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Alaric I was the first king of the Visigoths, from 395 to 410. He rose to leadership of the Goths who came to occupy Moesia—territory acquired a couple of decades earlier by a combined force of Goths and Alans after the Battle of Adrianople.
The Goths were Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe.
The Ostrogoths were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populations who had settled in the Balkans in the 4th century. While the Visigoths had formed under the leadership of Alaric I, the new Ostrogothic political entity which came to rule Italy was formed in the Balkans under Theodoric the Great.
The Visigoths were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the command of Alaric I. Their exact origins are believed to have been diverse but they probably included many descendants of the Thervingi who had moved into the Roman Empire beginning in 376 and had played a major role in defeating the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. Relations between the Romans and Alaric's Visigoths varied, with the two groups making treaties when convenient, and warring with one another when not. Under Alaric, the Visigoths invaded Italy and sacked Rome in August 410.
Year 536 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year after the Consulship of Belisarius.
Fritigern was a Thervingian Gothic chieftain whose decisive victory at Adrianople during the Gothic War (376–382) led to favourable terms for the Goths when peace was made with Gratian and Theodosius I in 382.
The Battle of Adrianople, sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between an Eastern Roman army led by the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens and Gothic rebels led by Fritigern. The battle took place in the vicinity of Adrianople, in the Roman province of Thracia. It ended with an overwhelming victory for the Goths and the death of Emperor Valens.
The Thracian Goths, also known as Moesogoths or Moesian Goths, refers to the branches of Goths who settled in Thrace and Moesia, Roman provinces in the Balkans. These Goths were mentioned in the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries.
The Gothic War between the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Justinian I and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy took place from 535 to 554 in the Italian Peninsula, Dalmatia, Sardinia, Sicily, and Corsica. It was one of the last of the many Gothic Wars against the Roman Empire. The war had its roots in the ambition of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I to recover the provinces of the former Western Roman Empire, which the Romans had lost to invading barbarian tribes in the previous century, during the Migration Period.
The Gothic wars or Roman–Gothic wars were a long series of conflicts between the Goths and the Roman Empire between the years 249 and 554. The main wars are detailed below.
Between 376 and 382 the Goths fought against the Eastern Roman Empire, one of several Gothic Wars in Roman history. This conflict included a catastrophic Roman defeat at the Battle of Adrianople, and is commonly seen as a part— albeit a part of disputed significance— of the century of events leading to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire.
The Goths, Gepids, Vandals, and Burgundians were East Germanic groups who appear in Roman records in late antiquity. At times these groups warred against or allied with the Roman Empire, the Huns, and various Germanic tribes.
The First Siege of Rome during the Gothic War lasted for a year and nine days, from 2 March 537 to 12 March 538. The city was besieged by the Ostrogothic army under their king Vitiges; the defending East Romans were commanded by Belisarius, one of the most famous and successful Roman generals. The siege was the first major encounter between the forces of the two opponents, and played a decisive role in the subsequent development of the war.
The Battle of Sena Gallica, was a naval battle fought off the Italian Adriatic coast in the autumn of 551 between an East Roman (Byzantine) and an Ostrogoth fleet, during the Gothic War (535–554). It marked the end of the Goths' brief bid to deny the seas to the Romans, and the beginning of the Byzantine resurgence in the war under the leadership of Narses.
Belisarius was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. Belisarius was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean territory belonging to the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century prior. Belisarius is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history and the greatest of all Byzantine generals.
The siege of Auximus was a siege during Justinian’s Gothic War which took place in the year 539. It ended with Belisarius’ Byzantine force victorious. The Gothic garrison surrendered the town and joined the Byzantines after negotiations. The siege lasted 7 months.
Constantinianus was an Eastern Roman military commander during the reign of Justinian the Great who took part in the Justinian’s Gothic War. After the death of Mundus he was sent into Dalmatia to defend Salona. While he was still gathering his troops a Gothic force under Gripas captured Salona. Hearing of the approach of a large Byzantine force Gripas retreated when Constantinianus moved against him. Constantinianus immediately began rebuilding the crumbling fortifications. After this Constantinianus quickly gained control of Dalmatia and Liburnia. Constantinianus’ strong position in the Balkans In combination with the Frankish threat caused the Gothic king Witigis to send only a small force to defend Rome from Belisarius but instead position himself as such that he could move to counter threats from all directions. As the city of Rome surrendered to Belisarius without a fight, its garrison abandoning it, Witigis’ strategy failed. Later Constantinianus defeated a gothic force under Uligisalus, who was sent to attack him, at the Battle of Scardon. The Goths retreats to the city of Burnus. After Asinarius arrived with Suevic reinforcements Constantinianus noticed he couldn’t defeat the combined army and retreated. He ordered an extra ditch to be dug around Salona and prepared for a siege. The Gothic army under Uligisalus and Asinarius built a ditch and a stockade around the city to blockade it by land while the Gothic fleet moved to close the blockade by sea. In a sally the Gothic fleet was defeated allowing the Romans freedom of movement by sea but the siege continued on land.
Uligisalus was a Gothic military commander during Justinian's Gothic War.
Asinarius was an Ostrogothic military commander during the Justinian’s Gothic War.
Gripas was an Ostrogothic military commander. During the Gothic War of Justinian I he and Asinarius led an invasion into Dalmatia trying to capturing Salona. They defeated their Byzantine opponent Mauricius and killed him but were defeated by his father Mundus. Mundus died however and his army retreated but so did the Goths. As the Byzantine army was reforming under Constantinianus Gripas led a Gothic force to Salona, successfully capturing it. After hearing of reports emphasising the large size of Byzantine force moving towards him he retreated. After retaking the city Constantinianus had its defences rebuilt. Seeing his position was desperate Gripas returned to Ravenna.
References
- 1 2 3 Hughes, Ian (Historian) (2009). Belisarius : the last Roman general . Yardley, Pa.: Westholme. ISBN 9781594160851. OCLC 294885267.
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