Audiobook

Dynasty of Theodosius

Thomas Hodgkin

In the summer of 376 the Visigoths, fleeing the Huns, crossed the Danube into the Roman Empire and two years later they overwhelmed army and emperor at the Battle of Adrianople. Despite great generals, like Stilicho and Aetius, the Dynasty of Theodosius was unequal to the onslaught of the Visigoth Alaric, Attila the Hun, and finally of Gaiseric the Vandal, who conquered North Africa and, in 455, sacked Rome. Thomas Hodgkin writes, "In Alaric, notwithstanding some outbursts of barbaric rage, there was much that was chivalrous and noble. Even the dark soul of Attila was irradiated with fitful gleams of generosity and compassion. But in Gaiseric I do not think that we can discern a single lineament of nobleness. All is hard, cruel, vulgar in his remorseless soul." (Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.)