The Barbarian King

The Barbarian King
The Goths are known for their sack of Invicta Roma or unconquered Rome. While it is impossible to overestimate the significance of the impact of the sack of Rome by the Goths in 410, the collapse of Rome would mark the collapse of an 800-year-old, undefeated force. For the Goths to sack Rome, a strong leader was required. This leader came in the form of Alaric I. Alaric provided a unifying presence uniting the Goths to stand up against perceived mistreatment by the Romans. Could the sack of Rome been avoided simply by fair treatment of the Goths?
Most of what we know about Alaric is not through Gothic records. The Goths did not record much of their history in any written form. Therefore, much of what we understand about Alaric
Alaric did not have access to local taxes or granaries to feed and support his people. To receive these necessities, Alaric took his vengeance through a series of raids in the Balkans. Within the Balkans, Roman farmers were unarmed and vulnerable. They were completely unprepared for the force of the Goths. Bradley recalled the force of the Goths caused saying, “The Visigoths marched through Macedonia and Thessaly, and entered Greece through the famous pass of Thermopylae. Alaric and his host hastened through Phocis and Boeotia, burning villages and carrying away the population as slaves, and were soon encamped before the walls of Athens” (Bradley 85). Through their pillaging successes, the Goths proclaimed Alaric as their new king. Alaric was a pivotal character in history in that he created a single political unit from a group of refugees, making Alaric an important figure of his time. Alaric's forces grew unchallenged for 3 years because other issues challenged the Roman Empire. Emperor Theodosius fell ill and died in 395. When Theodosius died, the empire became once more divided. Theodosius II’s teenage son Arcadius took the throne in the eastern empire while his 10-year-old son Honorius took the throne in the western
Stilicho gave Alaric a Roman command in addition to giving the Goths food and supplies. Stilicho promised that Alaric’s people would be well compensated for their services. As years go by, however, Honorius’ court was unable to keep Stilicho’s promise to Alaric. Bradley described this conflict as, “The senators were very angry when they were asked to agree to the payment of ‘tribute,’ as they called it, to a barbarian king. Some of them talked very grandly about letting their houses be burned over their heads rather than consent to such a disgraceful surrender” (Bradley 89). Alaric’s people began to suffer and soon Alaric demanded that the Goths receive payment for their services. Eventually, Roman senators convinced Honorius that he needed to meet with Alaric or the city of Rome could potentially fall. Honorius agreed to make a deal with Alaric in the nearby city of Ravenna. As Alaric was traveling to Ravenna, though, Honorius’ forces ambushed his troops. Bradley recalls the incident, “The Gothic camp was attacked unexpectedly by a small company of men under Sarus the commander of the Gothic troops in the Roman service; and a herald was sent to proclaim to the Goths that Alaric was the perpetual enemy of the empire” (Bradley