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okay, so i'm in rush but, some of these ideas are my own, some are yours and some may be from the comp tl ican't really say where i got it or when its just in my head you know? tell me if i jack you too much. here we go guys....


The Beginnings
The fift century BCE was a tumultuous one for the Roman Empire. The Empire was split East and West and were drifting further apart. In the West, the Emperor Honorius was a weak and of a feeble mind. Most of the real power was in the hands of Stilicho a romanized Vandal in charge of the Roman armies. Stilicho was opposed in the west by the Senate who feared his increasing power and hated his german blood. Stilicho’s ambitions centered on East-West relations, hoping to become the power behind both thrones.
In the east, the Empire’s true power was held by Rufinus, the Emperor Arcadius’ guardian and praetorian prefect. Arcadius, weak like his brother, was also controlled by his rich wife Eudoxia. The Patriarch of Constantinople, John of Antioch, opposed Eudoxia (b/c he believed she used her wealth to influence/control Arcadius), Rufinus (b/c of his abuse of power) and also Arcadius (b/c of his extravagent living and abuse of power.) John of Antioch was opposed by the Patriarch of Alexandria, Theophilus, who wished to bring Constantinople under his sway.
The Germanic peoples at this time were on the move. For decades the Visigoths had lived within Roman territory. Their king Alaric chafed under Roman rule, needing an outlet for his great leadership. Alaric was given control of Illyricum which he used as a stepping stone to further his power base.
Westward movement of the horesman tribes, the Huns forced many barbarian groups to flee further west. The Vandals, Arian kinsmen of the Visigoths, began to move west along the Danube, taking the Sueves, the Alans, and some Silingi with them under their king, Godigisel. When this amalgated tribe hits the Rhine, however, they begin to encounter the Franks. Several small battles take place, as both sides manuever into strategic positions.
In Africa, under the military commander and Bedouin Gildo a revolt took place tearing Rome’s grain supply away and handing it to the East. Stilicho suspected the work of the Eastern Empire in this and was probably right. When Arcadius refused to remedy the situation and honored the African secession.
Stilicho, of course, declares war.
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