after publishing the first 13 chapters of my Timeline at my blog, i feel happy enough with it to post the whole thing here.
Pease notice:
First Era: The Fall of Rome
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Our story begins in the year of the lord 397:
Chapter I: The battle of Narona
“I trusted you, you betrayed me; today I trust you that you will die, today you won’t betray me.” - Stilicho
The wind comes from the west, from the sea, it’s cold and salty. Flavius Stilicho is walking nervously trough the rows of soldiers, while speaking to his confidants. Mistrust is Stilicho’s loyal fellow and most trusted advisor in the last months; today more than ever before.
Last night he woke up covered in sweat, it was a nightmare; for him a prophecy. Stilicho believed to see his own destiny; he witnessed his own death. Honorius, Emperor of the west, would strangle him to death. The boy betrayed him; Stilicho secured the child’s throne, he smashed his enemies and were loyal his whole life, loyal to Honorius’, his father, the Empire and would have served even under Honorius’ sons, but this infant laid the hands around his general’s neck and slowly took his breath until Stilicho woke up, struggling for air.
The general trusted no one; he couldn’t trust the Senate because they hated him, the pagan Senators because he was Christian, the rest because his father was a Barbarian and because the old Roman aristocracy could not accept the nearly unlimited influence Stilicho had on the child-emperor. Rumours doubting his loyalty to Rome spread in the Empire and under his Roman troops, even if they never mistrusted their general, so did they however notice how he spent hours alone in his tent, walking up and down, talking to himself, but no one could understand what he was saying, not even about the language they were sure – maybe Latin, maybe German. He even mistrusted his own life guard and distanced himself increasingly from his own troops.
And all this mistrust caused by a single man. Two years ago Gainas led a part of Stilicho’s troops to Constantinople to kill the general’s enemy Rufinus, the advisor of child-emperor Arcadius, brother of Honorius. But Rufinus was informed of Stilicho’s plans and challenged Gainas with his own loyal troops near the city. Nevertheless Gainas troops, mostly Goths, were victorious and Rufinus flew to the south west. Gainas stayed in Constantinople and got to feel the mistrust of the Trinitarian aristocracy and the population of the city, towards his Arian Germanic troops, that came from the west. In the winter of 396 Gainas left the city following the order of Stilicho to attack the troops of the Goth king Alaric, which were plundering the Prefecture of Illyricum and granted Rufinus exile. The king did that in exchange for the promise of some high position for himself should Rufinus get back in power.
But Gainas changed his way of thinking and his ideals during the stay in Constantinople. He didn’t care for Rufinus fate anymore nor for Stilicho’s orders, he turned against the Romans and his commander; instead of fighting Alaric, he and his soldiers joined his army. From now on Gainas would fight for his own wellbeing instead of Rome’s. Stilicho would never forget Gainas’ betrayal on him and the Empire.
Arcadius, terrified by the plundering Gothic army in his territory and without good advisors, makes concessions towards Alaric, giving him several provinces to govern and settle, so the Province of Dalmatia, which is contested between West and East.
One year later Stilicho would meet the Goths at Narona, to break the power of King Alaric, to conquer Dalmatia and to kill the betrayer Gainas; but in the end he would be the one to find death.
Chapter II: Gainas and Eucherius
“Oh, dear cousin, your father is dead, so is mine, but you don’t see me crying over that. We all have to depart this life one day or another. Crying doesn’t bring him back, better wipe of your tears; you will need your eyes in these days more than ever before. “- Honorius
Mediolanum is the crown jewel of the West, seat of the Emperor, magnificent centre of the Roman world. At least centre of Honorius’ part, a shrinking part; the Emperor is young and weak and his enemies know that. Dalmatia, the bloody, rural and devastated opposite of the capital, is lost for the West. Troops conquered it in the name of Arcadius and the Eastern Empire and now a barbarian is sitting on the throne of Diocletian: Alaric king of the Goths, foederatus of the East.
Stilicho’s blood wasn’t even dry yet but the Illyricum already partitioned. Alaric, now ruler of Dalmatia and the western part of Dacia, granted Gainas the rule over the land between Dravus and Savus – minus the area around Sirmium – and the province of Moesia. Siscia was chosen as Gainas residence. The cities location is symbol of his ambitions, on the bank of the Savus, far away from the save lands of Moesia, on the border to Honorius’ Pannonia, ready to be the centre of a new independent kingdom. North of Gainas realm the Hasdingi live, Vandals, unable to resist the pressure of the Huns, which lead raids in their land and move slow but steady in their direction. These Vandals might be the backbone of Gainas’ dream, the dream of power.
A dream of another but pretty similar kind was the death of Stilicho for some people - for his enemies - for Gainas, for many Senators but it was the start of a nightmare for Eucherius, his son. His father’s supporters saw the young boy as a Roman, his father’s enemies as a Barbarian. He and his mother, Serena, a cousin of Honorius, are seen as enemies of the Empire, his dead father seen as a betrayer, who was neither able nor willing to destroy the Goths. Three months after Stilicho’s death the child, his mother and his sisters flew from Mediolanum, shortly after Arcadius’ advisor Saturninus arrives to rule the West as the new regent for the young Emperor Honorius.
Saturninus, supported by the anti-Gothic groups in the Empire, begins to concentrate troops in northern Italia, because he mistrusts King Alaric and the peace he made with Arcadius. He knows the Goths better than most in the empire; 15 years ago he already made peace with them, as they crossed the Danubius. They didn’t stay peaceful and he is not expecting them to stay peaceful this time. He believes they won’t honour the peace and that King Alaric or his Dux Gainas will invade Pannonia or the plain of the Padus in the near future. Planning to defeat the Goths in one final battle and to destroy the potential thread of the Empire, he neglects the limes and loses the focus on the border provinces, which are threatened by the Germanic tribes.
Meanwhile in Carthago Gildo, a general of Moorish origin, rules and controls Roman Africa. For this man it is the luck of his life to have the emperor’s enemy at his place. As Eucherius arrives at his palace in Carthago, he grants him exile and swears revenge for the disrespectful treatment of his family. Gildo didn’t do that for Eucherius benefit but solely for his own. He knows many in the empire mourn after Stilicho and even more dislike Saturninus. The time for rebellion came.
Africa, the bread basket of the Empire, breaks away, while Pannonia sinks into anarchy. The remnants of Stilicho’s army are plundering northern Dalmatia and southern Pannonia since the death of their general, led by a Roman named Flavius Maximinianus. After a skirmish between them and the Hasdingi in the winter of 398, Hasding-King Godigisel agrees to ally with Gainas against Maximinianus’ troops. Saturninus, misinterpreting the Gothic troop movement, leads the half of his army to Pannonia, while the rest prepares to sail to Africa. Noticing the Roman troop movement Alaric decides to finally break with Arcadius, because Saturninus’ troops are marching against the Goth and that not only for Honorius’ interests but also for Arcadius’. The end of the Goth-King would be favourable for both brothers but if Alaric wins this war it could mean the end of the Theodosian Dynasty, at least in the West.
Chapter III: Gallia
“Gallia: land of the barbarians and tyrants.” – Olybrius I. (Emperor in the 5th century)
Mallius Theodorus, who feels still odd when called Augustus and who did not really wanted this office, is only in that position because he is not made for being Emperor, he is no General, no military talent; he is a philosopher, a well-known writer, not a ruler.
How did it come that he is now the Augustus of Gallia? The Germans crossed the Rhine in late 398, as Mallius Theodorus was in Treverorum, administrating the land between Gibraltar, Rhine and Atlantic, in the name of Emperor Honorius. The Magister Militum, unable to defend the north of Gallia, without the troops Saturninus moved towards Italia, withdrew to the south but Mallius stayed in Treverorum. Four weeks later Frankish and Burgundian troops conquered the city and captured him. He stayed a prisoner, for several months, until the leaders of the Germans, especially Sigiric a Frankish king, became impatient with the Emperor in Italia, who was neither willing to grant them land nor offering them any positions in the empire. Sigiric gave Mallius his freedom back and made him with the other tribes’ support Emperor – or Usurper – in exchange for the foederati status and military positions.
The Franks in the north of Gallia expand their territory to the east and south and Sigiric - the mightiest of their kings and now a Comes of the empire - claims the military command over all the Northern provinces and is able to full fill this ambition at least between the channel and the Mosella. The Alemanians settle between Danubius and the Alps, securing the northern Alpine passes for Mallius. A part of the Burgundians controls the area between both, whereas another smaller part continues to plunder Gallia; together with Alans and the Silingi-Vandals.
After granting and defining the tribes’ territory, Mallius moves with all avaible troops to the south, away from Treverorum, where now Sigiric likes to reside, and the foederati controlled north towards the south, the city of Vienna, which is closer to the Empire’s heartland, Italia. Militarily incompetent Mallius and his more competent generals and backers hope, that the various factions in the war over the Imperium will weaken each other so much, that they can take the rest of the Empire without problems. In the moment the Gallian tactic seems to work, because Honorius’ army is battling Alaric, who crossed the Alps, on the Adriatic coast and Gildo’s troops in the south, which were lucky enough to take Sicilly nearly without casualties and forded Honorius to abandon his plan to invade Africa in the near future . A negative aspect for Mallius is that he has a chronic troop shortage and would be barely able to hold the southern alpine passes; worst of all Britannia is holding to Honorius or better to everyone who won’t take the island’s troops right now. Southern Gallia may be the safest place to be in the Western Empire, for men because they don’t have to fight, just to wait, and for women and children because the Barbarians are plundering and burning down the north; but that can all change in a matter of weeks, maybe only days. It could be the silence before the storm for Gallia.
Chapter IV: Alaric and Honorius
“The Empire’s enemies are mine; I will hunt, find and destroy them.” – Alaric
The treaty of Bononia, Christmas 401 AD, changed everything in the war for Rome: One month earlier Alaric’s troops defeated Saturninus’ army in the Battle of Verona and captured the Magister Militum. Honorius, now for sure in an awful situation, had several options: allying with Mallius in Gallia, who would claim at least a part of the Empire for himself, maybe even everything; allying with Gildo, who is totally unpredictable and no one knows what he is really fighting for - the magister militum position, emperorship, independence, revenge, nobody can tell - ; or allying with Alaric, who showed to be a talented but very ambitious general and would demand land for his soldiers.
In the end Honorius decide to ally with Alaric and to agree on his demands: the King would become Magister Militum, the Goths would be settled between Ligara and Garunna (mostly the provinces Aquitania I and II), the Hasdingi would settle north of them around Lutetia and Senones and finally Saturninus would be blamed for this war and executed. In exchange for this Alaric would march against Mallius and Gildo.
King Godigisel of the Hasdingi and Gainas, now his advisor, began in the name of Honorius’ their campaign against Gildo’s troops in Italia. Even if they now fought for the Empire, so were they nevertheless plundering all the way to the south and camped symbolically near the city of Rome to provoke the Romans and to remind them, who is now in power. At Easter 402 AD, while waiting for the African troops to challenge the Hasdingi in an open battle, Gainas and some of his soldiers entered Rome to celebrate the Holy (Arian) Mass in Rome. That was the last straw to convince the population and the senate, that these barbarians were not only scornful and disrespectful but a threat for the Empire, its culture and tradition. After Gainas left the city again and the Hasdingi moved further to the south east in the hope to be able to challenge the Africans there, the Senate decided to side with Honorius’ enemies.
In the meantime, Alaric marched into Gallia and Mallius flew to the south into Hispania. The Goth king took Vienna without battle, secured the Pyrenees passes and decided to move to the north and destroy the German military backbone of Mallius, namely Sigiric’s troops, before turning to the south to finally end the usurpation.
