The Vandal King.

396. Flavius Stilicho, Guardian of the Emperor Honorius, Commander-in-Chief of the armies of Rome, had finally cornered Alaric of the Ostrogoths in the Peloponnese. There was no room to escape, and the entire Gothic nation appeared on the brink of destruction. Alaric, hoping to rekindle memories in Stilicho’s heart of their former comradeship, asked for parlay. The two met with only two guards each and discussed their situation. They talked, sometimes heatedly, for an hour. When Stilicho returned to his army he told them that there would be no offensive against the Goths. Instead, they were joining forces to march on Constantinople.

At first this did not go down well with the soldiers, yet when Stilicho told them that he had no designs on the crown; that he sought only to restore the emperor and to remove the vile presence of the Praetorian captain Rufinus from him they consented. When they asked why the Goths were not to be destroyed Stilicho replied that Alaric had sworn on holy relics never to raid Rome again, and was to peacefully find his people a new homeland elsewhere.

The march on the capital hover was interrupted by the news of Rufinus’s death. He had been killed on the orders of the general Gainas who had replaced him as the power behind the throne. Stilicho sent word to Gainas saying that if he would not attack Stilicho, he could have the east and Stilicho would return to the west. Gainas agreed and his eastern army peaceably saw off Stilicho’s western army.

Stilicho and Alaric’s return to Italy was greeted with consternation by the Emperor Honorius. Stilicho and Alaric met him in Ravenna and both swore allegiance to him, yet Alaric maintained his demands of a homeland for the Gothic people. Stilicho, although a true Roman and loyal to the Empire, concurred and saw that it was necessary to placate the Goths, whose huge numbers and martial prowess made them dangerous enemies, especially within the empire’s borders. Honorius, however, refused, and ordered Stilicho to destroy Alaric. Stilicho refused, and Honorius mustered 30,000 men to defeat the barbarian general. The army of the west, however, by now largely barbarian in make-up, remained loyal to Stilicho and they fought Honorius at the Battle of the Po. The result was a decisive victory for Stilicho, who crushed Honorius’s legions and forced him back to Ravenna.

In 401 Honorius, safely ensconced in Ravenna, protected on three sides by water and marsh, sued for peace with Stilicho. Alaric was to be given land in Gaul and Stilicho married the Emperor’s daughter. This shameful compromise made Honorius even weaker and made Stilicho an object of envy to Romans everywhere; a barbarian was in line to succeed to the throne.

Alaric, having secured land for his people, settled them in Gaul along the Rhine frontier. There were two strings attached to the settlement: they had to pay a special tax to the Emperor and they had to defend the Rhine against barbarian incursions. In return they were given the status of a federated tribe, and Alaric was made a Senator. Alaric made his capital Colonia Claudia, which he renamed Colognia. With the permission of Stilicho, he broke up large estates and gave land to his people. The Goths turned to agriculture and grew their own crops. Some even turned to wine making. They were, however, constantly armed, and they served as potent warriors. The break-up of the large estates also saw large amounts of land be given up to smaller farmers, who bought the land off of Alaric himself. The wealthy landowners fled the area and many went to Spain, which was to become a hotbed of dissent against the barbarian king.


Comments, quearies, nit-picks, burning denunciations: all are welcome.
 

Nikephoros

Banned
Comments, quearies, nit-picks, burning denunciations: all are welcome.

Ask and you shall receive:

396. Flavius Stilicho, Guardian of the Emperor Honorius, Commander-in-Chief of the armies of Rome, had finally cornered Alaric of the Ostrogoths in the Peloponnese.

You mean Visigoths.

The army of the west, however, by now largely barbarian in make-up,

I'm not so sure about that. Unfortunately, I don't have my sources with me.

That's about all I have for now.
 
Ask and you shall receive:



You mean Visigoths.



I'm not so sure about that. Unfortunately, I don't have my sources with me.

That's about all I have for now.

Thanks for the note on the Goths- I get confused with those two. I shall do some further research.
Any with the army of the west, although the make up of the professionals is mostly Roman yet there are large numbers of irregulars and mercenaries e.g. vandals, alans etc.
 
