalmatia. Jovius, on his own behalf, suggested that the emperor honor Alaric with the honorary title of commander-in-chief of cavalry and infantry in order to soften the requirements of the Goths. Honorius, in a letter in response, reprimanded Jovius, allowing him to appoint a tribute in gold and grain, but forbidding ever to honor the barbarian Alaric and members of his family with the dignity of the highest rank of the Roman Empire. Jovius opened and read the emperor's letter in the presence of Alaric. The king is ready to take as a personal insult the refusal of the emperor to award him the title and immediately moved the army of the barbarians to Rome.

Honorius and his retinue, under the influence of Jovius, swore an oath never to make peace with the Goths. 10,000 Huns were called in to fight Alaric (it is not known whether these forces reached). Alaric, in turn, significantly softened the terms of the peace: 1) the rejection of gold and an annual subsidy in grain at the discretion of the emperor; 2) the abandonment of all provinces with the exception of Norik, a frontier province on the Danube; 3) the obligation to fight against the enemies of the Roman Empire. Alaric's proposals were rejected, and then, as the leader of the barbarians, for the first time in Roman history, he intervened in internal politics empire.

Alaric suggested to the people of Rome that Honorius be overthrown. Since they were late in answering, the Goths laid siege to the city towards the end of 409 and after the battle captured the port of Ostia, through which Rome was supplied. Unfortunately for the Romans, all the food supplies of the huge city ended up in the port. Desiring to avoid the impending famine at all costs, the Senate of Rome, in agreement with Alaric, elected a new emperor - the prefect of Rome, Priscus Attalus. The new emperor, recognized only in Rome, granted Alaric the position of commander in chief of the infantry, while the post of commander of the cavalry went to the Roman Valens.

The barbarians of Alaric with the newly elected emperor Attalus moved to Ravenna in order to depose Honorius. Attalus sent a small part of the troops to northern Africa to overthrow the governor of Honorius in a strategically important province that provides food to Rome. The situation was such that, according to Zosima, Honorius even offered Attalus to divide the empire between them. However, Attalus agreed only to the deportation of Honorius to the island. The throne of Honorius was saved by 6,000 soldiers sent by the Eastern Roman Empire to help him. They reinforced the garrison of Ravenna, and Honorius decided to flee to his nephew, the Byzantine emperor Theodosius, only in the event of a fall in his power in the African provinces.

Unable to capture the well-defended Ravenna, Alaric moved through northern Italy, forcing the cities to recognize the authority of Attalus. The Goths made their headquarters in the seaside town of Ariminum (modern Rimini), about 50 km south of Ravenna. Among them was Galla Placidia, the sister of Honorius, as a noble hostage.

Third siege and capture of Rome. 410 year

The overthrow of Attalus and the breakdown of negotiations

Honorius' calculation of disagreements in the camp of his opponents was justified. Attalus did not become a puppet in the hands of the barbarians and pursued his own policy. The failure to subjugate the African provinces weakened his position. Grain from there ceased to flow to Rome, causing hunger not only among the townspeople, but also food problems among the Goths. Alaric wanted to transport the Goths to Africa to seize the granary of the empire, Attalus resisted the idea of ​​using the barbarians for wars within the empire. Internal intrigues and slander increased Alaric's suspicion of his protege so much that in the summer of 410 he publicly deprived him of the title of emperor, sending the regalia of power to Honorius. Nevertheless, Attalus remained under the protection of the Goths as a private individual.

The overthrow of Attalus became a necessary condition for the resumption of negotiations between Alaric and Honorius, who met in person near Ravenna and, as historians believe, were close to concluding an agreement. At this point, according to Zosima " beyond all expectations, fate presented another obstacle» . The Gothic commander Sar with a small detachment of 300 warriors devoted to him had long served with the Romans and had a personal conflict with the leader of the Goths, Ataulf. Sar did not see anything good for himself personally in the event of a peace treaty between Honorius and Alaric, and therefore, on a personal impulse, he suddenly attacked his fellow Goths, killing several of them.

Alaric, suspecting the will of the emperor in the attack, stopped negotiations and moved his army to Rome for the third time.

Capture of Rome

On August 24, 410, the Goths broke into Rome through the Salt Gate. A contemporary of the fall of Rome, the writer from Constantinople Sozomenus reported only that Alaric took Rome by treason. Later writers are already passing on legends.

Procopius (mid-VI century) gave two versions of events. According to one of them, Alaric presented 300 valiant youths to the Roman patricians, passing them off as slaves, who on the appointed day killed the guards and opened the gates of Rome. According to another version, the gates were opened by the slaves of one noble woman, Proba, who “ took pity on the Romans, who perished from hunger and other disasters: for they had already begun to eat each other ».

The famine was not the result of a siege, which could not be of any length. The disasters of the inhabitants were caused by the disruption of food supplies from Africa during the previous six months. According to Zosimas, Rome experienced a more severe famine than when the city was besieged by the Goths in 408. Even before the attack of Alaric, some Romans expressed protest and despair with cries: “ Set a price for human flesh! »

Historians accept the view that Roman slaves let the Goths into the city, although there is no reliable evidence of exactly how this happened. For the first time in eight centuries Rome, The largest city collapsing Western Empire, was plundered.

The destruction of Rome by the Goths

The ruin of the city went on for two full days and was accompanied by arson and beating of the inhabitants. According to Sozomen, Alaric ordered not to touch only the church of the Apostle St. Peter, where, thanks to its spacious size, many inhabitants found refuge, who later settled in depopulated Rome.

