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395 AD - Stilicho lets Alaric off the hook?
#16
Justin 1 wrote:
Quote:In 395 A.D., Stilicho marched east to confront Alaric in the Balkans. According to Claudian, Stilicho had Alaric on the brink of defeat when the order came from Constantinople to immediately send the Eastern units of Stilicho's army back to Arcadius. Claudian claims that the troops were so angry they spontaneously lynched Rufinus, the Eastern emperor Arcadius' regent, on the parade ground upon their return. In a way, this has a veneer of plausibility; a distant politician ordering the army to divide itself in the face of the enemy for the sake of political axe-grinding is obviously very dangerous, and would likely cause outrage among the troops. But Claudian, of course, was Stilicho's official spokesman. This was the best possible spin on an ugly situation.
Don't really know too much about the history of Stilicho but Wolfram in his book History of the Goths writes that in the winter of 394/395 the Danube froze over around the delta region enabling small Hunnic groups to cross quite easily and conduct raids into Lower Moesia. Although after these raids they recrossed to the other bank and had no intention of staying in Moesia when the ice melted, I am sure that there would have been a bit of panic in the Eastern capital and pressure for the return of the eastern troops who were used to fight Eugenius the previous year. In regards to the killing of Rufinus, rather than Stilicho maybe the eunuch Eutropius had a bit to do with that in combination with the Goth Gainus as Rufinus planned to marry his daughter to Arcadius. Another little known factor about 395AD is that due to the eastern provinces being stripped of manpower to fight Eugenius that there was a massive Hunnic army in the East through Armenia, Cappadocia before splitting into two forces with one wing invading Roman Syria and the other wing attacking Sassanid Mesopotamia and they are reported by Syriac sources to have taken up to 18,000 Roman prisoners before being defeated by the Persians. So destroying Alaric in 395 might not have been an Eastern priority and maybe they planned on using Alaric to fight any Hunnic attacks from north of the lower Danube. Apparently Eutropius had a small victory over the remnants of the Hunnic invaders in Armenia in 398 and became the first eunuch to be made consul but his former ally Gainus engineered his downfall a little later. Interestingly enough the two leaders of the 395 raid Basich and Cursich, who Priscus claimed were Hunnic royalty, later signed a treaty with the Western Roman empire and probably gave troops to Stilicho as part of the deal so maybe there were a lot more political games going on between both East and West in 395AD. Stilicho probably needed Hunnic troops to replace his Alan troops in Northern Italy as there is no more mention of Alan troops serving in Northern Italy for the Romans after late 402. Walter Goffart and Otto Maenchen-Helfen both mention that there may have been a severe falling out and disagreement between Huns and Alans serving in the Roman army which came to a fight with quite a few casualties on both sides and Goffart even says that these disgruntled Alan troops led the Alan/Vandal/Suevi crossing of the Rhine into Gaul and onto Spain. Only guessing here but maybe Respendial or Goar took over the Alan troops after their king Saul was killed in the battle of Pollentia in 402AD. So if Alaric seemed to get off the hook a few times I think it was because Stilicho was hard pressed maintaining his army and stamping out all the spot fires appearing throughout the empire from Africa, Northern Italy, the middle Danube,Gaul and Britain. But I am sure he still maintained more than a keen interest in Eastern affairs because if either of the two young emperors were childless then his son being the son of Theodosius's niece and adopted daughter might possibly have some claim to the throne. So when he fell you just knew that his family would follow. :? :?
Regards
Michael Kerr
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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#17
Goar crossed over the Rhine in 406, supported Jovinus in 411, and then went on to support Athaulf until he was persuaded to turn against Athaulf in the siege of Bazas in 414 and joined the Romans.