The Vandal King Part 2

The West Roman Empire in the fifth century AD was beset by barbarian incursions. Driven west by Hunnic hordes led by Attila various tribes crossed the Rhine and the Danube attempting to find succour in the Roman empire. It was Stilicho who came up with a new strategy to deal with these incursions. Previously, all attempts had been made to maintain the Rhine and Danube frontiers. However, this meant that any failed incursion left the migratory tribes trapped between the Huns and the Romans. They almost invariably chose Rome.

Stilicho, therefore, allowed several barbarian tribes inside the empire and gave them land and titles. This system turned the barbarians into Federated Tribes- their leadership responsible for taxation and the upkeep of law and order. They would also give soldiers to the empire and swear loyalty to Rome annually.
This policy proved enormously unpopular among the landed classes. Landowners had seen the Goths drive aristocrats from their lands in Gaul and feared the same happening to their own possessions. When Stilicho informed Senators of his plan he was jeered and pelted. Stilicho, however, had the support of three key groups.

The first was the army. He had led the armies of the west successfully for years and had gained their respect. He promised them a cash pension or lands after their 30 year period of service was up (he had extended their period of service from 25 to 30 years). The army was predominantly barbarian, either mercenaries or levies, or poor Roman citizens who had little to lose from welcoming barbarians into Gaul and the Balkans. Indeed, Stilicho promised them land in Africa, Spain and Britain which they gleefully accepted.

The second group was the growing number of half-Romans in the empire. People like Stilicho, with one parent a ‘barbarian’ and another a Roman. These people generally gravitated towards less stringent measures towards the marauders and they supported Stilicho.

The third was the Goths. Thousands of these people new lived in Gaul and they were all very thankful to Stilicho. He was also fast friends with Alaric, who was their King and was made Governor of Germania Superior in 405 AD. He was also made a magister militum and a Praetor. The Goths would be one of Stilicho’s key assets.

In 404 AD the Vandal people entered the Roman empire in Gaul. Stilicho went to meet them with a force of 30,000 soldiers and had Alaric raise his own men. the Goths numbered some 90,000 warriors and these arrayed themselves against the Vandals. Alaric told the Vandal leader Gunderic that if the Vandals did not advance the negotiations would take place to relocate them within the empire. Gunderic accepted and when Stilicho arrived they met. Gunderic welcomed his fellow Vandal warmly and the three leaders talked. Finally a settlement was reached; the Vandals would be given Upper Pannonia and Noricum, which they would receive as their own lands which they would hold in the name of Rome and would pay tribute and loyalty to the Emperor as well as agreeing to fight for him when called upon. They agreed and the Vandal nation was escorted to their allotted lands by the army of the west, which restrained their raids.

The Vandals therefore (fairly) peaceably set up their own kingdom within Rome. The result, however, did not go down well in Ravenna. Emperor Honorius and the patricians and land owners who coalesced around him declared the surrender of Pannonia and Noricum treason and exiled Stilicho and the Goths, while declaring war on the Vandals in 405 AD. When he heard this news, Stilicho went around his camp pleading with his soldiers for their help. Of the 120,000 men under his command, only 9,000 refused to join him. he also received the backing of the Goths and Vandals. A host of some 150,000 men descended on Italy, taking Milan before turning on Ravenna. The capital was surrounded on all sides; Stilicho seemed to have won.

A relief force numbering 60,000 men under Maximus of Spain arrived in early 406 and he also had under his command 50,000 Franks, sworn enemies of the Vandals. He too had made a deal with the Franks. They would receive northern Gaul and Germania and in return would help him take the throne. The two forces met outside Ravenna for the second Battle of the Po. The fighting was fierce, the Frankish shield wall grinding through the masses of Vandals whom they fought tooth and nail. Stilicho’s infantry, meanwhile, swiftly routed Maximus’s soldiers; Stilicho’s being more experienced and more professional. This occurred in the centre, and then Alaric and the Goths, who here numbered some 30,000, swept into Maximus’s flank and shattered it. With only the Franks left in opposition, Stilicho called an end to the fighting. He offered terms to the Franks: they could accept his terms and take land in Gaul or they could all die. The Franks chose land, yet this outraged the Vandals, who demanded the wholesale massacre of the Frankish people.
Stilicho refused, however, and had the Goths (whom he thought of as neutral) escort the Franks to their new lands in Helvetica and the Upper Rhine.
The Vandals would not soon forget this insult, and no matter what Stilicho said they still bore a grudge.
With Maximus defeated, Stilicho turned once more to Ravenna. Honorius, seeing how hopeless the situation was, surrendered and resigned the throne. Stilicho had him tonsured and sent to a small abbey on the Venetian lagoon. Stilicho then went through Ravenna, finding all his political opponents and having them murdered. Finally, on the 24th June 406 AD he had himself crowned Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.


