ALARIC(Al-ric, i.e., All rich), a chief, and afterwards king of the Visigoths, was born of the noble family of Balti (baltha, bold). He first appears in history (394 a.d.) as a commander in the army of subjugated Goths whom the Emperor Theodosius employed in his war with Eugenius. On the death of Theodosius in 395 the Goths asserted their independence, and under the leadership of Alaric made an incursion from Thrace, where they had been located, into the Morea. Athens yielded to them without resistance, and Alaric enriched himself with the movable treasures of the city, though he did not, as some habe asserted, destroy buildings and works of art. Rufinus, the crafty minister of Arcadius, did nothing to check the advance of the barbarians, and it has even been said that he had a secret understanding with Alaric. Opposition came, however, from the Western Empire. Stilicho, the famous general, landed at Corinth, and drove the Goths to Mount Pholoe, on the frontiers of Elis, where he besieged their camp. With proper vigilance, the siege could not have been raised; but the Romans were careless, and Alaric with his army contrived to escape to Epirus. Stilicho was prevented from following him by an order from the Emperor Arcadius, who conferred upon Alaric the prefecture of eastern Illyricum. About the same time the Gothic chief was chosen king by his people. It was natural that Alaric’s desire of conquest should increase with the increase of his power, and accordingly about the year 400 a.d. he set out to invade the Empire of the West. His march was exceedingly slow, and it was not until the spring of 403 that he appeared before Milan, from which the Emperor Honorius instantly fled to the fortress of Asta in Liguria. Being besieged there, he was on the point of capitulating ...when he was relieved by Stilicho, who, in the battle of Pollentia, fought on Easter-day, gained a somewhat doubtful victory over Alaric. Some time after, the contest was renewed at Verona, and Alaric sustained a decisive defeat. He was obliged to accept terms of peace, and to retreat for the time; but his attitude was always threatening, and Honorius found it expedient to buy him off by appointing him prefect of western Illyricum, with a large revenue. In this capacity Stilicho encouraged Alaric to lead his army against Constantinople, probably more with the design of keeping him at a distance from Italy than with any hope of reuniting the divided empire. The final expedition to Constantinople was not undertaken; but for his services during three years in Epirus, Alaric claimed an extravagant reward, and Honorius, on the advice of Stilicho, promised him 4000 pounds of gold. Shortly afterwards the weak-minded emperor procured the assassination of his minister, the only Roman who had proved himself able to cope with the Gothic forces, and broke all the treaties which Stilicho had made with Alaric. The latter at once marched upon Rome (408) by the Via Flaminia, and laid siege to the city. On coming to treat with him, the Romans found his demands so extravagant that they threatened a desperate resistance, to which Alaric made the well-known reply, “The closer hay is pressed, the easier is it mown.” At last the barbarian was induced to retire by the promise of 5000 pounds of gold and 30,000 pounds of silver, besides other treasure. The respite, however, was but for a time. Honorius, who had left Rome for Ravenna, refused to ratify by treaty certain conditions, moderate in themselves, on which Alaric firmly insisted, and the capital was again at the mercy of the enemy. With commendable forbearance, Alaric contented himself at first with taking possession of Ostia, from which he summoned the city, to surrender, threatening the immediate destruction of the food stores in case of refusal. The terrified people at once opened their gates, and agreed that the conqueror should appoint another emperor in place of Honorius. Alaric’s choice fell upon Attalus, the prefect of the city, who, though well received at first, soon proved himself thoroughly incompetent, and Honorius had to be restored. While the conferences as to the restoration were still being carried on at Ravenna, the treachery of Honorius occasioned yet another and more disastrous siege of Rome by the Goths. Sarus, a barbarian and a hereditary enemy of the house of Balti, was permitted by the emperor to attack the camp of the Goths and return in triumph to Ravenna. Alaric was naturally indignant, laid siege to Rome for the third time, and gained an entrance by the Salarian gate on the night of the 24th August 410. For six days the city was given over to the horrors of a pillage, which the humane orders of Alaric did but little to mitigate. On the 29th August Alaric withdrew his troops from Rome, and led them into southern Italy, which he ravaged for several months. Towards the close of the year, while engaged in the siege of Cosentia (Cosenza), he was seized with an illness which proved fatal after a very short duration. He was buried with his treasures in the bed of the river Busentinus, which was diverted from its channel for that purpose, and all the prisoners who were engaged in the work were put to death in order that the place of his sepulture might remain unknown. The character of Alaric has been somewhat variously represented by historians. In forming an estimate of it many have been misled by the use of the term barbarian, which, as applied to him, it should be remembered, indicates a national and not a personal distinction. Many proofs may be found of his humanity and moderation in trying circumstances, while, on the other hand, the charges of cruelty brought against him are not borne out by evidence. His marked respect for Christianity is explained by the fact that, if he was not himself a Christian, he had come early under Christian influence, having had frequent intercourse with Arian teachers.
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