I suspect Sambida was the leader of Saul's Alans.
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#18
Hi Evan, I have my doubts that Goar, who had already switched to the Romans in 405-406AD, was the Alan leader who switched sides in 414AD. Goar was a pagan while Paulinus says that the Alan leader at Bazas was a Christian. Even Bachrach says that Goar and his troops stayed north with their dependents but who knows. I think that the Alan leader who switched at Bazas was part of the group which journeyed to Spain with Respendial, who was already possibly dead as the king of the Alans, recorded by Hydatius in 418AD was Addac who was the last king of the Alans living in Spain and he was killed by Wallia. Really we have no idea who the Alan leader is from 406AD till 418AD as Respendial could have died any time in that period as after 406AD we never hear of him again. Maybe this unknown king or chieftain was involved in some dynastic dispute among the Alan leadership after the death of Respendial and who may have been dissatisfied with his tribe's share of the land or maybe even the choice of the new Alan leader.

The Alans received 2 provinces in the allotment of Spain, Lusitania and Carthaginensis so it seems they were by far the largest group (at least till Wallia's Goths attacked them in 418AD), the Silings received Baetica and the Hasdings had to share their mountainous province Gallaecia with the Sueves. The Alans having land from coast to coast would have been in contact with the Goths and maybe a particular group switched sides to Athaulf and then unhappy with their new arrangements with the Goths so he may have considered switching to the Romans which Paulinus exploited.

Even though in theory the Alans controlled the countryside in Lusitania, it seems its capital Merida and other cities stayed in Roman hands so there would have still been contact between Romans and Alans, and I think Goar would have retreated back to his base on the Rhine after the defeat of Jovinus, to await further orders not head south with the Goths. The Northern Italian Alans more than likely headed back to the middle Danube areas where they probably sought reinforcements according to Goffart and they would have come into contact with Vandals, Sueves, possibly Sarmatians and maybe some Alan groups from Wallachia. But it seems they took the leadership role of the various groups because of their military experience. Seems funny that from 405AD onwards there was no mention of Alan groups around the middle Danube area so they must have cleared out lock, stock and barrel in the migration to Gaul along with a lot of other groups, although there were Alans living in Wallachia after Attila.
At least that is according to Walter Goffart in his book Barbarian Tides. I don't think the remnants of the Roman Alans hung around with Alaric and then Athaulf till 414AD if ever they did. Paulinus did seem to know the Alan king through previous dealings but this doesn't mean that the Alan was Goar or that he remained with the Goths for 12 years but maybe part of the 405/406 invasion group. Either way its only guesswork because we have no hard evidence that Goar was the king who was part of the siege of Bazas.

Bachrach confuses me at times and it seems sometimes he can't make his mind up so has a bet each way. He claims all the towns up north were named after the Alan settlers who stayed there for many years but then at times he hints that Goar went south with the Goths. So now I treat Bachrach rather cautiously, not discounting him totally but reading him with care.

As to Sambida being Saul's replacement, I must disagree with you, why is there an assumption that the Alans of Saul were still part of the Roman army in 442AD when even Maenchen-Helfen cannot find any evidence of Alans in Roman service in Northern Italy after 402AD and I doubt if they would have been in service for 40 years, and also with steppe societies I really doubt that leaders like Goar and Sambida could still be functioning commanders of their various groups for as long as people think. In Goar's case from possibly 402-405 till after the last time he is mentioned between 447AD and 451AD and if Sambida was Saul's replacement then 402AD to at least 442AD and possibly longer. These are long lives for the times. Paulinus mentions that the king who defected in 414AD handed over his son as a hostage and a sign of faith to the Romans so maybe Sambida is that son. Who knows but steppe tribes had to have strong leaders who would be discarded when they got "a bit long in the tooth" and I sometimes suspect that Goar and Eochar were not the same person, Goar certainly got around if he was the same king who was at the siege of Bazas.. Anyway getting way way off topic to Stilicho and Alaric a bit but always like discussing the role of the Alans. In the end I suppose, without evidence its all guesswork, confusion & differing opinions as to what happened to the Alans.

Regards
Michael Kerr
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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#19
Quote:I suspect Sambida was the leader of Saul's Alans.