You all know what to do . . .
 
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While I liked your timeline, you have an interesting writing style, I have a few problems. First the basic problem you have is the Gallic and Britannic armies, in OTL 405/6 the Gallic and Britannic legions revolted and Britannia, Spain and Gaul were lost to the usurper Constantine (chosen reportedly because he had an impressive name). If the Stilicho weakens the power of Honorius in the way you describe, then no doubt a similar revolt in Gaul and Spain will loose these provinces for Stilicho (who as an installee of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius was never very popular with the Gallic soldiery –the army based in Italia was another story). Not that Stilicho could not (with Gothic and perhaps Hunnic aid) defeat these rebels (I mean that is broadly what Constantius III did in the 410s) but it doubtful that such a revolt would not break out in 400 if the events you describe transpire.

Also I am curious why Stilicho would abandon his ambition to conquer Illyrium? Indeed why would he? Illyrium was the best recruiting ground in the Empire for soldiers. In OTL it was his driving ambition, and the main reason he allied with Alaric at the end of the 4th century. Isn’t it mover likely that he would use the Goths to get the land he wanted in Illyrium from the Eastern Emperor? A West-East war with Gothic allies on Stilicho’s side sounds interesting.

Then there is the settlement plan in Cologne which on the surface sounds fine but runs into not a few problems when considered carefully. First it is unlikely that the Gauls or the Franks would like this idea, and the other thing would be that you have to move the Goths through half of Gaul to get to Colognia (by which I guess you mean Germania Inferior or Belgicia). Besides Cologne is only a sensible move if you know about the 406 Rhineland invasions. We are pretty certain the Romans didn’t know, since, among other things, the Rhine frontier had been more or less quiet for a while now and besides the Franks had been very good allies and (up until 406) had been able to stop other barbarians breaking through the frontier. The more likely option and the frontier that had been giving the most trouble in recent years was Raetia (which puts the Goths next to the Alamanni and Germania Superior, an interesting combination). However, the way it turned out with the Goths OTL, was that they were settled in Aquitaine because it was a good place to be if the Vandals and Sueve are ravaging Spain. Moreover the Goths were only in Gaul because southern Gaul had revolted and the imperial government needed allies against usurpers there. If a usurper rises up in 400 then the Goths will go wherever the usurpers are and probably settle near there.

Just some thoughts.
 
While I liked your timeline, you have an interesting writing style, I have a few problems. First the basic problem you have is the Gallic and Britannic armies, in OTL 405/6 the Gallic and Britannic legions revolted and Britannia, Spain and Gaul were lost to the usurper Constantine (chosen reportedly because he had an impressive name). If the Stilicho weakens the power of Honorius in the way you describe, then no doubt a similar revolt in Gaul and Spain will loose these provinces for Stilicho (who as an installee of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius was never very popular with the Gallic soldiery –the army based in Italia was another story). Not that Stilicho could not (with Gothic and perhaps Hunnic aid) defeat these rebels (I mean that is broadly what Constantius IIIdid in the 410s) but it doubtful that such a revolt would not break out in 400 if the events you describe transpire.

Also I am curious why Stilicho would abandon his ambition to conquer Illyrium? Indeed why would he? Illyrium was the best recruiting ground in the Empire for soldiers. In OTL it was his driving ambition, and the main reason he allied with Alaric at the end of the 4th century. Isn’t it mover likely that he would use the Goths to get the land he wanted in Illyrium from the Eastern Emperor? A West-East war with Gothic allies on Stilicho’s side sounds interesting.

