Alaric I

Alaric I was a Visigothic king who led the sack of Rome in 410 after years of conflict with the Western Roman Empire.

Goths: The Goths were a Germanic people whose branches included the Visigoths and Ostrogoths. Alaric’s people belonged to this broader group, whose movements reshaped the late Roman frontier.
Gothic War (401–403): The Gothic War of 401–403 was Alaric’s campaign in Italy against the Western Roman Empire. It shows how Alaric tested Roman defenses before his later campaigns against Rome.
Sack of Rome (410): The sack of Rome in 410 was the capture and plundering of the city by Alaric’s Visigothic forces. This was the defining action of Alaric’s reign and the outcome of his campaigns in Italy.
Sack of Rome (455): The sack of Rome in 455 was a two-week plundering of the city by the Vandals under Gaiseric. Unlike Alaric’s three-day sack, the Vandal capture became associated with extensive removal of property.
Visigoths: The Visigoths were a Gothic people who formed a kingdom in the western Roman world. Alaric led this Gothic group before it established a lasting kingdom in Gaul and Iberia.
Siege of Rome (408–410): The siege of Rome from 408 to 410 comprised blockades and negotiations that ended in the city’s capture. Alaric used successive blockades to pressure the western government and secure concessions.
Ataulf: Ataulf was a Visigothic king who succeeded Alaric and led his people from Italy into Gaul. After Alaric’s death, his successor redirected the Visigoths toward a new settlement in the west.
Gaiseric: Gaiseric was king of the Vandals from 428 to 477 and led the sack of Rome in 455. His later capture of Rome offers a distinct Vandal counterpart to Alaric’s Visigothic attack.
Battle of Adrianople: The Battle of Adrianople in 378 was a Roman defeat by Goths led by Fritigern. The defeat intensified Roman dependence on Gothic forces and sharpened conflicts over their status.
Honorius: Honorius was Western Roman emperor from 395 to 423, ruling during the sack of Rome in 410. His refusal to reach a durable agreement with Alaric helped prolong the conflict.

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