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| Gothic Wars | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theRoman–Germanic Wars | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| 236–395 Roman Empire 285–476 Western Roman Empire 330–554 Byzantine Empire | Goths Visigoths Ostrogoths Thervingi Greuthungi | ||||
TheGothic Wars were a long series of conflicts between theGoths and theRoman Empire between the years 249 and 554.[according to whom?] The main[according to whom?] wars are detailed below.
During theCrisis of the Third Century, Goths underCniva fought against the Roman Empirebetween 248 and 253. The War was probably instigated after emperorDecius's predecessorPhilip the Arab had refused to continue payments of annual subsidies to the tribes of the region initiated by EmperorMaximinus Thrax in 238 while they were starving.[1] The Goths were led by King Cniva who had crossed the Danube in 249 or 250 with a number of units, however, the exact number is unknown.[2] Cniva's main column of 70,000 unsuccessfully attackedNovae and were then defeated by Decius at theBattle of Nicopolis ad Istrum before moving on toAugusta Traiana pursued byDecius where at theBattle of Beroe they defeated him and looted the city. Decius was forced to withdraw his army north toOescus leaving Cniva ample time to ravageMoesia and move on toPhilippopolis (Thracia) (nowPlovdiv in Bulgaria).[3] Another army of about 20,000 besiegedMarcianopolis without success.[4] Then the forces headed south to besiege Philippopolis. TheBattle of Philippopolis was fought in 250 or 251 and after a long siege of the city the Goths were victorious.[5] King Cniva subsequently allied himself with the town commander and governor of Thrace,Titus Julius Priscus, to take on the Roman Emperor Decius. TheBattle of Abritus of 251 resulted, at which Decius and his sonHerennius Etruscus were killed.[2]
The greatest Gothic invasion so far occurred in 268. The Goths' seaborne allies, theHeruli, supplied a fleet carrying huge armies along the coast of the Black Sea where they ravaged coastal territories in Thrace and Macedonia. Other huge forces crossed the Danube inMoesia. In 268, EmperorGallienus won some important initial victories at land and sea, but it was his successorClaudius II who finally defeated the invaders at theBattle of Naissus in 269.[6]
The Gothic kingErmanaric of a large powerful kingdom north of theDanube from theBlack Sea,[7] had engaged to supply the usurperProcopius with troops for the struggle against Roman EmperorValens. The Gothic army, reportedly numbering 30,000 men, arrived too late to help Procopius, but nevertheless invadedThrace and began plundering the farms and vineyards of the province.[8] Valens, marching north after defeating Procopius, surrounded them with a superior force and forced them to surrender.[9] In the spring of 367, Valens crossed the Danube and attacked theVisigoths underAthanaric. The Goths fled into theCarpathian Mountains, and the campaign ended with no decisive conclusion. The following spring, a Danube flood prevented Valens from crossing; instead he had his troops construct fortifications. In 369, Valens crossed again, fromNoviodunum, and by devastating the country forced Athanaric toattack him. Valens was victorious, and Athanaric receivedErmanaric's permission to conclude a truce. Athanaric pleaded for treaty terms and Valens gladly obliged. The treaty seems to have largely cut off relations between Goths and Romans, confiningtrade and the exchange of troops for tribute.[10]
Greuthungi andThervingi fought against Valens' Eastern Roman Empirebetween 376 and 382.[citation needed] Between about 376 and 382 theGothic War against theEastern Roman Empire, and in particular theBattle of Adrianople, in which the emperor Valens was killed, is commonly seen as important in the history of theRoman Empire, the first of a series of events over the next century that would see thecollapse of theWestern Roman Empire, although its ultimate importance to the Empire's eventual fall is still debated.[11][12]
The Gothic revolt ofAlaric I in 395–398 and the revolt of Tribigild and Gainas in 399–400 in theEastern Roman Empire caused a major political crisis during the reign of EmperorArcadius (395–408). Alaric's rebellion was prompted by dissatisfaction among the Goths due to failed Roman agreements. The conflict occurred in the Balkans and the Gothic uprising led to the intervention of the Western army in the east. The other uprising was led byTribigild, leader of a unit of Goths within theRoman army. Initially, the uprising only took place in Anatolia, but after the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Roman armyGainas intervened and sided with the Goths, it became a threat to the unity within the Eastern empire.[citation needed]
The rebelGoths ofAlaric fought against the Western Roman Empire. In 401 his Goths invaded Italy, but were defeated byStilicho atPollentia (modern Pollenza) on April 6, 402. A second invasion that same year also ended in defeat at theBattle of Verona, though Alaric forced theRoman Senate to pay a large subsidy to the Visigoths, and devastated Greece.[citation needed] Later, Alaric led theSack of Rome (410).[13] TheWar of Radagaisus was a military conflict in northern Italy caused by the invasion ofRadagaisus in 405. He invaded theWestern Roman Empire with a huge population shortly after the empire had ended a war with theVisigoths. Due to the size of Radagaisus's army, it required a tremendous effort by the Romans to avert this danger. Commander-in-chiefStilicho was closely involved in the preparations and personally directed the army's operations.[14]
An uprising of theGothicfoederati in Aquitaine took place during the regime of EmperorValentinian III (425–455), between 425 and 426. That rebellion was led byTheodoric I, King of theVisigoths and took place in the South of France. It followed the death of usurpatorJohn and was terminated by a military procedure under the command ofAëtius. A new uprising arose in 430. This time was Theodoric not involved butAnaolsus the initiator of the Gothic revolt. Again the revolt was smashed down by Aetius.
In the mid-430s, a long term uprising broke out, which resulted in a four-yearGothic War between the Goths and Romans in southern Gaul. The Western Roman Empire was then confronted with several armed conflicts within its borders. Again Theodoric I was the instigator of this war. After a varying course of the war, the war was terminated by Aetius in theBattle of Toulouse (439).
Visigoths underTheodoric II also fought against the Western Roman Empire underMajorian. In late 458 Majorian enteredSeptimania (now southern France) to attack Theodoric and reclaim the province for the empire. Majorian defeated Theodoric at theBattle of Arelate, forcing him to abandon Septimania and withdraw west toAquitania. Under the new treaty with the Romans, the Visigoths had to relinquish their recent conquests inHispania and return to federate status.[citation needed]
This conflict took place during thecivil war that broke out shortly after the assassination of EmperorMajorian, and can be seen as a direct result of this. The war was ended by Aegidius in theBattle of Orleans.
The revolt ofEuric between 468 and 471 marked the collapse of Roman authority in southern Gaul and led to the establishment of an independent Visigothic kingdom centered on Toulouse.
Multiple wars occurred between the Franks and the Visigoths, also involving the Burgundians, the Ostrogoths and the Romans. The most noteworthy war of the conflict would be the Franco-Gothic War that included the famousBattle of Vouillé and resulted in Frankish annexation of most of Southern France.
TheGothic War, between theByzantine Empire (Eastern Roman) during the reign of EmperorJustinian I and theOstrogothic Kingdom of Italytook place from 535 until 554 in theItalian peninsula,Dalmatia,Sardinia,Sicily andCorsica.[15] Historians commonly divide the war into two phases: from 535 to 540, ending with the fall of the Ostrogothic capitalRavenna and the apparent reconquest of Italy by the Byzantines; and from 540/541 to 553, aGothic revival underTotila, suppressed only after a long struggle by the Byzantine generalNarses, who also repelled an invasion in 554 by theFranks andAlamanni.[16]