Then there is the settlement plan in Cologne which on the surface sounds fine but runs into not a few problems when considered carefully. First it is unlikely that the Gauls or the Franks would like this idea, and the other thing would be that you have to move the Goths through half of Gaul to get to Colognia (by which I guess you mean Germania Inferior or Belgicia). Besides Cologne is only a sensible move if you know about the 406 Rhineland invasions. We are pretty certain the Romans didn’t know, since, among other things, the Rhine frontier had been more or less quiet for a while now and besides the Franks had been very good allies and (up until 406) had been able to stop other barbarians breaking through the frontier. The more likely option and the frontier that had been giving the most trouble in recent years was Raetia (which puts the Goths next to the Alamanni and Germania Superior, an interesting combination). However, the way it turned out with the Goths OTL, was that they were settled in Aquitaine because it was a good place to be if the Vandals and Sueve are ravaging Spain. Moreover the Goths were only in Gaul because southern Gaul had revolted and the imperial government needed allies against usurpers there. If a usurper rises up in 400 then the Goths will go wherever the usurpers are and probably settle near there.

Just some thoughts.

Wow you sure do know all this very well.
Concerning the rebellion- ok I'm sorry I didn't put it in. Just assume that Stilicho was able to keep them quiet until Maximus's rebellion.
I have to admit I didn't know about Illyricum. I'll put something about it in the next post, though, it shan't be left out, and it sounds fun.
The reason I put the Goths on the Rhine frontier is because Stilicho wasn't secure in Gaul. He had support in Italy and the Balkans and in N. Africa (fro mcrushing a rebellion there) but not in Gaul. If he has the Goths there, then he has about 100,000 men 'garrisoned' there who are loyal to a man whom he is good friends with and is loyal to him.
I'm going to cover Raetia in the next post which will hopefully be soon depending on how much time I have.

Thank you, anything else?
 
The Vandal King Part 3

The overthrow of the Emperor Honorius caused uproar across the Roman world. Spain and Britain erupted in revolt under the leadership of a certain general Constantine, who led eight legions in an invasion of Gaul. Meanwhile, in the east, general Eutropius, dominator of the Emperor Arcadius, began poisoning the emperor’s ear against the Vandal. Calling him a usurper, a vile barbarian who dared to wear purple, Arcadius was persuaded to declare war on the Western Empire.

With a war on two fronts, Stilicho mustered some 60,000 men for a swift campaign into the Balkans. He hoped to seize Illyria and then march east, hoping to reach the Danube and there make a defensive line. Meanwhile, he had Alaric, the Goths, the Franks and any loyal soldiers in Gaul, to fight the invaders. He also sent envoys to the Alemanni, a fierce confederation of tribes from Germania Superior. Having colonised areas of eastern Gaul, Stilicho offered them the lands of Rhaetia and the lands already held if they would send warriors to his aid. They agreed and some 20,000 Alemanni reinforced the Goths under Alaric, who took overall command.

In the east, Stilicho advanced swiftly against the Eastern Romans. Illyria, although mountainous and wild, was sparsely defended and the peoples of the region were generally friendly to Stilicho. He encountered an army of Slavs which he managed to bribe into joining him. The Eastern Empire had been weakened by Bulgarian and Slavic incursions along the Danube, and so Stilicho’s advance was responded to slowly. They had not expected him to be so proactive. Stilicho reached the Danube and then dug in. The Eastern Empire’s forces were caught up on the Danube, and Stilicho’s campaign coincided with a major Slavic raid. Some 40,000 men were diverted to fight him, yet these were defeated and Stilicho advanced.

Arcadius sued for peace. Eutropius was strangled by an Anatolian general who took his place at the Emperor’s side. The Eastern Empire gave Stilicho Illyria, which he garrisoned with 20,000 men. He then turned west to defeat Constantine.
Constantine had defeated the Franks, who had been forced south into Transalpine Gaul by his onslaught. Alaric raised 80,000 men and met Constantine, and although he inflicted savage losses upon the rebel he was forced to retreat to Colognia. Constantine found his passage into Italy blocked. To the north were the Goths and the Alemanni, and to the south were the Franks, who although beaten were still a considerable force. There were also 7,000 Roman soldiers who blocked the Alpine passes. All this time, Stilicho was rushing back to Gaul.

Constantine needed to draw the loyalists out and defeat them so that he could then be ready for Stilicho. He sent a small detachment of cavalry south, into the territory where the Franks were, and told them to appear to be travelling north. When the riders were intercepted by Franks, a message was discovered. It was a treaty of alliance, whereby the Alemanni and Constantine would work together to defeat the Franks and Stilicho. The Frankish king mustered his warriors, some 40,000 men and told them of this. Outraged, they decided to attack the Alemanni traitors. They also sent envoys and the message to Alaric, who told them to refrain from attack lest this be a trick. The Franks, however, refused and marched on Rhaetia. The Alemanni, when they heard of this, mustered 60,000 warriors and arrayed themselves for battle.