Isidore of Seville (writer of the 7th century) conveys a very mild version of the fall of Rome. In his exposition " the savagery of the enemies [ready] was quite restrained" and " those who were outside the churches, but simply called on the name of Christ and the saints, received mercy from the Goths". Isidore confirmed Alaric's respect for the sanctuary of the Apostle Peter - the leader of the barbarians ordered all valuables to be returned to the temple, " saying that he was at war with the Romans, not the apostles » .

The Goths had no reason to exterminate the inhabitants, the barbarians were primarily interested in their wealth and food, which was not in Rome. One of the reliable evidence describing the fall of Rome is contained in a letter from the famous theologian Jerome dated 412 to a certain Principia, who, together with the noble Roman matron Marcellus, survived the raid. Jerome expressed his shock at what had happened:

“The voice gets stuck in my throat, and as I dictate, sobs interrupt my presentation. The city that took over the whole world was itself taken; moreover, hunger preceded the sword, and only a few of the townspeople survived to become captives.

Jerome also told the story of the Roman woman Marcellus. When the soldiers broke into her house, she pointed to her rough dress and tried to convince them that she had no hidden valuables (Marcellus donated all her wealth to charity). The barbarians did not believe it and began to beat the elderly woman with whips and sticks. However, then they nevertheless sent Marcellus to the Basilica of the Apostle Paul, where she died a few days later.

Socrates Scholasticus, a contemporary of the events, reports on the consequences of the capture of the city: “ They took Rome itself and, having devastated it, burned many of its marvelous buildings, plundered treasures, several senators were subjected to various executions and killed. ».

On the third day, the Goths left the famine-ravaged Rome.

Effects

After the sack of Rome, Alaric moved to southern Italy. The reasons for the hasty removal from the city are not exactly known, Socrates Scholastic explains this by the approach of the army from the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium):

“After this, frightened by the rumor that Tsar Theodosius sent an army against him, he fled. And the rumor was not invented: the army really went, so Alaric, unable to endure, as I said, even one rumor about that, hastily left.

The Goths reached Regia (modern Reggio di Calabria in the extreme south of mainland Italy), from where they were going through the Strait of Messina to get to Sicily, and then to Africa rich in bread. However, the storm scattered and sank the ships assembled for the crossing. Alaric led the army back north. Not having gone far, he died at the end

Life in Rome quickly recovered, but in the provinces occupied by the Goths, travelers observed such devastation that it was impossible to travel through them. In travel notes written in 417, a certain Rutilius notes that in Etruria (Tuscany), after the invasion, it was impossible to move because the roads were overgrown and the bridges were destroyed. Paganism revived in the enlightened circles of the Western Roman Empire; the fall of Rome was explained by apostasy from the ancient gods. Against these sentiments, Blessed Augustine wrote the work “On the City of God” (De civitate Dei), in which, among other things, he pointed to Christianity as higher power who saved the inhabitants of Rome from complete extermination.

Thanks to the prohibition of Alaric, the Goths did not touch the churches. However, the valuables preserved there became the prey of the vandals. Photius Zosima copied the material from Eunapius of Sardis, only transferring it in a more abbreviated and clear style. The work of Eunapius himself came down only in the form of fragments.

Another Byzantine historian, Sozomen, wrote an Ecclesiastical History in the 440s, where a less detailed account of events generally coincides with Zosimas. Sozomen cited a story about a young Roman Christian woman who, in captured Rome, rejected the harassment of a Goth warrior, not being afraid of a sword wound inflicted on him, and thereby aroused his respect.

Separate facts on the campaigns of Alaric are contained in the writings of other authors. The court poet under Stilicho, Claudius Claudian, in his panegyrics, gave some details about Alaric's first unsuccessful campaign in Italy. , as well as

In an empire devastated by barbarians and torn apart by rival emperors, a great figure appeared -. Winning victory after victory in the name of the new god, he united split Roman Empire. But now that its armies have been routed and its emperors slain by the barbarians, the empire is on the brink of collapse. At this time, two powerful rulers appear. One in the empire, the other on the side of its enemies. Their struggle will reveal irreconcilable contradictions within the empire itself.

Battle of Adrianople

Germany, 371 AD

Roman soldiers marched to the outskirts of the empire to protect the border settlements from attacks. boy named Stilicho proudly looks at his father, standing among the warriors.

Stilicho was born in a mixed marriage. His father was tribal and his mother was Roman, and he grew up half, half Roman. It was unusual for that time, and even more so for those who were related to the army.

Stilicho wanted to become a great warrior, like his barbarian father, who fought for great empire. Then many Roman commanders were of barbarian origin. It was not easy for these barbarians to advance in the Roman army, but it was already easier for their children to make a career and reach a high position.

In those days when the empire was threatened by attacks by hostile tribes, Rome's dependence on barbarian mercenaries grew day by day.

It was necessary to protect the borders of a huge extent, so the empire was divided into two parts. The West was protected by the emperor ruling in Rome, and the East by the emperor in.

But in 378 AD. Valens faced a formidable danger: the enemy approached the city. It was under the leadership that they were going to seize the Roman lands. The Goths, mighty warriors, were intent on defeating the Romans. They knew that if the day of battle was hot, the Romans would not last long in their armor, besides, they set fire to the bushes and dry grass on the plain, aggravating the suffering of the enemy.

The Goths outnumbered the Romans, and they had something to fight for: they considered the Romans as enemies, many had been in Roman slavery, they had something to remember the empire.

Perhaps Alaric was born and raised in the empire itself, knowing full well what a military career in Rome promised him.

Taking Alaric under his patronage, Stilicho could not imagine how their destinies would intertwine.