Honorius’ decision to trust in Alaric as an ally affected all participants of the war. Arcadius lost control over his young brother and both parts of the empire seem to drift away from each other. Hasding King Godigisel blames Gainas for the loss of Rome to Gildo and cracks show between both; Godigisel builds up his oldest son Gunderic to be next king, while Gainas prefers the king’s younger son Geiseric. The leader of the Hasdingi begins to dislike his mighty advisor Gainas but the soldiers seem to favour him more than their own king. Godigisel sinks into powerlessness, whereas Gainas becomes the real ruler. In Hispania Mallius meets with one of Gildo’s legates; who informs him that Africa is now on his side. Britannia breaks away from the Empire as Alaric demands - in a very rude manner - that their troops should fight in Gallia. The island is now ruled by the former soldier and now Augustus Constantinus, who prefers to stay their instead of fighting on the tumultuous mainland. Lacking the Britannian troops Alaric is unable to decide the war in Gallia in his favour but has to fight a long and exhausting campaign against Sigiric. The remaining Italian forces couldn’t stop parts of the Alemannians to break through the Alpine passes and plunder several cities. Honorius relocates the court to the freshly conquered but far saver Arelate in the summer of 403 AD. Here on the bank of the Rhodanus, the Emperor can do nothing but wait for Alaric to win or to fall and he would follow him.
Chapter V: Pannonia
“Over me are only the gods.” – Thorigais
Uldin, King of the Huns - not all of them, but the most – is facing his nightmare. The Empire he built up in the last years could collapse if he loses this battle. The Hun King looks terrifying; his face is full of scares, his head bald and deformed. The Romans fear him, they know why so many tribes cross their borders and they know the Huns are the reason for all this, but not Roman troops will challenge Uldin, not a single army dared to cross the Danubius, today he will fight his own fellows.
Thorigais, Leader of the Eastern Goths – and some other tribes – is young, ambitious and hates the Huns. He was born as his people were already enslaved by them, he never saw the Kingdom of Ermanaric but he knows that the Goth won’t stay forever under the Hunnic rule. The young man enjoyed the Hun King’s trust, always did Thorigais anything to please Uldin, he fought his battles, even striked down the Gothic rebellion of Radagais. As the King led an army into the devastated Pannonia in 401 AD, which was left by Roman armies and Vandalian settlers, Thorigais followed him dutiful, but as Uldin left to smash a rebellion in the south east, he gave the command over the Pannonian troops to his cousin. Thorigais used the weakness of his new lord to shake of the Hunnic yoke. Before Uldin even could arrive in Dacia and beat down the revolt, his cousin’s head already reached him.
While the Hun King destroyed all resistance against him in Dacia, Thorigais used the time to build up his own army. He gathered the German tribes around him that lived under the Hunnic rule and formed a confederation against Uldin. Even the Siligian Vasals, who were on their way to the south to enter the Imperium, joined Thorigais. Other tribes he ruled were the Gepids, the Eruli and the Sciri.
It was a cold and windy day on which Uldin attacked. The cloud of arrows that was supposed to smash Thorigais’ troops was stopped by the clouds of the sky, which turned the once dry ground into a field of mud. Lightings, like a divine omen, stroke into the trees behind the Hunnic troops. This day would be known as the Battle of the Storms. The Hunnic rule was broken on this day, only for now and only in Pannonia, but Uldin was dead, his troops defeated, his empire collapsed, Thorigais ruler of Pannonia. Soon a letter from Honorius would arrive at his residence in Savaria and an answer would follow immediately:
“Oh Augustus, you are demanding tribute, you demand that I obey your rule!? [..] You don’t rule over this land, not even over your own. Do you believe I know nothing about your Empire? […] Who shall help you, helpless little Augustus? The Goths of Gallia? They don’t save you, they rule over you! The Vandals of Italia? They don’t save you, they hate you! […] You are not my lord, there is no one ruling me; over me are only the gods!”
What he said about the Roman Empire was true. Only a few months later the Vandals, under Gainas command, conquered the rebellious city of Rome and slaughtered ten thousands. Over the next year Gainas and Godigisel stayed near Rome in Portus before they left the mainland to conquer Sicilia. In Gallia Alaric was finally able to force a peace with the Franks in the summer of 405. The land in which the Goths and Vandals should settle was secured, but Gainas refused to leave Sicilia again. Honorius was forced to grant the Vandals the islands.
Thorigais was right about the instability of Rome, but he overestimated his power. After the Huns were beaten, the confederated tribes split. The Gepids overthrew Thorigais, his Empire fell and his Goths marched to the west and joint Honorius as foederati under their new ruler Himivin. The Gepids stayed in Pannonia, whereas a third group of mixed heritage, on the search for land and wealth, moved to the south-east.
Chapter VI: Scipio ante Portas
”Hannibal is what Carthago needs in these days; a man who doesn’t fear the enemy, who knows empire is mortal and who has the courage to try the impossible. Oh my Hannibal where are you?” – Gildo
Ortygia is the cradle of Siracusae. Gainas would like to rename the small island off the coast of Sicilia, give her a title that suits her more, now that the Vandals rule here. The people should know by the name alone that not Romans or Greeks are in control of island and city but Vandals. Maybe: Gainasia, Gainopolis; no, he is not King, that’s not appropriated. Godigisela, or –um, or maybe Godigiselopolis; no, to long and this bastard is not worth having a city named in his honour. Vandalia?
For now Gainas has to think about other things, than names, more important things. Alaric and Honorius ordered ships. A whole fleet they want, where is he supposed to get so many ships from, maybe from the harbour right next to him? Yes, there are ships, many of them and they actually belong to the Empire but why should he give them back? He conquered the island with them, in Honorius’ name, but he never gave the island back. How can he now trust the emperor? Gainas stole from him and defraud him of his island, why shouldn’t he seek revenge, why shouldn’t he betray him? No ship will leave this island towards Africa to defeat the Tyrant of Carthago, at least not without his loyal Vandals. If the Usurper should fall than he should fall through German hands.
What has Honorius without Gainas? Nothing! An empire, he doesn’t control but Alaric, provinces in rebellion and no ships to beat them down. With some bad luck Africa could even fall to Arcadius, if the East feels like grabbing for it. What is Gainas without Honorius; a dubious ally, maybe a pirate, a potential target for Constantinople or an independent ruler by everything but name? And with Honorius? Maybe he will be the ruler of Africa or maybe nothing but just a little piece in the great game for Rome. For now it seems the emperor needs Gainas more than the other way around, that means he will get his ships, but not without Vandals. Carthago will fall.
The gates of Carthago, which are now broken, still show how Gildo tried to protect his city - with elephants. Not real ones, but with blood painted, big eared and long nosed animals, guard the gates. Their red bodies are flat and made out of the blood of prisoners, which were taken out of their cells, lost their heads – which were used as terrifying warnings for the Vandals – and were robbed of their blood. But his elephant army couldn’t save Gildo, neither could his human one. Carthago fell in the spring of 407. The Tyrant of Africa is dead and his palace is conquered. Vandalia would also sound good for this city. But again Gainas has better things to do than thinking of names. Today he will show mercy with four of his prisoners, because the emperor feels sentimental for them and asked for it and he feels like granting him this wish – actually it’s a command but what does he care for Honorius’ commands.
He would have nearly killed him, killed this ungrateful bastard. What does he think he is, his life depended on him but he was stupid enough to open his mouth and accuse him of murder, what right does he believes he has? Murderer! He did not even touch his father, let alone killing him. Gainas even liked him more or less. But in the end it was his, Stilicho’s, decision to stay with Honorius. They could have marched together at Mediolanum or Constantinople. Not he killed Stilicho, but his own stupidity. How dare Eucherius to call him a murderer ever again. At Narona a potential ally died in Gainas’ eyes, but not an enemy. Eucherius, his young wife, his mother and his sisters can go away from this place, far away, to a place which was chosen by the court in Arelate. Their new home would be a small but nice mansion near Burdigala, close to the Goths and the Atlantic, far away from the centre of the empire and even farer away from Gainas, who would kill this brat if he would come close to him ever again.
Gildo was dead, Mallius Theodorus, who is hiding somewhere in Africa since the fall of Gallia, not yet and that made him the reason for Gainas to send his troops to the west, to Mauretania, to find the Usurper and to expand his influence. Mallius has to be defeated once and for all and Gainas has to do it if he wants control over all of Africa.
Gainas thought he would never hear of Eucherius again and he won’t. He will be death when Eucherius great time comes.
Rome 407
Chapter VII: Flavia
“The future is secured, for them, for us, for everyone. “ – Nicomachus Flavianus
Galla: daughter of Nicomachus Flavianus and Galla, soon to marry Honorius, whose sister is named Galla and whose stepmother is also called Galla. Not only because of this potential danger of confusion, but also because of her hair, which, lighter than her younger brother’s, is still not blonde but a shade of brown, she is called Flavia, the blonde one. Sometimes she is also referred to as Galla Minor, Flaviana or Flavianilla.
The emperor marries, a girl of 14 years, a decade younger than him. Honorius was married before, to a granddaughter of his general Saturninus, but the girl died and so did later the general. This time it seems more promising, the bride seems healthy, she is pretty and most important she is from a mighty family - actually two families. Her father is a Nicomachi, her mother a Symmachi. Both are mighty and old clans of Rome, only challenged in power by the Anicii. Honorius hopes to gain some popularity among the Roman nobility with this move and also an heir for his throne. Even if he tries to win over the nobility and the senate, so is he too afraid to celebrate the wedding in the city of Rome. He prefers to stay in Arelate, close to his protector Alaric.
Two weeks before the wedding the Goth King appears in the city. Just a few days earlier he was still fighting in northern Gallia but now he is back with some news - good or bad ones; hard to tell. The Alani and Silingi, which crossed the Rhine in 398 with the other tribes, were plundering Gallia for over 10 years now. They mostly concentrated on the northwest. Neither did they ally like the other tribes with Mallius, nor did they found an own realm to rule. They went restless to the west, the south, than to the north-east and following the Ligara upwards as Alaric’s troops entered Gallia. They were in Burdigala, Turonum and Lutetia but on none of these places did they establish a kingdom. As they followed the Ligara they even split in several smaller groups, devastating the land. All of them continued their way to the north-west, the area dominated by Sequana and Ligara. Every single group was a little army for itself making it impossible for Alaric to win over them, not because they were too strong but they were too many. He didn’t meet a single big army that he could challenge in a battle. But in 408 the young Silingi Theuderic convinced the leaders of the most groups that they need to work together to secure their freedom and defeat Alaric. Theuderic, now King of Vandals and Alans, led his troops in the beginning of 409 in a Battle against Alaric. The Goth King won but made a pact with the losers.
He arrives in Arelate with this news and proves how powerless Honorius really is. He settled the Vandals and Alans between Ligara and Sequana, without even asking for permission. Alaric justifies his decision with the fact that this land was reserved for the Sicilian Vandals, but they refused to settle there, so the land fell to their Silingian cousins, which were already in this area. Not the most convincing justification but who can question his decisions?
The day of the wedding was a cold one, not only because of the weather, but also because of the people who came to witness the event. No one of the senators, which were present in the city liked to see the barbarians, especially because they still remember how Gainas and Godigisel plundered the city in the emperor’s name and slaughtered many noblemen. The Germanics that arrived also preferred to stay alone. Mistrust poisoned the air in the city. The emperor himself didn’t show any emotion on this day. The bride on the other hand seemed more to be more moved by the events, she didn’t love the man she was going to marry and she was not excited about being with him, but she knew what power she could gain. Her ancestors were philosophers, scholars and bureaucrats, but she was different. As a boy she would have been a general or emperor, but as a girl she was only a link between Honorius and the senatorial elite. Maybe in future she could be able to prove herself as a leader. As she stood in front of the altar, it was clear to her who was the mightiest man in the room; not her husband, not her father, none of the senators, but the barbarian in the back of the church, who was a bit tipsy and the only one, smiling all the time, King Alaric. She hated him. He was a barbarian and also looked like one, he even stunk like one. His pride seemed like arrogance to the young empress and his power was torture for her. Flavia disliked all Germans, she was young as Rome burned because of them but she remembers and she won’t forgive.
Besides Alaric and his guard were no other Germans in the church. The Burgundian King and his fellows stayed outside the city and only appeared to compliment the emperor, whereas the Frankish King and Vandal King Godigisel didn’t even appear in Arelate; the latter because he had to fear for his life since the sack of Rome, the first because he had to fight enemies in his own territory. The King of the Pannonian Goths, Himivin, a man with religious spirit, stayed away from the Trinitarian church, mostly because he thought bad about the Roman way of Christianity, he didn’t like the Romans so much in general, but knew that his people could for now only survive in an alliance with them. On the others side did he like Alaric pretty much and both drunk together the night before – that’s the reason the King appeared tipsy in the church.