The King of the Franks stepped forward and challenged any of the Alemanni men to single combat. From their ranks stepped an enormous man, wielding a spear and an axe. Dauntless, the Frank fought him, and drew first blood on the German’s thigh. The German then raised his spear and gashed the Frank’s left arm. The king, however, was too fast and had planted his own sword through the German’s ribs. The dying giant however madly hacked at the king’s face with his axe, and one of his blows caught the king’s brow. Blood pouring down his face, he withdrew to his own lines leaving his foe to die. He was accepted among them and hailed as a hero. Bleeding profusely, he expired the next day. The battle was not called off, however, and the last thing he heard was the clash of arms.

The battle was indecisive. Both sides withdrew and buried their dead peaceably. Alaric dispatched several Goth chieftains who declared themselves unbiased. They proved to the Franks that the letter was a forgery, and bade them put down their arms. With peace restored, the coalition returned to fight Constantine.
Constantine, however, had poured through the gap where the Franks had once been. He had forced an Alpine pass in Summer 407 and was within days of Turin. Stilicho was in Padua, and raced to meet him. Alaric, as well, poured south with 100,000 men Goth, Frank and Alemanni. These two forces surrounded Constantine outside Turin and forced him to fight against vastly superior forces.

The result of the Battle of Turin was a hard won victory for Stilicho. His two forces had a combined strength of 160,000 and some 30,000 lay dead. Constantine had lost, out of 60,000 men, some 38,000. Constantine was captured and executed. Stilicho then decided to initiate a purge of the armed forces. Some 4,000 officers, bureaucrats and administrators were killed and thousands more disbanded. Stilicho had grown not to trust any of the high-born Romans in the army, for they were inevitably arrogant, short-sighted and ham-handed. He also replaced the Governors of Britain, Spain and Gaul.
In 409 AD Stilicho made an offer to the emperor Arcadius that he could not refuse. He offered to relieve him of the pressure of Slavic incursions forever, in return for the west Balkan provinces of Dalmatia and Illyria (which were already his but not legally so). Arcadius accepted gleefully, and Stilicho sent messengers to the Slavic leaders. He offered them land in Illyria in return for military service, loyalty, and their upkeep of law and order and tax collection. Some 5,000 chieftains accepted this offer and some 180,000 people moved into the empire. This occurred slowly over the course of several years, yet by 430 the west Balkans were completely different. Some 900 small estates were carved out; their owners were titled Dukes. Few new cities grew up, however, existing cities grew as an influx of refugees and dispossessed settled there. Stilicho ordered the break-up of large estates and their distribution among the newcomers and the poor. This was to be replicated across the empire and would earn him the favour of the common man. the Senate, however, was not keen on this, and repeatedly protested it.

Finally, on the 1st April 410 AD Stilicho and Alaric marched into the Senate house. They came with sheathed swords but with armed guardsmen; Gothic warriors dressed in heavy armour. Stilicho informed the Senators that if they were not silent then he would be forced to use force to remove them. He then presided over a Senate session which had him awarded numerous titles and accolades, as well as a bill that passed unanimously. It gave him the right to distribute Imperial territory as he wished, although this right did not extend to Senatorial provinces. The following month these were decreased in number to Spain, Britain, Sicily and Africa.

It seemed for awhile that the empire’s fortunes were changing. After ten years of bloody and incessant warfare Stilicho had welded together a new empire, one in which responsibility was delegated to others. This had had two results. The first was that the Emperor no longer had to be involved in border raids or small-scale invasions, but his inferiors could handle the situation. The second was that the Roman landed elite were almost completely crushed. The Senate was emasculated and the Emperor had shown that he was willing to seize their property out of political expedience.

However, all this was superficial. The application of barbarian manpower and Stilicho’s personal brilliance could only do so much and these reforms were but a bandage for the bloodied Empire. Now barbarians of dubious loyalty controlled large portions of the empire and the Eastern Empire was resentful, if not openly hostile given the brief war and the loss of Illyria. The Eastern and Western churches were also gradually drifting apart, although things would only flare up centuries later.

