The Roman Empire and the Barbarians

The great Genghis Khan, the Mongol empire, the gladiators, the Roman legions and the ninja, they are the famous and notable people who made this week amazing. I am seeing weekend from a distance and before we wrap this week up, we would like to share one for the road.

The triumph of this notable people and their mighty conquests wouldn't be complete without the people on their other side of the battlefield. Let's get to know a bit of them and their intriguing stories.

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For almost a thousand years, barbaric hordes arise and swept across the regions of Asia, Europe, and Africa plundering cities, and pillaging towns. They came in migrating waves, a few from Asia and many from the mysterious European dark forests, and within 10 centuries they forced the formidable Roman Empire to bow in submission.

They were relentless in combat, unmerciful in victory, sadistic in cruelty, and displayed extreme bloodlust in battle. These barbarian warriors were united only by their perfect hatred of the Roman Empire. All of these warrior tribes had their own nefarious strategy, savage tactics, and deadly weapons.

The Romans used the word "barbarians" to describe the peoples living outside their empire because the Romans believed these outsiders were uncivilized. The barbarians usually lived in small farming communities.

Although many of them were fierce, violent, and ferocious warriors, a few of them were skilled craftsmen and poets with limited writing skills. These barbaric hordes included the Huns, the Goths, the Vandals, and the Franks.

Barbarian Tribes

There were many barbarian tribes fighting each other and the Romans.

The Huns

They are nomadic Mongols that arrived in Europe around 365 AD. They fought on horseback with the bow and arrow as their primary weapon system. The Huns are ruled by their fearsome rule named Attila. According to legends, he was the greatest barbarian who assaulted the Roman Empire, the Balkan regions, Italy, Gaul and Greece.

Atilla was called Etzel and Atli in European folklore.

_{L-R: The Huns and The Goths - Images grabbed from Google}

The Goths

The Goths, led by Alaric I are Germanic tribe that originated from Europe in the Middle Ages. They are famous for sacking the Roman Empire but ironically,there are rumors that they are also the ones that help the Romans preserve their culture.

The Franks

The Franks are a group of Germanic tribes that camps between the Rhine and the Weser Rivers in Germany. This group is famous for being ferocious in spear and javelin combat. They are led by none the less King Clovis who was considered as the founding father of the great Merovingian dynasty.

_{L-R: The Franks and The Vandals - Images grabbed from Google}

The Vandals

The Vandals were a "barbarian" Germanic pagans who also sacked Rome. It is said that they are migrants from Scandinavia who are noted for their success in establishing kingdoms in Northern Africa and Iberian peninsula after battling with the Huns and Goths in the 5th century

Barbarian Migration Era

Since 165 AD, barbarian groups began attacking the Roman Empire, particularly the western section. The time from 250 AD to 550 AD has been referred to as the era of barbarian migrations because many barbarian communities were continually moving.

When the Huns reached the fringes of the Western Roman Empire by 370 AD, they took over the Ostrogoths lands, and thousands Visigoths living nearby fled in terror of the Huns.

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When the Visigoths reached the borders of the Roman Empire, which was marked by the famous Danube River, they asked the Romans to allow them to cross to safety. Valens, the eastern Roman Emperor permitted the Visigoths to settle on his land because he thought the Germanic warriors would be useful army recruits.

However, the Ostrogoths and Visigoths joined forces and defeated the Eastern Roman Empire’s army. Later, the Visigoths were allowed to live around the Danube under their own rules, if they helped the Romans fight against the Huns.

Flavius Stilicho

The Romans were becoming more dependent on barbarian help when defending their empire. Stilicho, who was born half-Italian (Roman) and half-German (Vandal), became the commander-in-chief of the Western Roman Empire’s army because of his combat successes on the battlefield against the barbarians.

Flavius Stilicho was born around 365 AD and died around 408 AD. He was the finest Roman general and statesman of his era. He joined the army at an early age and ascended rapidly through the ranks of the Roman military. By 385 AD, Stilicho became the ambassador to Persia to arrange an advantageous peace.

He was successful in his mission and when he return married the niece of the emperor Theodosius I.

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Following the death of Theodosius the Great in 395 AD, Stilicho and his wife were appointed guardians of the youthful emperor Flavius Honorius, and Stilicho became the virtual ruler of the empire. In 398 AD he married off his daughter to Honorius, and around 400 AD he became consul.

For several years Stilicho was engaged in warfare against Alaric I, the famous Visigoth King, where he fought him at the battle of Pollentia in 400 AD and again at the battle of Verona in 402 AD. By 405 AD, he was again called upon to defend Italy, when it was invaded by a mixed horde of Celtic and Germanic tribes led by the celebrated German chieftain Radagaisus. He defeated Radagaisus in battle before executing him.

A few years later, after the death of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius, the rumor was spread that Stilicho sought to make his son the eastern Roman Emperor before he was quickly put to death on the order of Honorius.

Barbarian Invasion of Rome

During the 5th century AD, barbarian tribes began invading the western empire in Gaul and Spain. The Visigoths broke their promise and invaded northern Italy around 400 AD with a Gothic army led by King Alaric.

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By 410 AD, Alaric attacked Rome, which was previously unconquered for 800 years, where he struck a devastating blow into the heart of the Empire and thus shaking up the entire Roman world. During this period, Jutes, Angles, and Saxons invaded Britain.

Around 415 AD, the Visigoths had invaded Gaul. The Vandals took over Spain and later North Africa. By 455 AD, the Vandals attacked Rome, when the Visigoths and other tribes took over Gaul.

After Attila the Hun attacked northern Italy, the western empire eventually collapsed a few years later when Romulus Augustus was deposed as Western Roman Emperor around 475 AD.

Sources

_{The Roman Empire
Project Muse - Rome and the Barbarians
Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians}

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