Battle of the Frigid River

Over the next 10 years, the eastern empire grew stronger under the joint rule of Stilicho and Theodosius.

But their power was threatened when, in 392 AD. betrayal in Gaul shook the Western Empire. Emperor of the Western Lands killed in a dream his guard is a barbarian who then made it look like a suicide.

The emperor was a symbol of the Roman Empire itself, so the death of a person who was the embodiment of power has always been a huge shock.

Even worse was the fact that the power in the army, and therefore in the Western Empire, was in the hands of the barbarian Arbogast, who put a usurper, a former official, on the throne. The threat hung over the Eastern Empire.

Constantinople, 394 AD

Emperor Theodosius immediately sent his army to the West to fight the usurper. He ordered his commander, Stilicho, to prepare the troops for battle.

Stilicho was governor of and led most of Theodosius' army. Stilicho called on the already matured young Alaric, who had already become the king of the Goths and his fellow tribesmen, to stand under the banner of the Romans. By that time, barbarian mercenaries made up about a quarter of the Roman army.

The Romans relied too much on warriors of barbarian origin and their leaders, and this could become a threat to the empire. Emperor Theodosius understood this. But he was going at once and destroy the usurper Arbogast, and loosen ready.

Battle took place in 394 near the river in the territory of modern Slovenia. Converging with the army of Arbogast, Theodosius is the first to throw Alaric into battle and is ready, holding his Roman troops.

He deliberately placed them in the first lines, knowing that there is the most dangerous of all. He wanted not only to win, but in such a way that as many barbarians as possible died in the process.

The Goths were already fighting for their lives. But the warriors of Arbogast, thirsty for blood and prey, pressed them. When defeat was inevitable the weather suddenly changed: the changed wind now blew in the face of the forces of Arbogast and in the back of the army of Theodosius, so that the arrows and spears of the army of Arbogast no longer reached the soldiers of Theodosius.

As a result Theodosius defeated Arbogast and Eugene.

But in this battle he gained a new serious enemy: Alaric, who had to look for the few survivors among the fallen Goths, harbored a deep resentment at the deceit of Theodosius.

When the Goths were placed in the front ranks to be slaughtered as targets for Arbogast's arrows, Alaric must have been furious. Never again will Alaric allow his people to be sacrificed for the glory of Rome!

Theodosius, inspired by the victory at Frigida, unites the empire again. But Alaric and the Goths left the Roman army and went to the Balkans in search of rich booty.

Balkans, 394 AD

Unarmed peasants were defenseless before furious ready. Alaric easily took away their crops.

Alaric had nothing with which he could support his troops: he had no money, as well as food supplies, his soldiers were in danger of starvation.

Alaric wanted to feed his warriors Roman grain, and there was little the local garrison could do to stop him.

Perked up after the victory, the Goths proclaimed Alaric their high king. The Goths of Alaric were the first of the barbarians to establish their kingdom on the lands of the empire. The role of Alaric is very important, because he united the Goths under a single authority and turned them from a warlike gang of mercenaries into a real people.

So far, nothing threatened the Gothic kingdom of Alaric, since other more serious shocks awaited the empire.

Two emperors at the head of an empire

When in 395 AD. Emperor Theodosius fell ill and died, the empire was divided again: his son Arcadius, who was not yet 20, became emperor in the East in Constantinople, and 10-year-old Honorius became emperor in the West, in Rome.

Italy, Rome, 395 AD

The devoted commander of the emperor Stilicho is also not forgotten: he was appointed to rule on behalf of Honorius, became his protector and mentor.

After Theodosius fell ill, he turned specifically to Stilicho, asking him to become regent with Honorius. Having no military experience, the young Honorius relied on the advice of Stilicho.

Stilicho diligently took care of this young man. It can be assumed that he always considered Honorius his son.

But Honorius did not study for the future. Stilicho looked after him, because he understood that the future of the empire depended on this young man.

In 397 AD Stilicho binds Honorius to himself even more, marrying him to his daughter. Stilicho wanted his grandson to become emperor, and for this he gave his first daughter Mary for Honorius. Therefore, he sincerely supported Honorius so that his grandson would become emperor. Then Stilicho, as a close relative, will have an excellent opportunity to influence the future emperor.

Many were unhappy that Augustan blood mixed with barbarian blood. But Stilicho did not pay attention to them, considering himself a Roman to the marrow and bones.

But the power of Stilicho in Rome did not extend to another young emperor - Arcadius in Constantinople. There is 19-year-old Arkady indulged in entertainment and debauchery leaving state affairs in the care of advisers.

If Theodosius had seen how his sons tried to rule on their own, he would have been very disappointed.

Arkady shocked everyone by making the consul of the imperial bedchamber eunuchEutropia. A eunuch in the position of a consul - it was an unheard of challenge to all Roman traditions, it crossed all boundaries, and people simply could not believe it, a eunuch as a consul - this is monstrous!

But most of all, Eutropius was hated in Constantinople because he wanted to negotiate with the goths.

Treaty of Alaric with the Eastern Empire

For three long years, Alaric and his men devastated the Balkans and put pressure on the emperor Arcadius, demanding that they be given the lands they so needed.

Finally, in 397 AD. at the urging of Eutropius Emperor Arcadius invites Alaric to Constantinople. Completely ignorant of politics, the emperor leaves the negotiations to the eunuch.

Eutropius concluded an agreement between the Eastern Empire and Alaric. Alaric, however, saw this as a great benefit, since now he could receive provisions from the emperor and, in the future, land.

In return, Alaric promised that the Goths would again fight on the side of the Romans. But this deal caused popular outrage.