In 411 AD Emperor Stilicho died. After all his years in office he had no heir, and the struggle for succession began. Three obvious candidates were: Alaric the Goth. Probably possessed the strongest position, as he commanded the Goths as well as the support of the Vandals and the Alemanni. He also had the respect of much of the army. However, he had no desire for the Imperial mantle. All he desired was stability and a place for his people. Having obtained this, he was content.
The second contender was Emperor Theodosius II. The young boy was made to make his claim to the Western throne. He no power himself, however his Regent, the Governor- General of Thrace, wished to expand the empire’s borders and return Illyria to the empire. He did not like the proximity of the empire’s border to Thrace, which already had the Danube frontier. He therefore petitioned the Emperor, who agreed. He demanded the throne for Theodosius (with himself as Caesar). When there was no response he led an army of 60,000 into Italy across Otranto. Southern Italy fell swiftly, yet Imperial forces still fought back and defeated him outside Amalfi. He returned to Byzantium in disgrace.

The failure of the venture of 412 rocked the Eastern Roman Empire. The Praetorian Prefect Anthemius took control of government and in 413 had himself crowned Caesar. Young Theodosius quivered as he lowered the diadem on the man’s head. Anthemius was remarkably able- he secured Constantinople’s grain supply and began construction on the Anthemian walls, which were completed in 418. He also married the young emperor’s sister and thereby came within a heartbeat of the Purple.

With the Eastern Empire out of the way a third challenger emerged. Honorius re-emerged, supported by many conservatives who called for the expulsion of barbarians. He swept through Italy gaining massive support from town dwellers who resented the influx of migrants and dispossessed farmers who had lost their lands. He led a mob of 30,000 of these sans culottes to Rome where he had himself crowned Emperor. He then demanded the submission of the barbarians within the Empire. Alaric gave it in 414 as did the King of the Franks, the Vandals and the Alemanni. Honorius began by returning Gaul, Illyria and Dalmatia to the Senate, as well as giving them more powers. They unanimously welcomed him back to power and swore an oath of allegiance.

In 414 Honorius was once more safely enthroned in Ravenna. Now he began the process of re-building Roman authority. He began with a mass recruitment drive. The army of the west was, by then, chiefly barbarian, with large numbers of Huns, Vandals, Franks, Goths, Alans and Slavs in their ranks. They demanded less pay and were fierce warriors. Honorius formed eight new legions, the Roman Legions, which were only for men of Italian birth. These were raised swiftly from the dispossessed who had won him office. He then stationed these legions across the empire. He began by ordering the Franks to lay down their arms- that their military service as no longer needed and that their section of the Rhine frontier be handed over to the Roman Legions. The Franks refused, saying that their arms were necessary for their safety. Honorius replied that they dwelled within the Roman Empire and that there were no threats- that they lived in a society of law not a society of force.

The Franks still refused, and now the Alemanni grew restless. They too feared the loss of their weapons. In 416 they made a pact with the Franks: that they would join forces to defend each other from any incursions. Their two kings swore on holy relics that they would no longer fight and so a strong alliance was made.

For the third time, Honorius demanded that the Franks lay down their arms. This time King Alaric stepped in. He advised the Franks to lay down their arms and obey the Emperor’s orders. He personally wrote to the king of the Franks saying that the Empire was a place of peace, that there was no need for arms and that the Franks would always be guaranteed safety. The Frankish king replied that no one could guarantee their safety, and that they alone could be responsible for their defence. He also claimed that the threat came not from across the Rhine but from Rome itself. He reminded Alaric of the prevarication he had met from Honorius the first time.

Alaric, however, this time firmly told them to lay down their arms. A fourth time they refused, and Alaric wrote to Honorius telling him that he and the Goths would follow through on any orders given them. Many, however, among the Goths, thought that Alaric should side with the Franks and said that the Goths should be armed too, lest they be attacked too. When Honorius replied that the Goths too would lay down their weapons and that the Roman Legions would take responsibility for all the Rhine, Alaric broke with the Emperor and encouraged his people to ignore the Imperial order.

