Important Goth Leaders

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The Goth people had numerous leaders throughout their lengthy history. Many of the Goth’s accomplishments, battles and other ventures could not have been possible without three of their most influential leaders: Fritigern, Alaric and Theodoric. Each of these leaders’ triumphs and failures shaped the substantial history of the Goth people, each in a different way. Fritigern paved the way for rebellion. Alaric tirelessly revolted against the Romans until he captured it. Theodoric “The Great” was both tactful and tolerant in his endeavors and as a ruler. Fritigern was one of the earlier leaders of the Visigoths and began a Gothic tradition of rebelling against unjust and incapable forces. When the Huns forced the Goth’s from their lands, they went to the Romans for protection and new lands to live on. (Gardner, Barbarians) The Romans agreed to help the Goths but did not do much to better their lives, not even letting them past their gates. (Gardner, Barbarians) The Romans barely fed or assisted the Goths in any way and even took some of them as slaves. (Gardner, Barbarians) This brutal treatment from Roman authorities made for apoplectic Goths, who were no longer willing to tolerate these harsh conditions. Fritigern led the rebellion against the Romans, most famously at the Battle of Adrianople. (“Battle of Adrianople”) Valens led the Roman army on foot and suffered a great defeat against the Gothic horsemen. (“Battle of Adrianople”) Fritigern and the Goths reportedly massacred approximately 40,000 Romans during the battle. (“Battle of Adrianople”) “It was a major victory of barbarian horsemen over Roman infantry and marked the beginning of serious Germanic inroads into Roman territory” (“Battle of Adrianople”). This Gothic v... ... middle of paper ... ...arians." Barbarians: The Goths. The History Channel. THC, 19 Jan. 2004. Television. Lenski, Noel. "The Gothic Civil War and the Date of the Gothic Conversion." Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 36.1 (1995): 51-87. ProQuest. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. M., R. W. "Alaric." Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999. Credo Reference. Web. 17 February 2014. Schmandt, R. H. "Goths." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 369. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Feb. 2014 Schmandt, R. H. "Theodoric the Great." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 881-882. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. "Theodoric the Great (C. 445 - 526)." The Macmillan Encyclopedia. Basingstoke: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 2003. Credo Reference. Web. 17 February 2014.

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