The kings would leave the city again a few days later, so did the senators, but Flavia stayed and would become Empress of the falling empire.
Chapter VIII: The head of Mallius
“A head is a head and a lie is a lie.” – Honorius
Gainas smashed the rests of Mallius Theodorus’ empire in the battle of Hippo in 408 AD. By then Numidia was already conquered by the Vandals and after the battle the Mauretanian coast fell also back to the empire. At Hippo even Mallius’ general died, but not, and that drove Gainas mad, the Usurper himself. Nobody actually knew where he was; maybe he was already dead and rotted in the dessert. But as long as there were no evidences of his death he would be a major problem for Gainas. The Mauretanian tribes, that raided the Vandalo-Roman coastal cities, never claimed to act on Mallius’ command and he wasn’t seen with them but people on Honorius’ court nevertheless suggested again and again that Mallius’ was behind their attacks and accused Gainas, to be unable or unwilling to finally find and kill the usurper.
In the winter of 408/409 Gainas made a radical decision; he sent his guard out in Sicilia and Carthago to find a man who should look as close to the usurper himself as possible. The guards took coins of Mallius’ image with them and studied the artworks that showed him before they left the palace. Three weeks later they arrived with an old peasant, around Mallius’ age, who, even if he worked his whole life, had soft and pale skin. His eyes, nose and mouth looked like the ones of the usurper, only his haircut and his beard didn’t seem like Mallius at all, but a scissor here and there and he seemed pretty imperial. After the scissors the sword came and Gainas had a head he could proudly send to the Emperor in Arelate.
It was a dangerous and probably mad plan to actually claim that this would be the head of Mallius Theodorus, but Gainas hoped on the one hand that no one would notice that it isn’t Mallius and on the other that even if the Emperor would find out that he wouldn’t do anything because he would be satisfied with this solution. But Gainas was wrong, many people on Honorius’ court had seen Mallius before, they knew how he looked like, were aware of the little details of his face and could tell that this is not the usurper. Gainas attempt to fool the Emperor didn’t stay a secret, the news spread over the Empire and Honorius had to act. It was thanks to the influence of the young Empress Flavia, that the Britannian usurper Constantinus was spared by Honorius forces for now. The fleet which was built on the channel coast in the last years to challenge Constantinus’ fleet, which was actually the former Roman fleet in this area, was moved further to the south, in order to bring Honorius armies from Hispania to Mauretania. From here on they were supposed to fight their way through northern Africa to Carthago and find Mallius and destroy the Vandals.
Before even a single battle was fought the Blood Weeks of Carthago occurred: Gainas was found dead in the streets, killed by conspirators, whose goal it was to prevent a war with Rome and the potential fall of the Vandal Empire. It was rumoured that the head of the conspiracy was King Godigisel himself, who tried to escape the shadow of his popular advisor and general. Only a few days later the King was dead, assassinated but no one knew who was behind it. The King’s son and designated heir Gunderic, claimed that his brother Geiseric would be his father’s murderer. Geiseric on the other hand accused Gunderic of killing their father and Gainas, who was Geiseric’s patron. Supported by the Gainasian group in Carthago, the young and charismatic Geiseric ordered to kill Gunderic, his family and his supporters. He also organised the marriage between him and Gainas’ daughter, which included killing her husband. After eliminating his enemies in the Empire, he changed the course of foreign policy. He allied with the Mauretanians against the Romans and promised them the land west of Caesarea and also the hinterland apart the coast east of it.
In the autumn of 409 the Roman fleet was defeated by the Vandals near Sardinia, mostly because of the lack of experience on the Roman side. The most of the surviving ships switched sides and conquered, instead of Africa, Sardinia. On land the Romans also lost their luck and were beaten, after first successes, by united Vandal and Mauretanian forces. In the end of the year the last Roman forces were driven out of Mauretania. Even Tripolitania, which was not under Vandalian control before the war, was conquered by Geiseric. In the first months of 410 also Corsica and the Balearic Islands fell to the Vandals. The rests of the Imperial fleet were smashed in the summer and Rome suffered under starvation and plagues, caused by the blockade of Ostia and Portus by the Vandals.
Honorius showed unable to handle the situation, especially because the Empire’s legions were needed on the northern border against the rebellious Germans. In the middle of this unstable situation, two children were born in the spring of 411, two sons, one to Honorius, named Theodosius, one to Geiseric, named Gainas.
Chapter IX: Borders of the Empire
“Poor old ship, the sailors left you to the pirates.” – Gerontius
Emerita Augusta, capital of Lusitania and close to the last legions in southern Hispania, received in the spring of 412 AD apocalyptical news: Several ships got attacked near Olisipo by German pirates. It is not clear who exactly did it, if it were the Saxons or Franks than it would mean that they came as south as never before, if it were the Vandals than not even the Atlantic coast would be safe from them anymore. What matters is that Lusitania is now not anymore a relatively peaceful place in this sea of war. Several years ago Alaric troops crossed the mountains in the north but they moved back to Gallia as Mallius’ empire was destroyed. Especially Lusitania and its capital Emerita stayed relatevly unharmed during this campaign but now Hispania is nearly without defence. Honorius moved the most legions to Africa, where they got destroyed, and only a few troops stayed on the peninsula.
Gerontius, Comes of the Hispanian legions, used the insecurity and the rumours in the city of Emerita, to claim for himself to be the protector of the local Roman population from all foreign powers, including the emperor in Arelate. His inspiration was probably Constantinus, the Roman emperor of Britannia, who stayed on the island and secured it instead of getting drawn into the conflicts of the mainland. Also Postumus’ Gallic Empire, of the third century, could have been an example of an independent but still Roman state and even the German ruler, which dominate the collapsing empire now, act like independent kings in their territory. The next logical step for a Roman general could only be to grab land from the empire before the barbarians do. Not that Gerontius would have hated Germans – he had many foreign soldiers in his troops – no, he just didn’t believe that they could be leaders of some civilized state. The current empire under Honorius was for him nothing but an old sinking Gothic ship, which was once made by Romans and still sails under the builder’s flag.
Filigund, king of the Silingi and Alani, was the first to call Gerontius Rex Hispanorum. Gerontius himself claimed to be emperor, even if the title of a king would have been more appropriated. He would of course not deny the rule over the whole Roman world, if it would fall into his hands, but he is smart enough to know that the time of the great empires is over, at least in the west. On his coins he appears with the title of the Restorer of Hispania - more a plan for the future, than an achievement - but still a pleasant title for the ruler of the peninsula. Nevertheless around the whole Mediterranean he was soon known as the King who is Roman but is fighting the empire. The novelty was not, that he fought the empire but that he was Roman. That barbarians broke free from Rome, like Alaric or Gainas did, was nothing new, but that a Roman general would do that, didn’t happen for 150 years and was already forgotten by the most people. Constantinus in Britannia was no shock for the Romans, he still claimed to rule the whole empire, but Gerontius was for only claiming a part. He was a sign of the decline of the west.
Alaric, King of the Goths and Magister Militum, died in the winter of 413; he fell from his horse and broke his back. The great and unforgotten King of the Goths suffered several weeks before he finally passed away. The Goths thought Alaric’s successor, Odo, would be granted the title of the Magister Militum but empress Flavia convinced Honorius to proclaim Asterius, leader of the Italian troops, new general of the west. With this decision the empress was planning to reduce the German influence in her empire and succeeded in some way with it; Odo broke with Rome. The Second Gothic War begun.
Asterius moved the emperor’s court back to Mediolanum and begun to concentrate his troops in the Valley of the Rhondanus. Further to the north-west Odo united his forces with the ones of Filigund in the meantime. The King was also in contact with the leaders of the Franks, which stayed officially on Rome’s side but actually acted neutral in the war and didn’t attack the Goths. The Burgundians on the other side were sending troops to Asterius, they formed together with Hunnish auxiliaries and Alemannian forces the backbone of the Roman army.
As the first snow fell in the year 413 the Western Empire was already collapsing: Hispania and Gallia are in revolt, Africa is free from Roman forces, Britannia is de facto independent and Dalmatia is ruled by the East. Honorius, Arcadius, Flavia, Asterius Odo, Geiseric, Filigund, Gerontius; all of them decide over the fate of the Roman world.
Rome 413
Chapter X: Imperial Blood
“Sire, your own blood may flow in your children’s veins, not on the battle field, but years will pass and from generation to generation, more drops of your blood will run out of your offspring’s flesh, down our swords, into the ground, following the water of once Roman rivers to the sea. You will salt the ocean more with every generation and may your own body rest one day in the Italian soil, your blood will never rest.” – Odo
Aelia Eudoxia is 34 years old and gave birth to ten children. It was her duty as the wife of Arcadius and Empress of Rome to produce a potential heir, but she failed every single time. Eight daughters gave she birth to, one son died only a few hours after he saw the daylight the first and last time; he should have been a second Theodosius. Now she lays in her own sweat and blood, in unbelievable pain, and dies the death of a dutiful wife: giving birth to the tenth child, a healthy son.
Gratianus, born 414 AD, is the long awaited heir of the eastern throne. Arcadius feared his brother’s children could rule one day in Constantinople and should they prove to be as week as their father, it would be the end of the east too. The emperor would have liked to name the child after his own father, Theodosius, but Galla Flavia, his sister-in-law, gave birth to a Theodosius three years earlier. Naming the child Arcadius would have been an option, but that seems so egocentric and a bit impropriated in the emperors eyes. So Arcadius decided in favour of the name of the former emperor Gratianus, a short-lived half-brother of him had also this name and his family and Gratian’s are more or less related.
Flavius Aelius Gratianus – Aelius in honour of his mother – had as he was born four siblings, the other five died before him, all of them girls. From the oldest to the youngest there were Arcadia, Pulcheria, Theodosia and Thermantia. At Gratianus’ birth his father was already planning the wedding of Arcadia. A son of her could be a fall-back option if Gratianus shouldn’t live long enough to take his father’s throne.
Exactly six month after the birth of his son, Arcadius married his oldest daughter to the son of his general Gaudentius, a young man named Aetius. It would not be the last wedding of the year but the last the world would take such notice of. In the winter of 414, near the Atlantic, in the province of Aremorica, far away from Rome, closer to the Barbarians than to the Emperors, a relative of Honorius and Arcadius marries again; Eucherius. The son of Stilicho and Serena lost his first wife as he escaped from Burdigala, fleeing Odo’s Gothic troops, who sieged the city. With small ships did he, his families and his friends escape, his wife got sick and died before they reached northern Gallia, but Eucherius himself survived and so did his son Serenus. Gildo was the father of Serenus mother, his new step mother is a niece of the leader of the Suindini. They are the former inhabitants of Suindinum and the surrounding but lost their home to the plundering Silingi. Here a bit further to the west they try to build up an alliance against the invaders and seek to reconquer their homeland.
A few months later in the beginning of 415 the dream of the Suindini became true, at least the first part of it; the cities of Aremorica are united in their fight against the Goths and Silingi, even some Frankish tribes fight now on their site. Honorius has no power over this alliance; they swore loyalty to Constantinus in Britannia but even he doesn’t really rule them. The emperor stayed on his island with the most of the troops, whereas his son and Caesar, of the same name, led some soldiers to the mainland. In theory Caesar Constantinus commands the troops, but de facto it is Eucherius who leads the Aremoricans in the war for Gallia. The time for Stlicho’s son has come.
The Silingi and Goths move with the biggest part of their army to south-west, towards the Alps and into Hispania. The magister militum of the west, Asterius, was able to stop them for short time in the beginning of the war, but now, in the autumn of 415, they destroyed already the most of the Roman army. They crossed the Rhodanus and took Nemausus and Arelate. Asterius collects the rests of his troops on the Italian side of the Alps, awaiting Odo’s horde on the other side of the mountains. Waiting are also Honorius and Eucherius. The first in the palace at Mediolanum, the latter on the battle field near the Sequana, both waiting for their wives to give birth.
Two weeks later Honorius will get a daughter, Honoria; Eucherius a son, Romanus; blood flows in the empire: on the battle field and in the veins.