415 saw Honorius fail to disarm the client kingdoms of the Rhine. It also saw the Goths, Franks and Alemanni come together in an alliance. This was joined in 416 by the Vandals who too had refused to lay down their arms. Honorius was forced to station his legions further inside Gaul away from the kingdoms. Alaric wrote to the generals saying that if they set foot inside his kingdom then there would be war. Honorius had some 150,000 men under his command. The kingdoms together had some 130,000. However, Honorius was not sure as to how many of his soldiers were loyal to him, and he was left unsure as to the loyalties of the 50,000 barbarians under his command.

Emboldened by their successes, the barbarian kings then jointly wrote the Honorius. In the letter, written by a Gothic monk and signed by Alaric; a cross put for the kings of the Franks and the Alemanni. In it they demanded the title Caesar due to their rank and status. They also demanded to be made Consuls and for their own landowners to be given seats in the Senate. Honorius flatly refused. A little more tact here could have caused him a lot of bother, yet now he miscalculated. He declaimed the letter as an act of treason, and ordered the occupation of the kingdoms. He also ordered the heads of the kings.
 
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The Vandal King Part 4

Nothing? I'm hurt. Anyway, being the Stakhanovite that I am I've got some more.

Any hope of a compromise evaporated on the 24th March 417 when the three kingdoms declared war on the Empire of the West. The Roman legions that had been ordered to take the Rhine frontier and occupy the kingdoms were turned back in two bloody battles that left 60,000 Romans dead. The kings met to decide who should lead their combined armies. The most likely was Alaric, yet he declined the command citing his age. He feared that his death of illness would cause the campaign to collapse and that a younger leader be chosen. It is fortunate he declined, for six months later he was dead. One of the two deciding figures of Roman policy, he was buried in Colognia Cathedral with the title Caesar carved into his tomb. It is interesting that of the two leading Romans of the 5th century AD, three-quarters of them were barbarian.

The kings finally settled on Belonicus; an Alemanni chieftain who had proved himself a great leader and proud warrior. He led the army of 200,000 into central Gaul, taking Paris and Orleans in June 417 and switching south, taking Arles and Avignon in August. He swiftly crossed the Alps before the passes were blocked and wintered in Turin which he seized in November. Honorius, once again, panicked. In an attempt to rid himself of the barbarians he implored Senators to raise their own legions. The landowners of Sicily and Italy, fearing barbarian rule, raised among them fifteen legions: some 80,000 men. most of these were slaves or serfs who had little say in the matter. The Pope himself raised 2,000 men (which he did not lead into battle despite later myths) and the Emperor gave overall command of the army to the Governor- General of Africa Rufus Andronicus. He was given complete control of the Roman army; some 160,000 men in Italy. Andronicus had the support of the landed classes and the army were friendly to him, he had been a good leader in Africa and his conduct in Italy was good and proper. He therefore entered into correspondence with Belonicus in December 417 and throughout the winter they negotiated.

Finally an accord was reached. Andronicus would take the title Augustus and Basileus as senior Emperor while Belonicus would take the title Caesar; junior Emperor. Andronicus would marry his niece Livinia to Belonicus and so ally themselves through marriage. Livinia was unwilling to leave Italy for her barbarian groom yet was forced by her stony-faced father. The three kingdoms were assured their lands as well as some extension in Rhaetia, Belgicia and Gaul. They would retain their arms and their tribute to Rome would be decreased.

On 4th March 418 AD Andronicus greeted Honorius in Ravenna. His soldiers had control of the city and the garrison. Only the Praetorian Guard remained loyal to Honorius. These were coaxed outside the audience chamber by offers of a warm fire from the brisk cold and a cup of hot wine. While they were gone, three dozen of Andronicus’s men entered the Chamber and surrounded the Emperor. Honorius surrendered the throne and Andronicus mounted the podium. When the Guardsmen returned, Honorius was gone (bundled off the another monastery) and Andronicus sat as Emperor. He offered them a pay increase and they swore loyalty to them on the spot. That afternoon, Andronicus was raised on his soldier’s shields in the traditional manner and acclaimed Emperor. He then marched on Rome at the head of 70,000 men and had the Senate proclaim him Augustus. The Senate swore allegiance to him and he was crowned Emperor on Easter Sunday by Pope Innocent I.