The Goths often faced the Romans in battle and defeated them, and the Romans themselves hated the Goths and did not consider it necessary to hide it. And now the Romans will not rest until the blood of the Goths flows through the streets of Constantinople.

Constantinople, 399 AD

Two years of popular unrest were not in vain: eunuch Eutropius was deposed and arrested. His rivals said it would calm the angry crowds.

The power that Eutropius concentrated in his hands created a lot of enemies for him, and many wanted him to fall in the struggle for influence on the emperor. They blamed Eutropius for his desire to negotiate with the barbarians, in particular, with the Goths.

The underlying reason for such conflicts is always difficult to understand. Obviously, the Romans were outraged that the barbarians settled in their lands. But real reasons lie much deeper: it was a kind of intuitive dislike for everything that concerned the barbarians.

Such an attitude towards his people irrefutably showed Alaric that an agreement with the Eastern Empire was impossible: the hatred was too strong.

In desperation, Alaric leads his people to the West in Italy, hoping to conclude a profitable alliance with the commander Stilicho.

Huns - a new threat to the empire and the Goths

But soon a new terrible force began to threaten both the Goths and Rome - Huns.

Approaching the settlements on the outskirts of the empire, the Huns destroyed everything in their path. They went west in search of new lands. The Huns forced the various Germanic nomadic and sedentary tribes out of their way. The Huns are ruthless, and no one wants to live near them, and because of them, everyone more people jumped out of place. They, like a ship, drove a wave of refugees from different nations trying to escape in front of them.

Those who did not have time to escape from the cruel horsemen were mercilessly killed - the Huns did not leave anyone alive.

The attack of the Huns forced other barbarian tribes to retreat deep into Roman territory. And while the emperor Honorius transfers the control of the Western Empire to a more fortified city, the defenseless settlements of northern Italy become the prey of the barbarians.

The already reduced Roman army was crushed. In the field hospitals, the general Stilicho saw how new wounded were brought there daily, which further weakened the Roman army.

It was the main problem encountered by Stilicho. He did not have a normal regular army, and this was the main trouble of the Western Empire in the 5th century. When something happened, it was necessary to hastily recruit mercenaries from all over the empire and throw them into battle.

With every lost warrior Stilicho's despair grew. He needed more and more soldiers to defend Italy, and to recapture the rest of the empire, he also needed troops, because he no longer controlled most of the Western Empire.

Treaty of Alaric with the Western Empire

Being half-barbarian himself, Stilicho felt that he was losing the support of the army. Now he had no choice but to turn to the only one who could still help the troops - the Gothic king Alaric.

In 406 AD Stilicho went to Alaric in Illyria on the territory of modern Serbia, to offer a deal.

Alaric, seeking a treaty with Rome, welcomes him to his camp. Stilicho brings a gift to his old friend to appease the Goth.

Stilicho really needed warriors. There were not enough Roman troops left in Italy, and Alaric and the Goths were their only source.

Stilicho also offers Alaric the position he always sought: in 404 AD. he proposed to include Alaric and his men in the Roman army. Thus, Stilicho could recapture all of Illyria with their help and use it as a base.

Stilicho really needed Illyria, which belonged to the Eastern Empire, because here it was possible to recruit soldiers. Alaric agreed to help win it back by offering Stilicho a Gothic sword as a symbol of their treaty.

From Alaric's point of view, this was beneficial: he needed to keep his people busy so that they would not run away, and he also needed to feed them so that they would not rebel and overthrow him.

Stilicho promised Alaric that the Western emperor Honorius would generously pay the Goths. They hugged again making an alliance.

But years passed, and the court of Honorius was not going to fulfill the promises given by Stilicho to Alaric. Stilicho realized that he had lost influence on the young emperor.

By that time, Honorius had already grown up, and he no longer needed a guardian. Stilicho's relationship with the court of Honorius, his inner circle, was difficult, because as soon as the emperor grew up, they did everything to Honorius came out from under the influence of Stilicho.

Setting the emperor against the barbarians, his advisers for many years did not allow Stilicho to establish normal relations with the Goths. The Goths demanded payment for their service..

Stilicho had to apply to the Roman Senate with a request to allocate 1,300 kilograms of gold to pay the Goths. He had to do this, despite the protests of Honorius. And from now on their paths began to diverge.

But Stilicho warned Honorius that if the Goths were not paid, they can revolt, and the emperor will have a hard time.

At first Honorius agrees, but one of his officials, named Olympius whispered to the emperor that Stilicho was doing this to imprison his son Eucheria to the throne of the Eastern Empire.

Frightened and confused, Honorius believed him and made a decision that would turn out to be a disaster for both Stilicho and the entire Western Empire.

Execution of Stilicho

Ravenna, 408 AD

Olympius and his supporters provoked an army rebellion against its commander, the semi-barbarian Stilicho. Olympius began to spread all sorts of rumors in the army. In August the troops mutinied and demanded the execution of Stilicho.

Believing the slander of Olympius, the emperor Honorius publishes decree, directed against Stilicho. Many of Honorius' entourage told him that Stilicho wanted to seize power himself or make his son emperor. So Honorius was opposed to Stilicho. He declared him an enemy, and many supporters of the commander throughout Italy were killed.

Hatred of strangers swept the country. Chronicler of the 5th century AD Orosius wrote: "Stilicho was from the barbarian tribe of the Vandals and inherited their cowardice, greed, treachery and cunning."

The riots led to great sacrifices . Wanting to cleanse the empire of barbarians, the Romans began to pursue the commander himself. An angry mob, thirsting for blood, found Stilicho in a church in Ravenna, where he asked for asylum.

