Visigoths under Alaric sack Rome

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.

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Dates

Date of occurrence 410

Places

Italy (Location)

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By the beginning of the fifth century the always-uneasy relationship between both the Occidental and Oriental Empires and their auxiliary armies made up of conquered barbarians, was on the point of disintegrating entirely. Alaric, King of the Visigoths, had held an imperial position for some time before his first invasion of Italy in 401, which he mounted in an effort to secure a protected homeland for the Visigoths within the western empire. This first incursion was halted by the capture of his family by the Roman-Vandal forces, which induced him to sign a treaty with Rome and withdraw his army. In 408 he was ordered by the Western Emperor Honorius to take back Gaul from Constantine III, but later that same year he marched on Italy once more to demand payment for his troops. His demands…

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223 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Visigoths under Alaric sack Rome". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 November 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1632, accessed 06 May 2024.]

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