Belonicus was, meanwhile, acclaimed Caesar and entered Imperial territory with a large retinue. He met with Andronicus on the Po river and the two held a Mass in Bologna in commemoration of the restoration of Imperial fortunes. Simultaneously, Gothic, Vandal and Alemanni soldiers poured into Gaul, seizing towns and bridges, claiming them for their respective kingdoms. Andronicus was willing to redraw the frontier at the Seine and the Rhone- the barbarian kingdoms swore allegiance to him and were still Imperial client states. However, he did send three legions to Gaul to hold Paris and Lyons.
The partition of the Western Empire, it is said, killed it and also restored it to life. With an effective Emperor the empire could hold itself together without worry of barbarian incursions. Meanwhile, the barbarian kingdoms went from strength to strength. On May 18th 421 AD Belonicus was raised on his soldiers shields like a Roman general and acclaimed King of Germany and the Rhine. He had the loyalty of the Goths, the Alemanni, the Burgundians, the Alans and an alliance with the Vandals. He made his capital Colognia which he adorned with churches, palaces and forums in various architectural styles. He devoted himself to sorting out land issues, which had plagued his kingdom since the first migrations across the Rhine. He created a kingdom based on Federated Tribes- most notably the Goths, Alemanni and Burgundians etc. these were ruled by kings (latin, Rex) and they were ruled by an Emperor (latin, Imperator). Below the kings were Barons and below them were knights. These all owned lands of varying sizes from barons, who may own several villages and several hundred acres to knights, who may control a village and the surrounding fields. These classes were military as well as administrational. They were all expected to fight in war. Outside of this structure, were 5,000 permanently armed warriors stationed with the Emperor (his Prima Legio) who were all personally loyal to him and took their food and keep from his household.

This system merely codified what already existed. This inflexible yet stable system promoted merit- if a baron died or was killed then the chief among his knights was promoted and etc.; only the Imperial throne was hereditary and even then the kings had to agree to the succession and could veto a son’s accession if he seemed unsuitable.

With this in the west, the Empire proper to was being turned on its head. Andronicus proved a good deal stronger than hoped by many (including the landowners and the Pope) and began a systematic reform of the Empire. He reorganised the Empire into 16 Duchies: Lusitania, Hispania, Africa, Further Africa, Sicily, Calabria, Apulia, Lombardy, Venetia, Dalmatia, Illyria, Istria, Provence, Aquitaine, Britannia Inferior and Britannia Superior. Each of these had a Duke (derived from latin ‘dux’) who had civil and military power. They could only be removed from office by the Emperor and were hereditary titles. He could, however, strip a Duke of his title without any method of appeal and replace him with whomsoever he pleased.
The system of Duchies worked well, as Andronicus was good at playing individual Dukes off against each other while maintaining his own Imperial forces’ (which were scattered across the empire) loyalty ensuring he always had power in the empire. In 423 he led a campaign in person across the Danube into Pannonia with the Vandals aimed at pacifying the right (barbarian) bank and strengthening the frontier. He managed to reach the Carpathians and established a series of satellite kingdoms and the Duchy of Further Pannonia.

Britain too was secured, as Pict raids were repulsed and in 426 an Imperial legion was sent north to secure the Antonine Wall, which was strengthened from a wooden palisade to a stone fortification similar in scale to its southern, Hadrian counterpart. It was garrisoned by Pannonian auxiliaries who allowed for the rapid assimilation of southern tribes into the Roman state. The greatest among them: Brennus of Clud, was elevated to the new Duchy of Caledonia created in 429. He had command of the Wall garrisons and ordered the dismantlement of the Hadrian Wall, which was diminished to a quarry for local do- it- yourself home improvement enthusiasts. Some plans were made for an invasion of Hibernia, yet they were dismissed due to the island’s poor weather and fierce natives. The Caledonians, therefore, were willing to sit behind the Wall and enjoy Romanisation.
 
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Your paragraphs aren't separating. The 'Giant Wall of Text' (I think someone called a similar poster's problem) makes it harder to read, so people are less likely to try. Try to add more white space (in particular, paragraph spacing), and you'll probably get more comments.
 
Your paragraphs aren't separating. The 'Giant Wall of Text' (I think someone called a similar poster's problem) makes it harder to read, so people are less likely to try. Try to add more white space (in particular, paragraph spacing), and you'll probably get more comments.

Yeah I'll do that in future, thanks. I have a tendency to just 'shotgun' my writing so it ends up like a big. . . blob
 
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