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appointment as commander-in–
chief of the Roman army in lllyri–
cum, modern Yugoslavia. In 402
Alaric invades Italy. It is Stilicho the
Vandal to the rescue once again!
As if Alaric isn't enough trouble,
Stilicho is called upon to repel an–
other invader in 406. He is Rada–
gaisus, a barbarían who storms Italy
with 200,000 Ostrogoths, Vandals,
Quadi and Alani. Stilicho defeats
him near Florence. Immediately,
12,000 of the most valiant enemy
tribesmen who survive the battles
are enlisted in the Roman army.
Stilicho is one of roany barbarían
generals in the Roman army. Sorne
adopt Roman names, such as Víc–
tor, Magnentius or Sylvanus. Others
retain obviously barbarían names:
Merobaud, Dagalaif, Bauto and
Ricimer. Barbarians are found even
in the palace. At the court of Con–
stantius, we know that the Franks,
for example, are numerous and in–
tl
u
en tial.
Year 406: The Hordes Invade the
Empire. It is the las t night of the
year. A vast and mot ley horde of
Alans, Vandals, Suevians and Bur–
gundians force their way across the
Rhine and descend on Gaul , mod–
ern France today. The Vandals wilJ
soon march across France, through
Spain and into North Africa.
The end is near for the Roman
Empire. Within twenty-five years,
Rome will be surrounded by bar–
barían kingdoms in Ga ul, in Spain,
in Africa, in Eastern Europe and in
Italy itself.
Year 410: Rome S acked. The
great Italian humanist of the mid–
fifteenth century, Flavio Biondo,
will write a history of the Roman
Empire. He will title his work,
Decades Historiarum ab Inclinatione
Imperii,
beginning his history from
the decl ine of the empire.
lt
will be
a chronicle of the period from 4 10,
the year Alaric the Visigoth sacks
Rome, to tbe fifteenth century. Cen–
turies Jater, the historian Gibbon
will sum up the events of August 24-
26, A.D . 4 10 with tbese words,
"Eleven hundred and sixty-three
years after the founda tion of Rome,
PLAIN TRUTH October 1973
TI-E
ROMAN EMPIRE:
NEAR DEAnt AND REVIVAL
Mapa
-lroo~
O
N THE
last
day of A.D.
406,
a
federatioa of
Genaulc~·
lng
tribes
crossed
tbe frontier bor·
der
of
tbe Rblne.
Tbey
moved
steadily
westwarcl,
selzlng
fhe
de–
faaseless
R01aa11
prcmaee or
Gaut
(IBOdent
Fraaee).
Althoaab
tbe
.Roman
Emplre
liad
foupt
tbe
Germanic
bordes
to a
standstill
for centurles,
tbe
sltuatioa
IIOW
appeared
hlack.
Odler
trlbes,
of
course.
liad
al–
ready ....
graated
pennissloD
to
(Cominued
on
page
35)