Chapter XI: Edges of the World
“O God, why does the world end in my days?” – Honorius
It is the year 416 AD and the Empire is falling. The Mare Nostrum, once nothing but a Roman lake and at the same time heart of the Empire, is now the territory of the barbarians. The west lost Africa and the East couldn’t reconquer it; Arcadius’ ships sunk against Geiseric’s fleet. It might be the Vandal King’s greatest victory, that he forced the Emperors to accept his African Realm. It weren’t the lost battles, which made the brothers so weak, that they accepted an independent kingdom, it was the hunger. The population of Rome depends on the grain from Africa and for years not a single ship from Cartagho reached Italia and brought food to the starving population. The end of the Vandalian War is the end of the Roman hunger years.
On the other edge of the known world, in the steppes of the Scythians, a king rose upon the local rulers. The Huns, north the Pontic Sea, are united under one banner again, 11 years after the fall of Udin, ruler of the Danubian tribes. Ultzindur is the mightiest man of all the rulers of the steppe. He united the most Hunnic tribes and led them already against the peoples of the northern Caucasus. Only the Huns which were once the core of Uldin’s empire are not yet part of Ultzindur’s domain. They settle mostly on the northern bank of the Danube and are busy with internal fights. Also some Goths are under them and other Germanics and furthermore some Romans live still in these lands.
417 AD is the year of Ultzindur: first the Delta of the Danube, then the plains of southern Dacia fall to his hordes. Many Huns cross in this year the Danube, not to conquer but to flee their invading brothers. They become part of the Eastern army and most of them will lose their life in the war for Rome.
The king of the Pannonian Goths, Himivin, heard about the rise of a new Hunnic ruler, shortly after Ultzindur’s Dacian invasion. For the King it was certainly a bad sign. He had plans, big plans: the conversation of the Transdanubian tribes. Under all kings, he was the one with the biggest religious spirit but he had nevertheless a sense for political necessity. Himivin grew up under Hunnic rule and fears nothing more but their return. The Baiuvari, Quadi and Marcomanni had to wait and stay pagans for now. The king needs a plan if the Huns should advance until Pannonia. His people could move to the north over the Danube but on the other hand will this land probably also fall to Ultzindur. The south would be another option. Himivin feared the Romans much less than the Huns, but taking Italia would still be an ambitious project.
If Odo should invade Italia, Himivin will attack from the north-east. In the moment the Roman armies under Asterius still hold on the Alpine passes but it is only a matter of time until the Goths sweep into the empire’s heartland. Honorius rule is limited on Italia. Gallia is lost to Odo and also to Eucherius. The later was able to gain land in the north against the Silingi, mostly because their troops are busy in the south. Eucherius’ formal master is emperor Constantinus and his son of the same name. The younger Constantinus left the command over the continental army completely to Eucherius, who was also promoted Magister Militum and Patricius of the empire. The young prince, lacking military talent, prefers to stay on the island. His father reformed the instable Britannian provinces already a few years ago: the field army, the comitatenses, was reduzed in terms of size whereas the border troops, the limitatei, were enlarged. The Britannian army adapted a defensive strategy. Most soldiers have family, didn’t see the continent for over a decade and are not willing to leave their home for the bloody barbarian playground of Gallia.
Eucherius acts nearly independent from the Emperor in Britannia. His army’s backbone consist of Aremoricans, Franks and even some Saxons; whereas Britannians make up only a tiny part of his troop.
At all edges of the Roman world, the imperial rule is shrinking and Honorius and Asterius control nothing anymore but Italia.
Chapter XII: Theodosius
“Oh, dear cousin, you are dead and I am alive, but you don’t see me crying over that. We all have to depart this life one day or another. You went early and won’t come back. I never cry a tear; I will need my eyes in these days more than ever before.” – Eucherius
418: the snow did not melt yet in Pannonia, Odo breaks through the passes, the Gepids fight the Huns and Himivin and his men start the march to the south. As the news, of the attacking Pannonian Goths reaches Mediolanum, panic spreads. On the following day the Emperor is found dead – suicide. Flavia and her young children, Honoria and Theodosius, flee to the south-west.
In Pollentia, close to the advancing Western Goths, Flavia marries, only a few weeks after Honorius death, her mighty general Asterius. The army accepts Theodosius as rightful heir and emperor but the power lies in the hands of Flavia and Asterius. In the decades and centuries to come many will say the emperor’s suicide was a lie, the empress and the general were lovers for years. It will be the material of literature and theatre play but the truth is a mystery of history.
Himivin took Ravenna without fight, the city surrendered. The most of the peninsula east of the Apennine fell to his troops before summer. In the meantime Odo fought his way along the Padus. After Himivin turned north again both rulers meet near Florentia. The Pannonian enjoyed the company of Alaric but now he is meeting his successor: Odo. The king is a rather short but sturdy man, around 40 years of age, less charismatic and diplomatic than his predecessor. Nevertheless is he able to talk Himivin into an alliance not only against Rome but also against the Britannian troops in the north. Both agree on following: peace with Rome only in great favour for both kings; the Pannonians settle at the Rodanus and in Italia, whereas the Gallians expand into Hispania and to the north.
One thing Odo was ignoring in his plan: Eucherius - a man with many faces, imperial general, leader of the Aremoricans, commander of the Barbarians - gathered enough troops around him to actually thread the Goths. They fought on to many fronts, against Gerontius in the south, Asterius in the west and the Britannians in the north. Britannian is maybe not the right word to describe an army that consists mostly of Franks and Aremoricans. Eucherius is certainly one of the most interesting characters in this game for power. He has more charisma than all other commanders combined and is a born general. He is definitely his father’s child, a new Stilicho.
The Silingi had to leave the battle fields of Italia to defend what became in the last years their home. Eucherius took one city after the other. His army was growing and so was the fear of the Silingian king Filligund. Odo hated to see his ally heading north, he underestimated the Britannians strength and saw Filligund’s move as betrayal. The Silingian left to many people behind in Gallia - Eucherius is devastating the countryside and doesn’t show mercy with the Silingi - if the king’s troops won’t return it would mean betrayal on their families. Filligund tried his best but he failed. After facing Eucherius army and losing in the fight, he knew two things: 1st Eucherius is too strong and 2nd Odo won’t help him now. Before getting smashed between the Britannians and the independent Burgundians in the west, Filligund decides to change sites.
Arcadius panicked as he heard his brother is dead and so the first east Roman troops arrive in Italia around Christmas 418, after they marched through Dalmatia. More would follow later but the most soldiers would stay in the east, fighting the Persians. The emperor sent one of his best generals to Italia: Gaudentius, and with him his son Aetius arrives in the west. The Goths under Himivin and Odo were unable to challenge Asterius in an open field battle and decided to siege and conquer Rome instead. The city fell as spring came but the Goths were not the rulers of the eternal city for a long time. Asterius avoided the Goths carefully and united his forces with Gaudentius army only a few weeks after the city fell. The battle for Rome began finally in April of 419 AD.
The Goths would have been eliminated, wouldn’t the most of the east Roman troops be at the Persian border fighting the Sassanid Empire. It was still a disastrous defeat for the Germans. Rome was lost for the Goths, one of their kings died in the battle, namely Odo. Himivin, the surviving king, was declared ruler of all Goths by his troops and became the first to rule over all them.
After the defeat at Rome the Goths withdrew to the north. The Romans split their army again, believing Himlvin would be vulnerable and easy to defeat again, but the imperials lost their second battle. Gaudentius himself died and the troops appointed his son Aetius as their new commander. The other half of the army, under Asterius’ command, stayed near Rome in the meantime. The northern army would suffer in several battles against the Goths and the game seemed to be on again, as in the late October the Theodosian Wonder happened: Eucherius’ army swept into the Rhone valley and the Gothic army under Himivin was nearly encircled by the Romans.
Himivin saw no way to win this war without losing the most of his men in the battle, Arcadius needed his Italian troops in the east, Eucherius wanted to secure his gains, Constantinus was more than surprised to hear how well his general did, the Romans were tired of war and Flavia wanted to save the throne for her son. And so the east, the west, the Britannians and the Goths met in Mediolanum and the Christmas of 419 would be a peaceful one. The Goths gained the Rhone valley, a part of Italia and Taragona, the Silingi were moved a bit to the east, Theodosius II. and Constantinus III. were both accepted as emperors, the latter as Junior Augustus and the first as Senior Augustus, the west would be split between them, the Britannians gained northern and western Gallia, the unconquered part of Gerontius’ Hispania would be divided later, Eucherius gained the command over all non-Gothic forces in Gallia, Himivin accepted the formal rule of the emperors but his people stay autonomous.
An unsatisfying solution.
Chapter XIII: Serenus and Luitgard
“Saxon land is Saxon land and Roman land is Roman land.” – Luitgard
The winter is over, the peace holds already for some months but it is fragile. Out of this reason Dynastical links are supposed to cement the current alliances.
Eucherius' younger son, Romanus, marries the oldest daughter of Galla Placidia, Anicia Justa Honoria. Both are infants and too young to have children, it is mostly a symbolical act. But of much greater symbolism are the other weddings of the year, mostly because Eucherius and Galla Placidia and each other’s offspring are considered to be less important, than the children of the kings and emperors. At Easter 420 Himivin’s oldest son and potential heir, Theodavin, marries Theodosia, a daughter of Arcadius, and Constantinus, Caesar of Britannia and Gallia, marries her sister Pulcheria. Both weddings take place in Mediolanum.
The last wedding of the year, the one of Serenus and a girl of Saxon origin, was probably the one the world took the least notice of but the one of the greatest importance. While Eucherius stayed near Italia and the Alps to secure the south-eastern border of his or de jure Constantinus’ domain, begun his son, a boy of 14 years, to consolidate the northern area of the empire. Serenus has his father’s most loyal fellows around him; here in the wilderness of northern Gallia he will learn how to lead an army and a country.
The land south of the Sequana lost most of its inhabitants in the war, the cities of Namentus and Andecavorum were mostly destroyed and had nearly no citizens anymore. Eucherius decided to repopulate these areas to have the River Ligara as an effective border to the Goths. Serenus mission is to recruit settlers for this land and so did he travel around northern Gallia searching for men that were willing to live there. He found them on the ships and boats of the Empire, mostly former pirates that now fight for the emperor. Nearly all of these men are Saxons or Franks. A few weeks later Serenus finds himself on an island of the Rhenus Delta. Here on the border of the Roman world he meets with a leader of a little Saxon tribe, to negotiate about moving his people to the south. In the end Serenus grants the tribe several rights and takes the leader’s daughter as his wife.
A few months later the Saxons’ leader dies and his son Luitgard, brother-in-law to Serenus, becomes their leader or Dux, as the Romans say. He leads them to the Rhine and along the coast then to the souths towards the Ligara, where they unite with the other settlers Serenus could recruit. They won’t be the last settlers that move to the west. Britannia also needs settlers to keep its borders intact.
In the autumn of 421 Luitgard and his people arrive in Namentus and Andecavorum. Most of them have never seen such cities before, even if they were now mostly destroyed. The Saxons called these settlements Burgi. So the new resistance of Luitgard became known under the Germanic tribes as Namntburg.
The Serenus’ settlers knew who they had to thank for their new home, him and his family. They would follow him, Eucherius, Romanus or whoever of his family would need them into the battle. And like that thought the Aremoricans also, for them meant Eucherius more than the Emperor in Britannia. The rulers of Constantinus’ empire are the descendants of Stilicho. It makes sense to speak of the Britannian Empire, because the emperor’s power is limited to this island, like the power of Flavia and her son is limited to Italia, even if they rule de jure also the land of the Goths. Not Asterius, Flavia or Theodosius II. are the rulers of southern Gallia, but Himivin. His son might be married to the daughter of the eastern emperor, but he nevertheless disrespects the Romans, their way of Christianity and their liability to illusion. Little Theodosius is no emperor, he has no power. The Goths are independent and free they are the lords of this land now. The empire is an illusion and Himivin knows that, he plays their games, because for now the Romans and their illusion is not fallen, but it is on their knees. Soon there will be no emperor anymore. The time for the truth will come soon.
