Visigoths sack Rome--first breach of walls in 800 years

Category
War
Place
Roman Empire
Date
410
Reference
Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
Emperor Honorius had moved his court to Ravenna in northern Italy. Constantinople, where his brother ruled, was now the capital of the Roman Empire. For 800 years the walls around Rome had not been breached. One of the gates was opened from the inside. Many Visigoths were Arian Christians. They did not loot the Christian churches. After just 3 days in the city, the Visigoths left and headed to grain-rich Sicily. Alaric died later that year. [Furtado: 1001 Days]
"Both sides of the empire were now threatened by a previous ally of Theodosius: Alaric, commander of the Gothic regiments at the Battle of the Frigidus. . . . Rather than continuing to struggle for Roman privilege, Alaric took control of his Gothic army and made himself its supreme commander and leader. In doing so, he managed to create a newborn nation and become its first ruler: king of the Visigoths. . . . After nearly two decades of wandering, the Visigoths finally had a homeland." [Bauer: Medieval World, p. 91-3]

This event is linked to the following periods

PeriodMiner
Begin
End
Category
Decline of Western Roman Empire
180
476
Roman Empire