Stilicho took refuge in the church, trying to avoid the consequences of the decree, knowing full well that this meant his death. But he was assured that he would only be arrested and not executed. And although Stilicho is still afraid, he decides to surrender.

He had the opportunity to seize power in his own hands, but he remained a devoted servant of the ruling family all his life. Even when he was betrayed by the emperor, whom he served all his life, Stilicho did not resist, and this saved Italy from civil war.

Coming out of the church, among the raging crowd, Stilicho saw Olympius waiting for him. suddenly comes order to execute Stilicho. Supporters of the commander and his bodyguards threaten to kill those who sent the ambassador to arrest Stilicho, but he allows himself to be punished so as not to stir up conflict.

The insignia of a Roman general is torn off Stilicho. Stilicho is a kind of tragic character. He could have rebelled, having experienced the hostility of the emperor, instead he surrendered, left the church and calmly went to his execution.

The great barbarian commander was killed, while those he was trying to protect rejoiced: the crowd, already fed up with symbolic gestures, cheered his death.

Hatred for goths soon spilled out of Ravenna and swept through the cities of Italy.

The Romans staged pogroms of the Goths, killing about 10 thousand people. These persecution against the barbarians began already at the end of Stilicho's stay in the highest circles of power in the empire.

A 6th-century chronicler described the murders that took place in Italian cities in 408: “In every city, Roman soldiers, as if on cue, attacked women and children of barbarian origin, killed them and plundered property.”

Of course, those Goths who survived wanted nothing more to do with the Romans. The only place they had to go was under the banner of Alaric: soon 30,000 ready joined him.

But with the death of Stilicho, the agreement with Rome, which promised money and land, was forever broken. Alaric with his army marched on Rome to force Emperor Honorius to give back what was due to them.

Betrayal is ready by the emperor

Army ready came to Italy and laid siege to Rome in 410 AD But the emperor Honorius, being safe in Ravenna, refused to speak to the Goths.

Ravenna, 410 AD

Honorius and his adviser Olympius cared little about the fate of the inhabitants of Rome. Alaric did everything to force the officials of Honorius to sit down with him at the negotiating table, he tried to understand what was happening. But the emperor's courtiers didn't pay any attention to him.

Nevertheless, the city elders insisted that Alaric's demands be met or Rome would fall. In fact, they were talking about a ransom for the city and were ready to pay a lot - more than a ton of gold.

Indulging the city elders, Honorius agreed, informing Alaric that he was ready discuss a future treaty. For this, Alaric had to appear in Ravenna.

Alaric with the troops turned from Rome to Ravenna to negotiate terms with Honorius. But along the way Alaric is ambushed arranged by the emperor's mercenaries.

The Romans again showed their intolerance towards the barbarians and at every opportunity they killed them or tried to have them killed.

And when the blood of his people was shed again, Alaric realized that The Roman Empire betrayed him again. This is the story of the betrayal and dishonor of the courtiers of Honorius.

Alaric was a very noble man, he was humiliated by both empires, and this humiliation continued. He was fed up with peace negotiations.

Alaric orders his men to go back to Rome to ravage it.

Capture of Rome by the Goths

The Goths broke into the gates of Rome in 410 AD. and finally captured the ancient capital of the empire. For the first time in 800 years great city was looted.

Alaric at first did not want his army to completely ravage the city, but due to frustration with fruitless negotiations for two years, he himself no longer saw any way out but to give the city to plunder.

Unlike the Romans, who massacred thousands of Gothic women and children, Alaric ordered his warriors to exercise restraint. He did his best to prevent the troops from killing the Romans indiscriminately.

Nevertheless, for three days the Goths plundered Rome, taking everything they could. Sack of Rome brought huge wealth to the mountains - booty and money. And no matter how restrained the warriors behaved, nevertheless the robbery was accompanied violence and cruelty, there is no doubt about it.

The sack of Rome deeply shook the souls of all the inhabitants of the empire. A contemporary of these events Saint Jerome mournfully described the devastated city: “I say this with bitterness, my voice trembles, and my speech is interrupted by sobs. The city, which was the center of the world, itself fell before the conquerors.

The goths have come to stay

Ravenna, 410 AD

Emperor Honorius did nothing to respond to this blow to the very heart of the empire. It became clear that the execution of Stilicho had deprived the empire of its last great commander.

Honorius was, in a sense, a hostage to his court. He was alone in the palace, surrounded by courtiers, and had no idea what was going on in the world.

When refugees from Rome came to ask for help, the emperor expressed only irritation, ordering that this reminder of his defeat be removed from his eyes.

Thus, he not only stepped aside from management, but also became lose the trust of the people. Many Romans lost faith in the emperor's ability to protect the people from the barbarians.

And their fears were justified: the Goths continued to smash the crumbling Roman army, and the emperor was powerless to stop them. The goths have come to stay.

Gothic kingdom, created by Alaric, became one of the successors of Roman civilization in the West. This will be the first of the Roman territories to fall away from the empire. But others will follow.

For the next 40 years, barbarian tribes continued to invade the weakly defended borders of the empire, seizing its lands.

These losses and the decline of the empire were foreseen by the commander Stilicho, who tried to stop this process, but as a result, this only led to his execution.

The tragic overthrow of Stilicho only foretold the terrible fate of the empire itself.