Pease notice:
- it is not even nearly finished yet (not even the first Era)
- the Timeline consits of Eras, Parts and Chapters
- UPDATED family tree in Post #6
- i am right now producing several maps and other artwork
- for portay of Himivin (there still Himilvin) look here
- for my Gothic Alphabet (I will probably use it later) look here
- I WOULD LOVE COMMENTS
- WARNING: over 10,000 words will follow
- enjoy
The Araldyana Timeline
by Pischinovski
First Era: The Fall of Rome
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- First Part: Stilicho’s Legacy – A chronic
Our story begins in the year of the lord 397:
Chapter I: The battle of Narona
“I trusted you, you betrayed me; today I trust you that you will die, today you won’t betray me.” - Stilicho
The wind comes from the west, from the sea, it’s cold and salty. Flavius Stilicho is walking nervously trough the rows of soldiers, while speaking to his confidants. Mistrust is Stilicho’s loyal fellow and most trusted advisor in the last months; today more than ever before.
Last night he woke up covered in sweat, it was a nightmare; for him a prophecy. Stilicho believed to see his own destiny; he witnessed his own death. Honorius, Emperor of the west, would strangle him to death. The boy betrayed him; Stilicho secured the child’s throne, he smashed his enemies and were loyal his whole life, loyal to Honorius’, his father, the Empire and would have served even under Honorius’ sons, but this infant laid the hands around his general’s neck and slowly took his breath until Stilicho woke up, struggling for air.
The general trusted no one; he couldn’t trust the Senate because they hated him, the pagan Senators because he was Christian, the rest because his father was a Barbarian and because the old Roman aristocracy could not accept the nearly unlimited influence Stilicho had on the child-emperor. Rumours doubting his loyalty to Rome spread in the Empire and under his Roman troops, even if they never mistrusted their general, so did they however notice how he spent hours alone in his tent, walking up and down, talking to himself, but no one could understand what he was saying, not even about the language they were sure – maybe Latin, maybe German. He even mistrusted his own life guard and distanced himself increasingly from his own troops.
And all this mistrust caused by a single man. Two years ago Gainas led a part of Stilicho’s troops to Constantinople to kill the general’s enemy Rufinus, the advisor of child-emperor Arcadius, brother of Honorius. But Rufinus was informed of Stilicho’s plans and challenged Gainas with his own loyal troops near the city. Nevertheless Gainas troops, mostly Goths, were victorious and Rufinus flew to the south west. Gainas stayed in Constantinople and got to feel the mistrust of the Trinitarian aristocracy and the population of the city, towards his Arian Germanic troops, that came from the west. In the winter of 396 Gainas left the city following the order of Stilicho to attack the troops of the Goth king Alaric, which were plundering the Prefecture of Illyricum and granted Rufinus exile. The king did that in exchange for the promise of some high position for himself should Rufinus get back in power.
But Gainas changed his way of thinking and his ideals during the stay in Constantinople. He didn’t care for Rufinus fate anymore nor for Stilicho’s orders, he turned against the Romans and his commander; instead of fighting Alaric, he and his soldiers joined his army. From now on Gainas would fight for his own wellbeing instead of Rome’s. Stilicho would never forget Gainas’ betrayal on him and the Empire.
Arcadius, terrified by the plundering Gothic army in his territory and without good advisors, makes concessions towards Alaric, giving him several provinces to govern and settle, so the Province of Dalmatia, which is contested between West and East.
One year later Stilicho would meet the Goths at Narona, to break the power of King Alaric, to conquer Dalmatia and to kill the betrayer Gainas; but in the end he would be the one to find death.
Chapter II: Gainas and Eucherius
“Oh, dear cousin, your father is dead, so is mine, but you don’t see me crying over that. We all have to depart this life one day or another. Crying doesn’t bring him back, better wipe of your tears; you will need your eyes in these days more than ever before. “- Honorius
Mediolanum is the crown jewel of the West, seat of the Emperor, magnificent centre of the Roman world. At least centre of Honorius’ part, a shrinking part; the Emperor is young and weak and his enemies know that. Dalmatia, the bloody, rural and devastated opposite of the capital, is lost for the West. Troops conquered it in the name of Arcadius and the Eastern Empire and now a barbarian is sitting on the throne of Diocletian: Alaric king of the Goths, foederatus of the East.
Stilicho’s blood wasn’t even dry yet but the Illyricum already partitioned. Alaric, now ruler of Dalmatia and the western part of Dacia, granted Gainas the rule over the land between Dravus and Savus – minus the area around Sirmium – and the province of Moesia. Siscia was chosen as Gainas residence. The cities location is symbol of his ambitions, on the bank of the Savus, far away from the save lands of Moesia, on the border to Honorius’ Pannonia, ready to be the centre of a new independent kingdom. North of Gainas realm the Hasdingi live, Vandals, unable to resist the pressure of the Huns, which lead raids in their land and move slow but steady in their direction. These Vandals might be the backbone of Gainas’ dream, the dream of power.
A dream of another but pretty similar kind was the death of Stilicho for some people - for his enemies - for Gainas, for many Senators but it was the start of a nightmare for Eucherius, his son. His father’s supporters saw the young boy as a Roman, his father’s enemies as a Barbarian. He and his mother, Serena, a cousin of Honorius, are seen as enemies of the Empire, his dead father seen as a betrayer, who was neither able nor willing to destroy the Goths. Three months after Stilicho’s death the child, his mother and his sisters flew from Mediolanum, shortly after Arcadius’ advisor Saturninus arrives to rule the West as the new regent for the young Emperor Honorius.
Saturninus, supported by the anti-Gothic groups in the Empire, begins to concentrate troops in northern Italia, because he mistrusts King Alaric and the peace he made with Arcadius. He knows the Goths better than most in the empire; 15 years ago he already made peace with them, as they crossed the Danubius. They didn’t stay peaceful and he is not expecting them to stay peaceful this time. He believes they won’t honour the peace and that King Alaric or his Dux Gainas will invade Pannonia or the plain of the Padus in the near future. Planning to defeat the Goths in one final battle and to destroy the potential thread of the Empire, he neglects the limes and loses the focus on the border provinces, which are threatened by the Germanic tribes.
Meanwhile in Carthago Gildo, a general of Moorish origin, rules and controls Roman Africa. For this man it is the luck of his life to have the emperor’s enemy at his place. As Eucherius arrives at his palace in Carthago, he grants him exile and swears revenge for the disrespectful treatment of his family. Gildo didn’t do that for Eucherius benefit but solely for his own. He knows many in the empire mourn after Stilicho and even more dislike Saturninus. The time for rebellion came.
Africa, the bread basket of the Empire, breaks away, while Pannonia sinks into anarchy. The remnants of Stilicho’s army are plundering northern Dalmatia and southern Pannonia since the death of their general, led by a Roman named Flavius Maximinianus. After a skirmish between them and the Hasdingi in the winter of 398, Hasding-King Godigisel agrees to ally with Gainas against Maximinianus’ troops. Saturninus, misinterpreting the Gothic troop movement, leads the half of his army to Pannonia, while the rest prepares to sail to Africa. Noticing the Roman troop movement Alaric decides to finally break with Arcadius, because Saturninus’ troops are marching against the Goth and that not only for Honorius’ interests but also for Arcadius’. The end of the Goth-King would be favourable for both brothers but if Alaric wins this war it could mean the end of the Theodosian Dynasty, at least in the West.
Chapter III: Gallia
“Gallia: land of the barbarians and tyrants.” – Olybrius I. (Emperor in the 5th century)
Mallius Theodorus, who feels still odd when called Augustus and who did not really wanted this office, is only in that position because he is not made for being Emperor, he is no General, no military talent; he is a philosopher, a well-known writer, not a ruler.
How did it come that he is now the Augustus of Gallia? The Germans crossed the Rhine in late 398, as Mallius Theodorus was in Treverorum, administrating the land between Gibraltar, Rhine and Atlantic, in the name of Emperor Honorius. The Magister Militum, unable to defend the north of Gallia, without the troops Saturninus moved towards Italia, withdrew to the south but Mallius stayed in Treverorum. Four weeks later Frankish and Burgundian troops conquered the city and captured him. He stayed a prisoner, for several months, until the leaders of the Germans, especially Sigiric a Frankish king, became impatient with the Emperor in Italia, who was neither willing to grant them land nor offering them any positions in the empire. Sigiric gave Mallius his freedom back and made him with the other tribes’ support Emperor – or Usurper – in exchange for the foederati status and military positions.
The Franks in the north of Gallia expand their territory to the east and south and Sigiric - the mightiest of their kings and now a Comes of the empire - claims the military command over all the Northern provinces and is able to full fill this ambition at least between the channel and the Mosella. The Alemanians settle between Danubius and the Alps, securing the northern Alpine passes for Mallius. A part of the Burgundians controls the area between both, whereas another smaller part continues to plunder Gallia; together with Alans and the Silingi-Vandals.
After granting and defining the tribes’ territory, Mallius moves with all avaible troops to the south, away from Treverorum, where now Sigiric likes to reside, and the foederati controlled north towards the south, the city of Vienna, which is closer to the Empire’s heartland, Italia. Militarily incompetent Mallius and his more competent generals and backers hope, that the various factions in the war over the Imperium will weaken each other so much, that they can take the rest of the Empire without problems. In the moment the Gallian tactic seems to work, because Honorius’ army is battling Alaric, who crossed the Alps, on the Adriatic coast and Gildo’s troops in the south, which were lucky enough to take Sicilly nearly without casualties and forded Honorius to abandon his plan to invade Africa in the near future . A negative aspect for Mallius is that he has a chronic troop shortage and would be barely able to hold the southern alpine passes; worst of all Britannia is holding to Honorius or better to everyone who won’t take the island’s troops right now. Southern Gallia may be the safest place to be in the Western Empire, for men because they don’t have to fight, just to wait, and for women and children because the Barbarians are plundering and burning down the north; but that can all change in a matter of weeks, maybe only days. It could be the silence before the storm for Gallia.
Chapter IV: Alaric and Honorius
“The Empire’s enemies are mine; I will hunt, find and destroy them.” – Alaric
The treaty of Bononia, Christmas 401 AD, changed everything in the war for Rome: One month earlier Alaric’s troops defeated Saturninus’ army in the Battle of Verona and captured the Magister Militum. Honorius, now for sure in an awful situation, had several options: allying with Mallius in Gallia, who would claim at least a part of the Empire for himself, maybe even everything; allying with Gildo, who is totally unpredictable and no one knows what he is really fighting for - the magister militum position, emperorship, independence, revenge, nobody can tell - ; or allying with Alaric, who showed to be a talented but very ambitious general and would demand land for his soldiers.
In the end Honorius decide to ally with Alaric and to agree on his demands: the King would become Magister Militum, the Goths would be settled between Ligara and Garunna (mostly the provinces Aquitania I and II), the Hasdingi would settle north of them around Lutetia and Senones and finally Saturninus would be blamed for this war and executed. In exchange for this Alaric would march against Mallius and Gildo.
King Godigisel of the Hasdingi and Gainas, now his advisor, began in the name of Honorius’ their campaign against Gildo’s troops in Italia. Even if they now fought for the Empire, so were they nevertheless plundering all the way to the south and camped symbolically near the city of Rome to provoke the Romans and to remind them, who is now in power. At Easter 402 AD, while waiting for the African troops to challenge the Hasdingi in an open battle, Gainas and some of his soldiers entered Rome to celebrate the Holy (Arian) Mass in Rome. That was the last straw to convince the population and the senate, that these barbarians were not only scornful and disrespectful but a threat for the Empire, its culture and tradition. After Gainas left the city again and the Hasdingi moved further to the south east in the hope to be able to challenge the Africans there, the Senate decided to side with Honorius’ enemies.
In the meantime, Alaric marched into Gallia and Mallius flew to the south into Hispania. The Goth king took Vienna without battle, secured the Pyrenees passes and decided to move to the north and destroy the German military backbone of Mallius, namely Sigiric’s troops, before turning to the south to finally end the usurpation.