I don't think so. It's far more likely that Saul's Alans came from the larger group of Pannonian Alans once led by Alatheus and Safrax and converted to Christianity by Bishop Amantius. This Safrax group came under Gratian's control, elevated to a Roman palatine unit-- the Comites Alani-- and taken over by Stilicho after Theodosius' death. It would appear the actual leader, in the time of Stilicho, was Saul himself. He became Master of the Horse for a singular day at Pollentia. However, there is no actual testimony as to where Saul came from, other than his Biblical name, but homogamy would link him to the Pannonian conversion.

Interestingly, there is no further mention of the Alan contingent, and very possibly they deserted Stilico after Pollentia and went into Gaul to join other Alans. Or they may have left after the 408 death of Stilico; but from what I've noticed, we hear only of Huns attached to Stilicho during the downward spiral of his tenure. Yet much later, we have mention of an Alanic unit at Ravenna in the 480s. With this kind of ambiguous historicity, it's easy enough to see how a novel could weave a story full of "plausibilities." Wink
Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
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#20
Trying to pinpoint the origins and whereabouts of Alan groups and leaders gets very frustrating at times. Only brought them in to thread as Stilicho looks like he had many problems and catching Alaric and bringing him to battle doesn't seem that simple in the time between the death of Theodosius and the sack of Rome by the Goths and I was just pointing out that besides his many enemies in both Eastern and Western courts and of course his own ambition for his son that maybe rivalry between his various auxiliary forces would not have helped his situation. :?
Another question I have about Stilicho is why would he make an auxiliary King like Saul, who commanded one wing, the overall supreme commander of the Roman forces at Pollentia and not put himself in charge? Did he lack confidence in his own ability as a battlefield commander as opposed to a strategist or was this a move to ensure the loyalty of the Alans? Reading Claudian the Alans broke Alaric's infantry and chased them to Alaric's camp only to be broken themselves in a counterattack by Alaric's cavalry and Stilicho saved the day by bringing up the Roman infantry. Either way the Alans looked cowardly and Stilicho looked good at least to Claudian. 8+)
Alan, would the Safrax group be a mixed force of Alans, Sarmatians, Taifals and Goths or a purely Alan force?
Regards
Michael Kerr
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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#21
Michael,

From what we can gather from fragments, the original Alatheus-Safrax group was referred to as "The Three Peoples," a mixture of Alans (primarily), Greutungi Goths, and Huns. Evidently, they managed to live together as an assemblage for almost two decades. Originally, they were the guardian group of Videric the boy king who then disappeared from mention after they crossed the Danube. The Three Peoples were the deciding factor in the Battle of Adrianople when aiding Fritigern's Christian Tyrfingi. After this, Alatheus disappears, and they (c. 379) moved up into Pannonia. Sometime after the conversion, they were recruited into the West by Gratian as an elite group, and some of them became his personal body-guard. From this larger group, I think, would be the origin of the Comites Alani.
Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
Reply
#22
Alanus wrote:
Quote:After this, Alatheus disappears, and they (c. 379) moved up into Pannonia. Sometime after the conversion, they were recruited into the West by Gratian as an elite group, and some of them became his personal body-guard. From this larger group, I think, would be the origin of the Comites Alani.

I suppose then depending on his age when he was killed at Pollentia that Saul was probably killing Romans at the battle of Adrianople 24 years earlier if he is connected to the Saphrax/Alatheus group. Claudian's descriptions of Saul do give the impression that he had a Hunnic look about him with scarred face and short of stature etc.
Regards
Michael Kerr
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
Reply
#23
Indeed, Claudian distinctly refers to Saul as a smaller individual, although his bravery approached giantism. Of the various groups within this timeframe, the Three Peoples as led by the Two Duces (Alatheus and Safrax) are perhaps the most interesting and least documented. I think they were also been covered by Jordanes, perhaps the source used by Wolfram. In any case, this socio-cultural formation is evidence of how Goths, Alans, and Huns, could ally themselves for self-preservation.
Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
Reply


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