) - Weser
Marcomannic War of the 2nd century
Scythian war III century
Roman-Alemannic Wars
Mediolanus - Lake Benac - Placentia - Fano - Pavia (271) - Lingones - Vindonissa - Remuses (356) - Brotomagus (356) - Senones (356) - Rhine (357) - Argentoratus (357) - Catalaunae (367) - Solicinium ( 368) - Argentary (378)
Gothic War (367-369)
Gothic War (377-382)
Makrianopolis (377) - Salicius (377) - Adrianople (378) - Sirmium (380) - Thessaloniki (380)
Roman-Visegoth Wars
Pollentia (402) - Verona (403) - Rome (410)- Narbonne (436) - Tolosa (439)

background

Alaric's first campaign in Italy. - gg.

At first, Alaric led his tribesmen to Constantinople, but after negotiations with the prefect Rufinus, a favorite of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius, he turned to the south of the Balkans. In Thessaly, the Visigoths faced superior forces under the command of the Roman general Stilicho, who led the still united forces of the already split Roman Empire. Emperor Arcadius, fearing the strengthening of Stilicho, ordered him to return the legions of the Eastern Roman Empire and withdraw from its territory. The Goths broke into Greece, which they devastated. Corinth, Argos, Sparta were devastated, Athens and Thebes miraculously survived. In 397, Stilicho landed in the Peloponnese and defeated the Goths, but did not defeat them due to political contradictions between the Western and Eastern empires. Alaric went to Epirus, where he made peace with the emperor Arcadius.

When discussing the terms of peace, Alaric demanded all the gold and silver in Rome, as well as all the property of the townspeople and all the slaves from the barbarians. One of the ambassadors objected: If you take all this, what will be left for the citizens? The king is ready answered briefly: Their lives". The Romans, in desperation, heeded the advice to bring pagan sacrifices, which allegedly saved one of the towns from the barbarians. Pope Innocent, for the sake of saving the city, allowed the ceremony to be held, but among the Romans there were no people who would dare to publicly repeat the ancient ceremonies. Negotiations with the Goths resumed.

Alaric agreed to lift the siege on the terms of paying him 5 thousand pounds (1600 kg) of gold, 30 thousand pounds (9800 kg) of silver, 4 thousand silk tunics, 3 thousand purple bedspreads and 3 thousand pounds of pepper. For ransom, the Romans had to tear off the decorations from the images of the gods and melt down some of the statues. When, after paying an indemnity in December 408, the gates of the city opened, most of the slaves, up to 40 thousand, left for the Goths.

Alaric withdrew the army from Rome to the south of Etruria, waiting for the conclusion of peace with the emperor Honorius.

Second siege of Rome. 409 year

Third siege and capture of Rome. 410 year

The overthrow of Attalus and the breakdown of negotiations

Alaric, suspecting the will of the emperor in the attack, stopped negotiations and moved his army to Rome for the 3rd time.

Capture of Rome

Historians accept the view that Roman slaves let the Goths into the city, although there is no reliable evidence of exactly how this happened. For the first time in 8 centuries, Rome, the largest city of the crumbling Western Empire, was sacked.

The destruction of Rome by the Goths

The ruin of the city went on for 2 full days and was accompanied by arson and beating of the inhabitants. According to Sozomen, Alaric ordered not to touch only the church of the Apostle St. Peter, where, thanks to its spacious size, many inhabitants found refuge, who later settled in depopulated Rome.

The Goths had no reason to exterminate the inhabitants, the barbarians were primarily interested in their wealth and food, which was not in Rome. One of the reliable evidence describing the fall of Rome is contained in a letter from the famous theologian Jerome dated 412 to a certain Principia, who, together with the noble Roman matron Marcellus, survived the raid. Jerome expressed his shock at what had happened:

“The voice gets stuck in my throat, and as I dictate, sobs interrupt my presentation. The city that took over the whole world was itself taken; moreover, hunger preceded the sword, and only a few of the townspeople survived to become captives.

Jerome also told the story of Marcellus. When the soldiers broke into her house, she pointed to her rough dress and tried to convince them that she had no hidden valuables (Marcellus donated all her wealth to charity). The barbarians did not believe it and began to beat the elderly woman with whips and sticks. However, then they nevertheless sent Marcellus to the Basilica of the Apostle Paul, where she died a few days later.

On the 3rd day, the Goths left the famine-ravaged Rome.

Effects

Life in Rome quickly recovered, but in the provinces occupied by the Goths, travelers observed such devastation that it was impossible to travel through them. In travel notes written in 417, a certain Rutilius notes that in Etruria (Tuscany), after the invasion of the Goths, it is impossible to move due to the fact that the roads are overgrown and the bridges have collapsed. Paganism revived in the enlightened circles of the Western Roman Empire; the fall of Rome was explained by apostasy from the ancient gods. Against these sentiments, Blessed Augustine wrote the work “On the City of God” (De civitate Dei), in which, among other things, he pointed to Christianity as the highest power that saved the inhabitants of Rome from complete extermination.

Thanks to the prohibition of Alaric, the Goths did not touch the churches. However, the valuables preserved there became the prey of vandals after 45 years. In 455, the Vandals made a naval raid on Rome from Carthage, captured it without a fight and robbed it not for 2 days, like the Goths, but for two whole weeks. The vandals did not spare the Christian churches, although they refrained from killing the inhabitants.

historical sources

Alaric's campaigns in Italy and his first two sieges of Rome are described in most detail by the Byzantine historian of the 2nd half of the 5th century Zosima (books 5, 6). Book 6 ends with the flight of the Goth Sarah from the warriors of Ataulf to the emperor Honorius (which eventually caused the 3rd siege and sack of Rome). According to excerpts from Photius, Zosima copied material from Eunapius of Sardis, only transcribing it in a more abbreviated and clearer style. The work of Eunapius himself came down only in the form of fragments.