Honorius’ decision to trust in Alaric as an ally affected all participants of the war. Arcadius lost control over his young brother and both parts of the empire seem to drift away from each other. Hasding King Godigisel blames Gainas for the loss of Rome to Gildo and cracks show between both; Godigisel builds up his oldest son Gunderic to be next king, while Gainas prefers the king’s younger son Geiseric. The leader of the Hasdingi begins to dislike his mighty advisor Gainas but the soldiers seem to favour him more than their own king. Godigisel sinks into powerlessness, whereas Gainas becomes the real ruler. In Hispania Mallius meets with one of Gildo’s legates; who informs him that Africa is now on his side. Britannia breaks away from the Empire as Alaric demands - in a very rude manner - that their troops should fight in Gallia. The island is now ruled by the former soldier and now Augustus Constantinus, who prefers to stay their instead of fighting on the tumultuous mainland. Lacking the Britannian troops Alaric is unable to decide the war in Gallia in his favour but has to fight a long and exhausting campaign against Sigiric. The remaining Italian forces couldn’t stop parts of the Alemannians to break through the Alpine passes and plunder several cities. Honorius relocates the court to the freshly conquered but far saver Arelate in the summer of 403 AD. Here on the bank of the Rhodanus, the Emperor can do nothing but wait for Alaric to win or to fall and he would follow him.
Chapter V: Pannonia
“Over me are only the gods.” – Thorigais
Uldin, King of the Huns - not all of them, but the most – is facing his nightmare. The Empire he built up in the last years could collapse if he loses this battle. The Hun King looks terrifying; his face is full of scares, his head bald and deformed. The Romans fear him, they know why so many tribes cross their borders and they know the Huns are the reason for all this, but not Roman troops will challenge Uldin, not a single army dared to cross the Danubius, today he will fight his own fellows.
Thorigais, Leader of the Eastern Goths – and some other tribes – is young, ambitious and hates the Huns. He was born as his people were already enslaved by them, he never saw the Kingdom of Ermanaric but he knows that the Goth won’t stay forever under the Hunnic rule. The young man enjoyed the Hun King’s trust, always did Thorigais anything to please Uldin, he fought his battles, even striked down the Gothic rebellion of Radagais. As the King led an army into the devastated Pannonia in 401 AD, which was left by Roman armies and Vandalian settlers, Thorigais followed him dutiful, but as Uldin left to smash a rebellion in the south east, he gave the command over the Pannonian troops to his cousin. Thorigais used the weakness of his new lord to shake of the Hunnic yoke. Before Uldin even could arrive in Dacia and beat down the revolt, his cousin’s head already reached him.
While the Hun King destroyed all resistance against him in Dacia, Thorigais used the time to build up his own army. He gathered the German tribes around him that lived under the Hunnic rule and formed a confederation against Uldin. Even the Siligian Vasals, who were on their way to the south to enter the Imperium, joined Thorigais. Other tribes he ruled were the Gepids, the Eruli and the Sciri.
It was a cold and windy day on which Uldin attacked. The cloud of arrows that was supposed to smash Thorigais’ troops was stopped by the clouds of the sky, which turned the once dry ground into a field of mud. Lightings, like a divine omen, stroke into the trees behind the Hunnic troops. This day would be known as the Battle of the Storms. The Hunnic rule was broken on this day, only for now and only in Pannonia, but Uldin was dead, his troops defeated, his empire collapsed, Thorigais ruler of Pannonia. Soon a letter from Honorius would arrive at his residence in Savaria and an answer would follow immediately:
“Oh Augustus, you are demanding tribute, you demand that I obey your rule!? [..] You don’t rule over this land, not even over your own. Do you believe I know nothing about your Empire? […] Who shall help you, helpless little Augustus? The Goths of Gallia? They don’t save you, they rule over you! The Vandals of Italia? They don’t save you, they hate you! […] You are not my lord, there is no one ruling me; over me are only the gods!”
What he said about the Roman Empire was true. Only a few months later the Vandals, under Gainas command, conquered the rebellious city of Rome and slaughtered ten thousands. Over the next year Gainas and Godigisel stayed near Rome in Portus before they left the mainland to conquer Sicilia. In Gallia Alaric was finally able to force a peace with the Franks in the summer of 405. The land in which the Goths and Vandals should settle was secured, but Gainas refused to leave Sicilia again. Honorius was forced to grant the Vandals the islands.
Thorigais was right about the instability of Rome, but he overestimated his power. After the Huns were beaten, the confederated tribes split. The Gepids overthrew Thorigais, his Empire fell and his Goths marched to the west and joint Honorius as foederati under their new ruler Himivin. The Gepids stayed in Pannonia, whereas a third group of mixed heritage, on the search for land and wealth, moved to the south-east.
Chapter VI: Scipio ante Portas
”Hannibal is what Carthago needs in these days; a man who doesn’t fear the enemy, who knows empire is mortal and who has the courage to try the impossible. Oh my Hannibal where are you?” – Gildo
Ortygia is the cradle of Siracusae. Gainas would like to rename the small island off the coast of Sicilia, give her a title that suits her more, now that the Vandals rule here. The people should know by the name alone that not Romans or Greeks are in control of island and city but Vandals. Maybe: Gainasia, Gainopolis; no, he is not King, that’s not appropriated. Godigisela, or –um, or maybe Godigiselopolis; no, to long and this bastard is not worth having a city named in his honour. Vandalia?
For now Gainas has to think about other things, than names, more important things. Alaric and Honorius ordered ships. A whole fleet they want, where is he supposed to get so many ships from, maybe from the harbour right next to him? Yes, there are ships, many of them and they actually belong to the Empire but why should he give them back? He conquered the island with them, in Honorius’ name, but he never gave the island back. How can he now trust the emperor? Gainas stole from him and defraud him of his island, why shouldn’t he seek revenge, why shouldn’t he betray him? No ship will leave this island towards Africa to defeat the Tyrant of Carthago, at least not without his loyal Vandals. If the Usurper should fall than he should fall through German hands.
What has Honorius without Gainas? Nothing! An empire, he doesn’t control but Alaric, provinces in rebellion and no ships to beat them down. With some bad luck Africa could even fall to Arcadius, if the East feels like grabbing for it. What is Gainas without Honorius; a dubious ally, maybe a pirate, a potential target for Constantinople or an independent ruler by everything but name? And with Honorius? Maybe he will be the ruler of Africa or maybe nothing but just a little piece in the great game for Rome. For now it seems the emperor needs Gainas more than the other way around, that means he will get his ships, but not without Vandals. Carthago will fall.
The gates of Carthago, which are now broken, still show how Gildo tried to protect his city - with elephants. Not real ones, but with blood painted, big eared and long nosed animals, guard the gates. Their red bodies are flat and made out of the blood of prisoners, which were taken out of their cells, lost their heads – which were used as terrifying warnings for the Vandals – and were robbed of their blood. But his elephant army couldn’t save Gildo, neither could his human one. Carthago fell in the spring of 407. The Tyrant of Africa is dead and his palace is conquered. Vandalia would also sound good for this city. But again Gainas has better things to do than thinking of names. Today he will show mercy with four of his prisoners, because the emperor feels sentimental for them and asked for it and he feels like granting him this wish – actually it’s a command but what does he care for Honorius’ commands.
He would have nearly killed him, killed this ungrateful bastard. What does he think he is, his life depended on him but he was stupid enough to open his mouth and accuse him of murder, what right does he believes he has? Murderer! He did not even touch his father, let alone killing him. Gainas even liked him more or less. But in the end it was his, Stilicho’s, decision to stay with Honorius. They could have marched together at Mediolanum or Constantinople. Not he killed Stilicho, but his own stupidity. How dare Eucherius to call him a murderer ever again. At Narona a potential ally died in Gainas’ eyes, but not an enemy. Eucherius, his young wife, his mother and his sisters can go away from this place, far away, to a place which was chosen by the court in Arelate. Their new home would be a small but nice mansion near Burdigala, close to the Goths and the Atlantic, far away from the centre of the empire and even farer away from Gainas, who would kill this brat if he would come close to him ever again.
Gildo was dead, Mallius Theodorus, who is hiding somewhere in Africa since the fall of Gallia, not yet and that made him the reason for Gainas to send his troops to the west, to Mauretania, to find the Usurper and to expand his influence. Mallius has to be defeated once and for all and Gainas has to do it if he wants control over all of Africa.
Gainas thought he would never hear of Eucherius again and he won’t. He will be death when Eucherius great time comes.
Rome 407
Chapter VII: Flavia
“The future is secured, for them, for us, for everyone. “ – Nicomachus Flavianus
Galla: daughter of Nicomachus Flavianus and Galla, soon to marry Honorius, whose sister is named Galla and whose stepmother is also called Galla. Not only because of this potential danger of confusion, but also because of her hair, which, lighter than her younger brother’s, is still not blonde but a shade of brown, she is called Flavia, the blonde one. Sometimes she is also referred to as Galla Minor, Flaviana or Flavianilla.
The emperor marries, a girl of 14 years, a decade younger than him. Honorius was married before, to a granddaughter of his general Saturninus, but the girl died and so did later the general. This time it seems more promising, the bride seems healthy, she is pretty and most important she is from a mighty family - actually two families. Her father is a Nicomachi, her mother a Symmachi. Both are mighty and old clans of Rome, only challenged in power by the Anicii. Honorius hopes to gain some popularity among the Roman nobility with this move and also an heir for his throne. Even if he tries to win over the nobility and the senate, so is he too afraid to celebrate the wedding in the city of Rome. He prefers to stay in Arelate, close to his protector Alaric.
Two weeks before the wedding the Goth King appears in the city. Just a few days earlier he was still fighting in northern Gallia but now he is back with some news - good or bad ones; hard to tell. The Alani and Silingi, which crossed the Rhine in 398 with the other tribes, were plundering Gallia for over 10 years now. They mostly concentrated on the northwest. Neither did they ally like the other tribes with Mallius, nor did they found an own realm to rule. They went restless to the west, the south, than to the north-east and following the Ligara upwards as Alaric’s troops entered Gallia. They were in Burdigala, Turonum and Lutetia but on none of these places did they establish a kingdom. As they followed the Ligara they even split in several smaller groups, devastating the land. All of them continued their way to the north-west, the area dominated by Sequana and Ligara. Every single group was a little army for itself making it impossible for Alaric to win over them, not because they were too strong but they were too many. He didn’t meet a single big army that he could challenge in a battle. But in 408 the young Silingi Theuderic convinced the leaders of the most groups that they need to work together to secure their freedom and defeat Alaric. Theuderic, now King of Vandals and Alans, led his troops in the beginning of 409 in a Battle against Alaric. The Goth King won but made a pact with the losers.
He arrives in Arelate with this news and proves how powerless Honorius really is. He settled the Vandals and Alans between Ligara and Sequana, without even asking for permission. Alaric justifies his decision with the fact that this land was reserved for the Sicilian Vandals, but they refused to settle there, so the land fell to their Silingian cousins, which were already in this area. Not the most convincing justification but who can question his decisions?
The day of the wedding was a cold one, not only because of the weather, but also because of the people who came to witness the event. No one of the senators, which were present in the city liked to see the barbarians, especially because they still remember how Gainas and Godigisel plundered the city in the emperor’s name and slaughtered many noblemen. The Germanics that arrived also preferred to stay alone. Mistrust poisoned the air in the city. The emperor himself didn’t show any emotion on this day. The bride on the other hand seemed more to be more moved by the events, she didn’t love the man she was going to marry and she was not excited about being with him, but she knew what power she could gain. Her ancestors were philosophers, scholars and bureaucrats, but she was different. As a boy she would have been a general or emperor, but as a girl she was only a link between Honorius and the senatorial elite. Maybe in future she could be able to prove herself as a leader. As she stood in front of the altar, it was clear to her who was the mightiest man in the room; not her husband, not her father, none of the senators, but the barbarian in the back of the church, who was a bit tipsy and the only one, smiling all the time, King Alaric. She hated him. He was a barbarian and also looked like one, he even stunk like one. His pride seemed like arrogance to the young empress and his power was torture for her. Flavia disliked all Germans, she was young as Rome burned because of them but she remembers and she won’t forgive.
Besides Alaric and his guard were no other Germans in the church. The Burgundian King and his fellows stayed outside the city and only appeared to compliment the emperor, whereas the Frankish King and Vandal King Godigisel didn’t even appear in Arelate; the latter because he had to fear for his life since the sack of Rome, the first because he had to fight enemies in his own territory. The King of the Pannonian Goths, Himivin, a man with religious spirit, stayed away from the Trinitarian church, mostly because he thought bad about the Roman way of Christianity, he didn’t like the Romans so much in general, but knew that his people could for now only survive in an alliance with them. On the others side did he like Alaric pretty much and both drunk together the night before – that’s the reason the King appeared tipsy in the church.
