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The Sack of Rome occurred on August 24, 410. The city was attacked by the Visigoths led by King Alaric. At that time, Rome was no longer the capital of the Western Roman Empire, having been replaced in that position by Ravenna in 402. Nevertheless, the city of Rome retained a paramount position as "the eternal city" and a spiritual center of the Empire. The sack was a major shock to contemporaries, friends and foes of the Empire alike. This was the first time in almost 800 years that Rome had fallen to a foreign enemy. The previous sack of Rome had been accomplished by the Gauls under their leader Brennus in 387 BC. The sacking of 410 is seen as a major landmark in the fall of the Western Roman Empire. St. Jerome, living in Bethlehem at the time, wrote that "The City which had taken the whole world was itself taken."〔St Jerome, Letter CXXVII. To Principia, s:Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume VI/The Letters of St. Jerome/Letter 127 paragraph 12.〕 ==Background== The Germanic tribes had undergone massive technological, social, and economic changes after four centuries of contact with the Roman Empire. From the first century to the fourth, Germanic populations, their economic production, and their tribal confederations grew, and their ability to conduct warfare increased to the point of challenging Rome.〔Peter Heather, The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, (Oxford University Press, 2006), pages 84–100.〕 The Goths, one of the Germanic tribes, had invaded the Roman Empire on and off since 238.〔The Cambridge Medieval History, Volume 1, (Cambridge University Press, 1911), page 203.〕 But in the late 4th century, the Huns began to invade the lands of the Germanic tribes, and pushed many of them into the Roman Empire with greater fervor.〔Gordon M. Patterson, "Medieval History: 500 to 1450 CE Essentials", (Research & Education Association, 2001), page 41.〕 In 376, the Huns forced many Therving Goths led by Fritigern and Alavivus to seek refuge in the Eastern Roman Empire. Soon after, starvation, high taxes, hatred from the Roman population, and governmental corruption turned the Goths against the Empire.〔The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 13, (Cambridge University Press, 1998), page 95-101.〕 The Goths rebelled and began looting and pillaging throughout the eastern Balkans. A Roman army, led by the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens, marched to put them down. At the Battle of Adrianople in 378, Fritigern decisively defeated emperor Valens, who was killed in battle.〔 Peace was eventually established in 382 when the new Eastern Emperor, Theodosius I, signed a treaty with the Thervings, who would become known as the Visigoths. The treaty made the Visigoths subjects of the empire as foederati. They were allotted the northern part of the dioceses of Dacia and Thrace, and while the land remained under Roman sovereignty and the Visigoths were expected to provide military service, they were considered autonomous.〔Herwig Wolfram, ''History of the Goths'', Trans. Thomas J. Dunlap, (University of California Press, 1988), page 133.〕 Fritigern died around 382.〔Thomas S. Burns, "Barbarians Within the Gates of Rome: A Study of Roman Military Policy and the Barbarians", (Indiana University Press, 1994), page 77.〕 In 391, a Gothic chieftain named Alaric was declared king by a group of Visigoths, though the exact time this happened (Jordanes says Alaric was made king in 400〔Thomas S. Burns, "Barbarians Within the Gates of Rome: A Study of Roman Military Policy and the Barbarians", (Indiana University Press, 1994), page 176.〕 and Peter Heather says 395〔Peter Heather, The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, (Oxford University Press, 2006), page 462.〕) and nature of this position are debated.〔Herwig Wolfram, ''The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples'', (University of California Press, 1997), 91.〕〔Herwig Wolfram, ''History of the Goths'', Trans. Thomas J. Dunlap, (University of California Press, 1988), page 143-146.〕 He then led an invasion into Eastern Roman territory outside of the Goths' designated lands. Alaric was defeated by Theodosius and his general Flavius Stilicho in 392, who forced Alaric back into Roman vassalage.〔〔Herwig Wolfram, ''History of the Goths'', Trans. Thomas J. Dunlap, (University of California Press, 1988), page 136.〕 In 394, Alaric led a force of Visigoths as part of Theodosius' army to invade the Western Roman Empire. At the Battle of the Frigidus, around half the Visigoths present died fighting the Western Roman army led by the usurper Eugenius and his general Arbogast.〔Herwig Wolfram, ''The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples'', (University of California Press, 1997), 91–92.〕 Theodosius won the battle, and although Alaric was given the title ''comes'' for his bravery, tensions between the Goths and Romans grew as it seemed the Roman generals had sought to weaken the Goths by making them bear the brunt of the fighting. Alaric was also enraged he had not been granted a higher office in the Imperial administration.〔Herwig Wolfram, ''The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples'', (University of California Press, 1997), 92.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sack of Rome (410)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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