Another Byzantine historian, Sozomen, wrote an Ecclesiastical History in the 440s, where a less detailed account of events generally coincides with Zosimas. Sozomen cited a story about a young Roman Christian woman who, in captured Rome, rejected the harassment of a Goth warrior, not being afraid of a sword wound inflicted on him, and thereby aroused his respect.

see also

Notes

1. Federates are barbarians who, for a certain reward, fought for the empire, but were not considered its subjects.
2. Stilicho commanded the legions of the Western Roman Empire and led the troops of the Eastern Roman Empire, which participated in the overthrow of the usurper Eugene.
3. Zosima, book. 5
4. Prefecture of Illyricum: the Danubian provinces of Upper Moesia and Dacia, Dardania, Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus, Greece, Crete, that is, all the lands in the strip from Greece in the south to the Danube in the north.
5. Photius in the retelling of Olympiodorus reported that Alaric received 40 centinaries (fr. 5). However, Zosimas speaks only of the consent of the Senate (because of the fear of Stilicho) to pay this tribute, but not of Alaric's receipt of money. One of the reasons for the invasion of Italy was the delay in paying tribute.
6. Stilicho's father came from Vandals and commanded troops recruited mainly from barbarians.
7. Photius, retelling Olympiodorus (fr. 3), reported that Alaric attacked Rome because he did not receive the promised payment.
8. Zosima, Prince 5.37-41
9. Zosima, Prince 5.42
10. According to Sozomen (9.8), Alaric received the title of commander of all troops (magister utriusque militiae).
11. According to Sozomen (9.8), Honorius invited Attalus to become co-ruler.
12. According to Sozomen (9.8), 4 thousand soldiers from Byzantium arrived to help Honorius.
13. Ravenna was located on the coast and was surrounded by swamps and water channels, “like an island enclosed in a flood of flowing waters” (Jordan, 148). It was the surrounding area that made this city impregnable.

slide 2

Division of the Roman Empire

In 395, the Roman Empire was divided into Eastern (Byzantine) and Western. Very soon the Western ceased to exist under the blows of the Germanic peoples. Separate Romano-Germanic states arose on its remains, which were briefly united by Charlemagne in the 8th-9th centuries.

slide 3

Goths go to Italy

A few years after the division of the empire, a formidable danger loomed over Italy. Dreaming of taking possession of the treasures of Rome, Alaric, the leader of the Germanic tribe of the Goths, moved his hordes to the "eternal city". All the way from the Danube regions, where the Goths lived, to the Alpine mountains, the oppressed people supported Alaric.
rice. Goths go to Italy.

slide 4

Slaves and columns joined the Goths, showing them hiding places where the Romans, who fled in fear, hid their weapons and bread.
In the foothills of the Alps, the path of the Goths was blocked by the Roman army. True, there were few Romans in it - most of the soldiers were Gauls and Germans.

slide 5

Stilicho

The imperial army was commanded by the brilliant commander Stilicho, a German from the Vandal tribe. He defeated the Goths, only Alaric managed to lead the cavalry from the battlefield. At that time, the cowardly and envious Gondrias was the emperor in the West. During the days of the Gothic invasion, he sat out in northern Italy in a fortress surrounded by powerful walls and marshy swamps.

slide 6

Honorius vilely deals with Stilicho

Honorius did not have any merit in the victory over the Goths. However, it was he who celebrated the triumph, as if he were a great commander. Soldiers followed the emperor's chariot along the streets of Rome, carrying spoils of war and a statue of Alaric in chains.

Slide 7

Honorius entertained the inhabitants of the "eternal city" by baiting animals and horse races. Gladiator fights were no longer arranged: at the request of Christians, they were banned forever. Noisily Rome celebrated the victory, everyone seemed to have forgotten that only Italy is subject to the emperor.

Slide 8

peace offer

Meanwhile, Alaric gathered an army stronger than before and again moved to Rome. He was ready for peace, but demanded a huge ransom for it.

Slide 9

Stilicho understood better than anyone how few forces there were to repulse enemies. He convinced Honorius that he needed to win time and collect the required amount among the rich. The emperor's associates were reluctant to part with their gold.

Slide 10

When the danger had passed, they turned the emperor against his commander. They slandered that Stilicho planned to seize the supreme power, conspired with Alaric: after all, they are both Germans!

slide 11

Honorius believed the lie and ordered the execution of Stilicho. In vain he sought refuge in the church. He was captured, declared an enemy of the fatherland and beheaded. And immediately the beating of Stilicho's associates began: the Germans, who were on the Roman military service, their wives and children. Outraged by the wild and senseless massacre, thirty thousand barbarian legionnaires ran to the Goths, demanding to lead them to Rome.

slide 12

“The city to which the earth was subject was conquered!”

After the death of Stilicho, Alaric had no worthy opponents. He decided to lay siege to Rome. The mediocre and worthless Honorius again left Rome, leaving its inhabitants to their fate.
The Goths surrounded the city, took possession of its harbor at the mouth of the Tiber, where bread was delivered. Hunger and terrible diseases tormented the besieged.

slide 13

Many believed that in order to be saved, one must return to the faith of their ancestors and make sacrifices to the rejected gods. They remembered how a few years ago Serena, the widow of Stilicho (she was a zealous Christian), broke into the temple of Vesta and tore off the necklace that adorned her from the statue of the goddess.

