Alaric's Sack of Rome 410: Stilicho's Murder and 3,000 Pounds of Pepper

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Alaric began as a Gothic officer fighting for Rome. At the Battle of the Frigidus in 394, Emperor Theodosius put his Visigoths in the front line and kept Roman troops in reserve, and the Goths took horrific losses. Alaric was then denied the command he had been promised. After Theodosius died, Alaric's people made him king, and for over a decade he sparred with Stilicho, the half Vandal general who ran the Western Empire for the weak emperor Honorius. In 408 Stilicho made the Senate pay Alaric 4,000 pounds of gold, and that payment helped hardliners at court convince Honorius to have him arrested and executed.

Roman troops then massacred the families of allied barbarian soldiers across Italy, and some 30,000 of those soldiers joined Alaric. He besieged Rome, telling its envoys a thick field of grass is easier to mow, and left with a vast ransom. For two years he asked only for land and a title, until a Gothic rival named Sarus ambushed him at peace talks. On August 24, 410, the Salarian Gate opened and Rome fell to a foreign enemy for the first time in 800 years. Alaric died soon after, and his people buried him beneath the diverted Busento River.

The ransom included 5,000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver, silk, scarlet hides and 3,000 pounds of pepper.
Asked what he would leave the Romans, Alaric answered: your lives.
A Christian, Alaric spared the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul and let people shelter in them.
According to Procopius, Honorius first thought the news meant his pet chicken named Rome had died.
The enslaved workers who dug Alaric's riverbed grave were killed to keep its location secret.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min