Historical Figures Codexery

Alaric I

First king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in 410.

He is best known for leading the sack of Rome in 410, an event that shocked the Roman world.[1][2] His death from fever in 411 ended his campaign to secure a legitimate place for his followers within the empire.[3][4]

Quick Facts

Reign
395–410
Coronation
395
Predecessor
Athanaric
Successor
Segeric
Dynasty
Balt
Born
370
Birthplace
Peuce Island, Danube Delta
Died
411

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

The famine-stricken citizens paid a ransom of 5,000 pounds of gold and other goods.[5] He died of fever at Consentia in Bruttium in early 411.[3] The 6th-century writer Jordanes stated that Alaric was born on Peuce Island in the Danube Delta and was a member of the Thervingian Goths' noble Balti dynasty.[6] Ataulf, Alaric's brother-in-law, took over leadership after him and later wedded Honorius's sister, Galla Placidia.[7]

What the cited sources add

Historian A.D. Lee observes that Alaric's return to the northwest Balkans brought only temporary respite, as another barbarian group under Radagaisus invaded Italy in 405.[8] Historian Peter Brown describes Alaric as "almost an Elder Statesman" when compared with other barbarians.[9] Kulikowski explains Stilicho's accommodating approach toward Alaric by pointing out that destroying a potentially useful tool against Constantinople would have been unwise.[10] Historian Guy Halsall states that Alaric's incursion into Italy actually commenced in late 401, but Stilicho was occupied with frontier matters in Raetia.[11]

Collins points out that Alaric required Roman authority to obtain supplies from Roman cities.[12] According to Patrick Geary, Alaric's objective in going to Rome was to acquire necessary food, not plunder.[2]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: James 2014, p. 166–167, 195; James 2014, p. 166–167, 195 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Geary 1988, p. 70; Mitchell 2007, p. 98; Kulikowski 2006, p. 31; James 2014, p. 166–167, 195 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lançon 2001, p. 14, 119; Mitchell 2007, p. 98; Mitchell 2007, p. 98; Durschmied 2002, p. 401 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kulikowski 2006, p. 31 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Norwich 1988, p. 134 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Boin 2020, p. 31; Boin 2020, p. 31 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lee 2013, p. 112; Bunson 1995, p. 12 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lee 2013, p. 112 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Halsall 2007, p. 179; Brown 2000, p. 286; James 2014, p. 166–167, 195 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kulikowski 2019, p. 122–126; Halsall 2007, p. 179; Halsall 2007, p. 179; Kulikowski 2019, p. 122–126 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kulikowski 2019, p. 122–126; Burns 1994, p. 159; Halsall 2007, p. 179; Boin 2020, p. 31; Boin 2020, p. 31; Boin 2020, p. 31 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Alaric I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Collins 1999, p. 54 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Alaric I (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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