Slide 14

Superstitious people began to say that by this act Serena brought trouble to Rome.
At the same time, she was accused of allegedly calling on Alaric to avenge the death of her husband. Serena was doomed to death. However, neither the execution of a woman nor the sacrifices to ancient deities could save Rome.

slide 15

The Romans entered into negotiations with Alaric, convincing him that there were a lot of people in the city who could resist: “The thicker the grass, the easier it is to mow,” Alaric answered mockingly.

slide 16

Capture of Rome

On the night of August 410, slaves opened the gates of Rome to the Goths.
The "Eternal City", which Hannibal once did not dare to storm, was taken.
For three days the Goths sacked Rome. The imperial palaces and houses of the rich were devastated, statues were broken, priceless books were burned, many people were killed or captured.

Slide 17

The capture of Rome made a terrible impression on the inhabitants of the empire. “My voice stopped when I heard that the city was conquered, to which the whole earth was subject! The light of the "peace" went out," wrote a contemporary of this event.

Slide 18

After the sack of Rome, the Goths with huge booty moved south. On the way, Alaric died suddenly. The legend about his unprecedented funeral has been preserved: the Goths forced the captives to divert the bed of one of the rivers, at the bottom of it they buried Alaric with untold riches. Then the waters of the river were returned to the channel, and the captives were killed so that no one would know where the great leader of the Goths was buried.

In 395, the Roman Empire was divided into Eastern (Byzantine) and Western. Very soon the Western ceased to exist under the blows of the Germanic peoples. Separate Romano-Germanic states arose on its remains, which were briefly united by Charlemagne in the 8th-9th centuries. Eastern Empire Western Empire

A few years after the division of the empire, a formidable danger loomed over Italy. Dreaming of taking possession of the treasures of Rome, Alaric, the leader of the Germanic tribe of the Goths, moved his hordes to the "eternal city". All the way from the Danube regions, where the Goths lived, to the Alpine mountains, the oppressed people supported Alaric. 1. Goths go to Italy.

The imperial army was commanded by the brilliant commander Stilicho, a German from the Vandal tribe. He defeated the Goths, only Alaric managed to lead the cavalry from the battlefield. At that time, the cowardly and envious Gondrias was the emperor in the West. During the days of the Gothic invasion, he sat out in northern Italy in a fortress surrounded by powerful walls and marshy swamps.

Honorius did not have any merit in the victory over the Goths. However, it was he who celebrated the triumph, as if he were a great commander. Soldiers followed the emperor's chariot along the streets of Rome, carrying spoils of war and a statue of Alaric in chains. 2. Honorius meanly deals with Stilicho.

Honorius entertained the inhabitants of the "eternal city" by baiting animals and horse races. Gladiator fights were no longer arranged: at the request of Christians, they were banned forever. Noisily Rome celebrated the victory, everyone seemed to have forgotten that only Italy is subject to the emperor.

Honorius believed the lie and ordered the execution of Stilicho. In vain he sought refuge in the church. He was captured, declared an enemy of the fatherland and beheaded. And immediately the beating of Stilicho's associates began: the Germans who were in the Roman military service, their wives and children. Outraged by the wild and senseless massacre, thirty thousand barbarian legionnaires ran to the Goths, demanding to lead them to Rome.

After the death of Stilicho, Alaric had no worthy opponents. He decided to lay siege to Rome. The mediocre and worthless Honorius again left Rome, leaving its inhabitants to their fate. The Goths surrounded the city, took possession of its harbor at the mouth of the Tiber, where bread was delivered. Hunger and terrible diseases tormented the besieged. 3. “The city to which the earth was subject was conquered!”

Many believed that in order to be saved, one must return to the faith of their ancestors and make sacrifices to the rejected gods. They remembered how a few years ago Serena, the widow of Stilicho (she was a zealous Christian), broke into the temple of Vesta and tore off the necklace that adorned her from the statue of the goddess.

Superstitious people began to say that by this act Serena brought trouble to Rome. At the same time, she was accused of allegedly calling on Alaric to avenge the death of her husband. Serena was doomed to death. However, neither the execution of a woman nor the sacrifices to ancient deities could save Rome.

On the night of August 41O, slaves opened the gates of Rome to the Goths. The "Eternal City", which Hannibal once did not dare to storm, was taken. For three days the Goths sacked Rome. The imperial palaces and houses of the rich were devastated, statues were broken, priceless books were burned, many people were killed or captured.

The capture of Rome made a terrible impression on the inhabitants of the empire. “My voice stopped when I heard that the city was conquered, to which the whole earth was subject! The light of the "peace" went out, wrote a contemporary of this event.

After the sack of Rome, the Goths with huge booty moved south. On the way, Alaric died suddenly. The legend about his unprecedented funeral has been preserved: the Goths forced the captives to divert the bed of one of the rivers, at the bottom of it they buried Alaric with untold riches. Then the waters of the river were returned to the channel, and the captives were killed so that no one would know where the great leader of the Goths was buried.

Rome could no longer resist the barbarians. In the middle of the 5th century, it was captured again, this time by the Vandals, who subjected the city to terrible devastation. The leaders of the barbarians now ruled not only the western provinces, but also Italy. 4. Fall of the Western Roman Empire.

In 476, one of the German commanders, Odoacer, deprived the last Roman emperor of power. His name, like the founder of the city, was Romulus. The Germans sent the signs of imperial dignity, a purple cloak and a diadem, to Constantinople. The Western Roman Empire ceased to exist.

1. Consider why Christians demanded a ban on gladiatorial games. 2. Why did the columns and slaves support the Goths? 3. Assess the behavior of Emperor Honorius and his entourage in the days of terrible danger. 4. How did the winged words "vandals", "vandalism" come about? What do they mean? ?