The kings would leave the city again a few days later, so did the senators, but Flavia stayed and would become Empress of the falling empire.
Chapter VIII: The head of Mallius
“A head is a head and a lie is a lie.” – Honorius
Gainas smashed the rests of Mallius Theodorus’ empire in the battle of Hippo in 408 AD. By then Numidia was already conquered by the Vandals and after the battle the Mauretanian coast fell also back to the empire. At Hippo even Mallius’ general died, but not, and that drove Gainas mad, the Usurper himself. Nobody actually knew where he was; maybe he was already dead and rotted in the dessert. But as long as there were no evidences of his death he would be a major problem for Gainas. The Mauretanian tribes, that raided the Vandalo-Roman coastal cities, never claimed to act on Mallius’ command and he wasn’t seen with them but people on Honorius’ court nevertheless suggested again and again that Mallius’ was behind their attacks and accused Gainas, to be unable or unwilling to finally find and kill the usurper.
In the winter of 408/409 Gainas made a radical decision; he sent his guard out in Sicilia and Carthago to find a man who should look as close to the usurper himself as possible. The guards took coins of Mallius’ image with them and studied the artworks that showed him before they left the palace. Three weeks later they arrived with an old peasant, around Mallius’ age, who, even if he worked his whole life, had soft and pale skin. His eyes, nose and mouth looked like the ones of the usurper, only his haircut and his beard didn’t seem like Mallius at all, but a scissor here and there and he seemed pretty imperial. After the scissors the sword came and Gainas had a head he could proudly send to the Emperor in Arelate.
It was a dangerous and probably mad plan to actually claim that this would be the head of Mallius Theodorus, but Gainas hoped on the one hand that no one would notice that it isn’t Mallius and on the other that even if the Emperor would find out that he wouldn’t do anything because he would be satisfied with this solution. But Gainas was wrong, many people on Honorius’ court had seen Mallius before, they knew how he looked like, were aware of the little details of his face and could tell that this is not the usurper. Gainas attempt to fool the Emperor didn’t stay a secret, the news spread over the Empire and Honorius had to act. It was thanks to the influence of the young Empress Flavia, that the Britannian usurper Constantinus was spared by Honorius forces for now. The fleet which was built on the channel coast in the last years to challenge Constantinus’ fleet, which was actually the former Roman fleet in this area, was moved further to the south, in order to bring Honorius armies from Hispania to Mauretania. From here on they were supposed to fight their way through northern Africa to Carthago and find Mallius and destroy the Vandals.
Before even a single battle was fought the Blood Weeks of Carthago occurred: Gainas was found dead in the streets, killed by conspirators, whose goal it was to prevent a war with Rome and the potential fall of the Vandal Empire. It was rumoured that the head of the conspiracy was King Godigisel himself, who tried to escape the shadow of his popular advisor and general. Only a few days later the King was dead, assassinated but no one knew who was behind it. The King’s son and designated heir Gunderic, claimed that his brother Geiseric would be his father’s murderer. Geiseric on the other hand accused Gunderic of killing their father and Gainas, who was Geiseric’s patron. Supported by the Gainasian group in Carthago, the young and charismatic Geiseric ordered to kill Gunderic, his family and his supporters. He also organised the marriage between him and Gainas’ daughter, which included killing her husband. After eliminating his enemies in the Empire, he changed the course of foreign policy. He allied with the Mauretanians against the Romans and promised them the land west of Caesarea and also the hinterland apart the coast east of it.
In the autumn of 409 the Roman fleet was defeated by the Vandals near Sardinia, mostly because of the lack of experience on the Roman side. The most of the surviving ships switched sides and conquered, instead of Africa, Sardinia. On land the Romans also lost their luck and were beaten, after first successes, by united Vandal and Mauretanian forces. In the end of the year the last Roman forces were driven out of Mauretania. Even Tripolitania, which was not under Vandalian control before the war, was conquered by Geiseric. In the first months of 410 also Corsica and the Balearic Islands fell to the Vandals. The rests of the Imperial fleet were smashed in the summer and Rome suffered under starvation and plagues, caused by the blockade of Ostia and Portus by the Vandals.
Honorius showed unable to handle the situation, especially because the Empire’s legions were needed on the northern border against the rebellious Germans. In the middle of this unstable situation, two children were born in the spring of 411, two sons, one to Honorius, named Theodosius, one to Geiseric, named Gainas.
Chapter IX: Borders of the Empire
“Poor old ship, the sailors left you to the pirates.” – Gerontius
Emerita Augusta, capital of Lusitania and close to the last legions in southern Hispania, received in the spring of 412 AD apocalyptical news: Several ships got attacked near Olisipo by German pirates. It is not clear who exactly did it, if it were the Saxons or Franks than it would mean that they came as south as never before, if it were the Vandals than not even the Atlantic coast would be safe from them anymore. What matters is that Lusitania is now not anymore a relatively peaceful place in this sea of war. Several years ago Alaric troops crossed the mountains in the north but they moved back to Gallia as Mallius’ empire was destroyed. Especially Lusitania and its capital Emerita stayed relatevly unharmed during this campaign but now Hispania is nearly without defence. Honorius moved the most legions to Africa, where they got destroyed, and only a few troops stayed on the peninsula.
Gerontius, Comes of the Hispanian legions, used the insecurity and the rumours in the city of Emerita, to claim for himself to be the protector of the local Roman population from all foreign powers, including the emperor in Arelate. His inspiration was probably Constantinus, the Roman emperor of Britannia, who stayed on the island and secured it instead of getting drawn into the conflicts of the mainland. Also Postumus’ Gallic Empire, of the third century, could have been an example of an independent but still Roman state and even the German ruler, which dominate the collapsing empire now, act like independent kings in their territory. The next logical step for a Roman general could only be to grab land from the empire before the barbarians do. Not that Gerontius would have hated Germans – he had many foreign soldiers in his troops – no, he just didn’t believe that they could be leaders of some civilized state. The current empire under Honorius was for him nothing but an old sinking Gothic ship, which was once made by Romans and still sails under the builder’s flag.
Filigund, king of the Silingi and Alani, was the first to call Gerontius Rex Hispanorum. Gerontius himself claimed to be emperor, even if the title of a king would have been more appropriated. He would of course not deny the rule over the whole Roman world, if it would fall into his hands, but he is smart enough to know that the time of the great empires is over, at least in the west. On his coins he appears with the title of the Restorer of Hispania - more a plan for the future, than an achievement - but still a pleasant title for the ruler of the peninsula. Nevertheless around the whole Mediterranean he was soon known as the King who is Roman but is fighting the empire. The novelty was not, that he fought the empire but that he was Roman. That barbarians broke free from Rome, like Alaric or Gainas did, was nothing new, but that a Roman general would do that, didn’t happen for 150 years and was already forgotten by the most people. Constantinus in Britannia was no shock for the Romans, he still claimed to rule the whole empire, but Gerontius was for only claiming a part. He was a sign of the decline of the west.
Alaric, King of the Goths and Magister Militum, died in the winter of 413; he fell from his horse and broke his back. The great and unforgotten King of the Goths suffered several weeks before he finally passed away. The Goths thought Alaric’s successor, Odo, would be granted the title of the Magister Militum but empress Flavia convinced Honorius to proclaim Asterius, leader of the Italian troops, new general of the west. With this decision the empress was planning to reduce the German influence in her empire and succeeded in some way with it; Odo broke with Rome. The Second Gothic War begun.
Asterius moved the emperor’s court back to Mediolanum and begun to concentrate his troops in the Valley of the Rhondanus. Further to the north-west Odo united his forces with the ones of Filigund in the meantime. The King was also in contact with the leaders of the Franks, which stayed officially on Rome’s side but actually acted neutral in the war and didn’t attack the Goths. The Burgundians on the other side were sending troops to Asterius, they formed together with Hunnish auxiliaries and Alemannian forces the backbone of the Roman army.
As the first snow fell in the year 413 the Western Empire was already collapsing: Hispania and Gallia are in revolt, Africa is free from Roman forces, Britannia is de facto independent and Dalmatia is ruled by the East. Honorius, Arcadius, Flavia, Asterius Odo, Geiseric, Filigund, Gerontius; all of them decide over the fate of the Roman world.
Rome 413
Chapter X: Imperial Blood
“Sire, your own blood may flow in your children’s veins, not on the battle field, but years will pass and from generation to generation, more drops of your blood will run out of your offspring’s flesh, down our swords, into the ground, following the water of once Roman rivers to the sea. You will salt the ocean more with every generation and may your own body rest one day in the Italian soil, your blood will never rest.” – Odo
Aelia Eudoxia is 34 years old and gave birth to ten children. It was her duty as the wife of Arcadius and Empress of Rome to produce a potential heir, but she failed every single time. Eight daughters gave she birth to, one son died only a few hours after he saw the daylight the first and last time; he should have been a second Theodosius. Now she lays in her own sweat and blood, in unbelievable pain, and dies the death of a dutiful wife: giving birth to the tenth child, a healthy son.
Gratianus, born 414 AD, is the long awaited heir of the eastern throne. Arcadius feared his brother’s children could rule one day in Constantinople and should they prove to be as week as their father, it would be the end of the east too. The emperor would have liked to name the child after his own father, Theodosius, but Galla Flavia, his sister-in-law, gave birth to a Theodosius three years earlier. Naming the child Arcadius would have been an option, but that seems so egocentric and a bit impropriated in the emperors eyes. So Arcadius decided in favour of the name of the former emperor Gratianus, a short-lived half-brother of him had also this name and his family and Gratian’s are more or less related.
Flavius Aelius Gratianus – Aelius in honour of his mother – had as he was born four siblings, the other five died before him, all of them girls. From the oldest to the youngest there were Arcadia, Pulcheria, Theodosia and Thermantia. At Gratianus’ birth his father was already planning the wedding of Arcadia. A son of her could be a fall-back option if Gratianus shouldn’t live long enough to take his father’s throne.
Exactly six month after the birth of his son, Arcadius married his oldest daughter to the son of his general Gaudentius, a young man named Aetius. It would not be the last wedding of the year but the last the world would take such notice of. In the winter of 414, near the Atlantic, in the province of Aremorica, far away from Rome, closer to the Barbarians than to the Emperors, a relative of Honorius and Arcadius marries again; Eucherius. The son of Stilicho and Serena lost his first wife as he escaped from Burdigala, fleeing Odo’s Gothic troops, who sieged the city. With small ships did he, his families and his friends escape, his wife got sick and died before they reached northern Gallia, but Eucherius himself survived and so did his son Serenus. Gildo was the father of Serenus mother, his new step mother is a niece of the leader of the Suindini. They are the former inhabitants of Suindinum and the surrounding but lost their home to the plundering Silingi. Here a bit further to the west they try to build up an alliance against the invaders and seek to reconquer their homeland.
A few months later in the beginning of 415 the dream of the Suindini became true, at least the first part of it; the cities of Aremorica are united in their fight against the Goths and Silingi, even some Frankish tribes fight now on their site. Honorius has no power over this alliance; they swore loyalty to Constantinus in Britannia but even he doesn’t really rule them. The emperor stayed on his island with the most of the troops, whereas his son and Caesar, of the same name, led some soldiers to the mainland. In theory Caesar Constantinus commands the troops, but de facto it is Eucherius who leads the Aremoricans in the war for Gallia. The time for Stlicho’s son has come.
The Silingi and Goths move with the biggest part of their army to south-west, towards the Alps and into Hispania. The magister militum of the west, Asterius, was able to stop them for short time in the beginning of the war, but now, in the autumn of 415, they destroyed already the most of the Roman army. They crossed the Rhodanus and took Nemausus and Arelate. Asterius collects the rests of his troops on the Italian side of the Alps, awaiting Odo’s horde on the other side of the mountains. Waiting are also Honorius and Eucherius. The first in the palace at Mediolanum, the latter on the battle field near the Sequana, both waiting for their wives to give birth.
