Alaric I

Alaric I (c. 370-c. 410), king of the Visigoths (395-410), born on an island in the delta of the River Danube. During his youth, the Visigoths migrated westwards, under attack from the Huns at their rear. The Visigoths were used as auxiliary mercenary troops by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, and Alaric first appears in history in 394 as a leader of these troops. Upon the death of Theodosius in 395, the Visigoths renounced their allegiance to Rome and acknowledged Alaric as king. He led his troops into Greece; sacked Corinth, Argos, and Sparta; and spared Athens only in return for a heavy ransom. After being defeated by the Roman general Flavius Stilicho, Alaric retired with his plunder and secured from the new Eastern Roman emperor, Arcadius, a commission as prefect of the Roman province of Illyricum. In 402 Alaric invaded Italy but was again defeated by Stilicho. Later Alaric was persuaded to join forces with the Western Roman emperor Honorius, who was planning war with the Eastern Empire.

When Arcadius died in 408, Rome abandoned its plan to move against the East, whereupon Alaric demanded 1,814 kg (4,000 lb) of gold as indemnity. At the insistence of Stilicho, the Roman government agreed to this demand, but soon afterwards Honorius had Stilicho executed and cancelled the agreement. Alaric then invaded Italy, besieged Rome, and exacted a vast ransom. In 410 his troops captured and sacked Rome. A disastrous storm forced Alaric to abandon his next campaign, an invasion of Sicily and North Africa. He died shortly afterwards and was succeeded by his brother, Ataulf.