Two weeks later Honorius will get a daughter, Honoria; Eucherius a son, Romanus; blood flows in the empire: on the battle field and in the veins.
Chapter XI: Edges of the World
“O God, why does the world end in my days?” – Honorius
It is the year 416 AD and the Empire is falling. The Mare Nostrum, once nothing but a Roman lake and at the same time heart of the Empire, is now the territory of the barbarians. The west lost Africa and the East couldn’t reconquer it; Arcadius’ ships sunk against Geiseric’s fleet. It might be the Vandal King’s greatest victory, that he forced the Emperors to accept his African Realm. It weren’t the lost battles, which made the brothers so weak, that they accepted an independent kingdom, it was the hunger. The population of Rome depends on the grain from Africa and for years not a single ship from Cartagho reached Italia and brought food to the starving population. The end of the Vandalian War is the end of the Roman hunger years.
On the other edge of the known world, in the steppes of the Scythians, a king rose upon the local rulers. The Huns, north the Pontic Sea, are united under one banner again, 11 years after the fall of Udin, ruler of the Danubian tribes. Ultzindur is the mightiest man of all the rulers of the steppe. He united the most Hunnic tribes and led them already against the peoples of the northern Caucasus. Only the Huns which were once the core of Uldin’s empire are not yet part of Ultzindur’s domain. They settle mostly on the northern bank of the Danube and are busy with internal fights. Also some Goths are under them and other Germanics and furthermore some Romans live still in these lands.
417 AD is the year of Ultzindur: first the Delta of the Danube, then the plains of southern Dacia fall to his hordes. Many Huns cross in this year the Danube, not to conquer but to flee their invading brothers. They become part of the Eastern army and most of them will lose their life in the war for Rome.
The king of the Pannonian Goths, Himivin, heard about the rise of a new Hunnic ruler, shortly after Ultzindur’s Dacian invasion. For the King it was certainly a bad sign. He had plans, big plans: the conversation of the Transdanubian tribes. Under all kings, he was the one with the biggest religious spirit but he had nevertheless a sense for political necessity. Himivin grew up under Hunnic rule and fears nothing more but their return. The Baiuvari, Quadi and Marcomanni had to wait and stay pagans for now. The king needs a plan if the Huns should advance until Pannonia. His people could move to the north over the Danube but on the other hand will this land probably also fall to Ultzindur. The south would be another option. Himivin feared the Romans much less than the Huns, but taking Italia would still be an ambitious project.
If Odo should invade Italia, Himivin will attack from the north-east. In the moment the Roman armies under Asterius still hold on the Alpine passes but it is only a matter of time until the Goths sweep into the empire’s heartland. Honorius rule is limited on Italia. Gallia is lost to Odo and also to Eucherius. The later was able to gain land in the north against the Silingi, mostly because their troops are busy in the south. Eucherius’ formal master is emperor Constantinus and his son of the same name. The younger Constantinus left the command over the continental army completely to Eucherius, who was also promoted Magister Militum and Patricius of the empire. The young prince, lacking military talent, prefers to stay on the island. His father reformed the instable Britannian provinces already a few years ago: the field army, the comitatenses, was reduzed in terms of size whereas the border troops, the limitatei, were enlarged. The Britannian army adapted a defensive strategy. Most soldiers have family, didn’t see the continent for over a decade and are not willing to leave their home for the bloody barbarian playground of Gallia.
Eucherius acts nearly independent from the Emperor in Britannia. His army’s backbone consist of Aremoricans, Franks and even some Saxons; whereas Britannians make up only a tiny part of his troop.
At all edges of the Roman world, the imperial rule is shrinking and Honorius and Asterius control nothing anymore but Italia.
Chapter XII: Theodosius
“Oh, dear cousin, you are dead and I am alive, but you don’t see me crying over that. We all have to depart this life one day or another. You went early and won’t come back. I never cry a tear; I will need my eyes in these days more than ever before.” – Eucherius
418: the snow did not melt yet in Pannonia, Odo breaks through the passes, the Gepids fight the Huns and Himivin and his men start the march to the south. As the news, of the attacking Pannonian Goths reaches Mediolanum, panic spreads. On the following day the Emperor is found dead – suicide. Flavia and her young children, Honoria and Theodosius, flee to the south-west.
In Pollentia, close to the advancing Western Goths, Flavia marries, only a few weeks after Honorius death, her mighty general Asterius. The army accepts Theodosius as rightful heir and emperor but the power lies in the hands of Flavia and Asterius. In the decades and centuries to come many will say the emperor’s suicide was a lie, the empress and the general were lovers for years. It will be the material of literature and theatre play but the truth is a mystery of history.
Himivin took Ravenna without fight, the city surrendered. The most of the peninsula east of the Apennine fell to his troops before summer. In the meantime Odo fought his way along the Padus. After Himivin turned north again both rulers meet near Florentia. The Pannonian enjoyed the company of Alaric but now he is meeting his successor: Odo. The king is a rather short but sturdy man, around 40 years of age, less charismatic and diplomatic than his predecessor. Nevertheless is he able to talk Himivin into an alliance not only against Rome but also against the Britannian troops in the north. Both agree on following: peace with Rome only in great favour for both kings; the Pannonians settle at the Rodanus and in Italia, whereas the Gallians expand into Hispania and to the north.
One thing Odo was ignoring in his plan: Eucherius - a man with many faces, imperial general, leader of the Aremoricans, commander of the Barbarians - gathered enough troops around him to actually thread the Goths. They fought on to many fronts, against Gerontius in the south, Asterius in the west and the Britannians in the north. Britannian is maybe not the right word to describe an army that consists mostly of Franks and Aremoricans. Eucherius is certainly one of the most interesting characters in this game for power. He has more charisma than all other commanders combined and is a born general. He is definitely his father’s child, a new Stilicho.
The Silingi had to leave the battle fields of Italia to defend what became in the last years their home. Eucherius took one city after the other. His army was growing and so was the fear of the Silingian king Filligund. Odo hated to see his ally heading north, he underestimated the Britannians strength and saw Filligund’s move as betrayal. The Silingian left to many people behind in Gallia - Eucherius is devastating the countryside and doesn’t show mercy with the Silingi - if the king’s troops won’t return it would mean betrayal on their families. Filligund tried his best but he failed. After facing Eucherius army and losing in the fight, he knew two things: 1st Eucherius is too strong and 2nd Odo won’t help him now. Before getting smashed between the Britannians and the independent Burgundians in the west, Filligund decides to change sites.
Arcadius panicked as he heard his brother is dead and so the first east Roman troops arrive in Italia around Christmas 418, after they marched through Dalmatia. More would follow later but the most soldiers would stay in the east, fighting the Persians. The emperor sent one of his best generals to Italia: Gaudentius, and with him his son Aetius arrives in the west. The Goths under Himivin and Odo were unable to challenge Asterius in an open field battle and decided to siege and conquer Rome instead. The city fell as spring came but the Goths were not the rulers of the eternal city for a long time. Asterius avoided the Goths carefully and united his forces with Gaudentius army only a few weeks after the city fell. The battle for Rome began finally in April of 419 AD.
The Goths would have been eliminated, wouldn’t the most of the east Roman troops be at the Persian border fighting the Sassanid Empire. It was still a disastrous defeat for the Germans. Rome was lost for the Goths, one of their kings died in the battle, namely Odo. Himivin, the surviving king, was declared ruler of all Goths by his troops and became the first to rule over all them.
After the defeat at Rome the Goths withdrew to the north. The Romans split their army again, believing Himlvin would be vulnerable and easy to defeat again, but the imperials lost their second battle. Gaudentius himself died and the troops appointed his son Aetius as their new commander. The other half of the army, under Asterius’ command, stayed near Rome in the meantime. The northern army would suffer in several battles against the Goths and the game seemed to be on again, as in the late October the Theodosian Wonder happened: Eucherius’ army swept into the Rhone valley and the Gothic army under Himivin was nearly encircled by the Romans.
Himivin saw no way to win this war without losing the most of his men in the battle, Arcadius needed his Italian troops in the east, Eucherius wanted to secure his gains, Constantinus was more than surprised to hear how well his general did, the Romans were tired of war and Flavia wanted to save the throne for her son. And so the east, the west, the Britannians and the Goths met in Mediolanum and the Christmas of 419 would be a peaceful one. The Goths gained the Rhone valley, a part of Italia and Taragona, the Silingi were moved a bit to the east, Theodosius II. and Constantinus III. were both accepted as emperors, the latter as Junior Augustus and the first as Senior Augustus, the west would be split between them, the Britannians gained northern and western Gallia, the unconquered part of Gerontius’ Hispania would be divided later, Eucherius gained the command over all non-Gothic forces in Gallia, Himivin accepted the formal rule of the emperors but his people stay autonomous.
An unsatisfying solution.
Chapter XIII: Serenus and Luitgard
“Saxon land is Saxon land and Roman land is Roman land.” – Luitgard
The winter is over, the peace holds already for some months but it is fragile. Out of this reason Dynastical links are supposed to cement the current alliances.
Eucherius' younger son, Romanus, marries the oldest daughter of Galla Placidia, Anicia Justa Honoria. Both are infants and too young to have children, it is mostly a symbolical act. But of much greater symbolism are the other weddings of the year, mostly because Eucherius and Galla Placidia and each other’s offspring are considered to be less important, than the children of the kings and emperors. At Easter 420 Himivin’s oldest son and potential heir, Theodavin, marries Theodosia, a daughter of Arcadius, and Constantinus, Caesar of Britannia and Gallia, marries her sister Pulcheria. Both weddings take place in Mediolanum.
The last wedding of the year, the one of Serenus and a girl of Saxon origin, was probably the one the world took the least notice of but the one of the greatest importance. While Eucherius stayed near Italia and the Alps to secure the south-eastern border of his or de jure Constantinus’ domain, begun his son, a boy of 14 years, to consolidate the northern area of the empire. Serenus has his father’s most loyal fellows around him; here in the wilderness of northern Gallia he will learn how to lead an army and a country.
The land south of the Sequana lost most of its inhabitants in the war, the cities of Namentus and Andecavorum were mostly destroyed and had nearly no citizens anymore. Eucherius decided to repopulate these areas to have the River Ligara as an effective border to the Goths. Serenus mission is to recruit settlers for this land and so did he travel around northern Gallia searching for men that were willing to live there. He found them on the ships and boats of the Empire, mostly former pirates that now fight for the emperor. Nearly all of these men are Saxons or Franks. A few weeks later Serenus finds himself on an island of the Rhenus Delta. Here on the border of the Roman world he meets with a leader of a little Saxon tribe, to negotiate about moving his people to the south. In the end Serenus grants the tribe several rights and takes the leader’s daughter as his wife.
A few months later the Saxons’ leader dies and his son Luitgard, brother-in-law to Serenus, becomes their leader or Dux, as the Romans say. He leads them to the Rhine and along the coast then to the souths towards the Ligara, where they unite with the other settlers Serenus could recruit. They won’t be the last settlers that move to the west. Britannia also needs settlers to keep its borders intact.
In the autumn of 421 Luitgard and his people arrive in Namentus and Andecavorum. Most of them have never seen such cities before, even if they were now mostly destroyed. The Saxons called these settlements Burgi. So the new resistance of Luitgard became known under the Germanic tribes as Namntburg.
The Serenus’ settlers knew who they had to thank for their new home, him and his family. They would follow him, Eucherius, Romanus or whoever of his family would need them into the battle. And like that thought the Aremoricans also, for them meant Eucherius more than the Emperor in Britannia. The rulers of Constantinus’ empire are the descendants of Stilicho. It makes sense to speak of the Britannian Empire, because the emperor’s power is limited to this island, like the power of Flavia and her son is limited to Italia, even if they rule de jure also the land of the Goths. Not Asterius, Flavia or Theodosius II. are the rulers of southern Gallia, but Himivin. His son might be married to the daughter of the eastern emperor, but he nevertheless disrespects the Romans, their way of Christianity and their liability to illusion. Little Theodosius is no emperor, he has no power. The Goths are independent and free they are the lords of this land now. The empire is an illusion and Himivin knows that, he plays their games, because for now the Romans and their illusion is not fallen, but it is on their knees. Soon there will be no emperor anymore. The time for the truth will come soon.
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