King Alaric: His Famous Sacking of Rome, Secretive Burial, and Lost Treasure

The Sack of Rome in 410 AD by the Visigoths is often regarded as an event that marked the beginning of the end of the Western Roman Empire. The man responsible for the second sacking of Rome (the first had occurred 800 years ago in 390 BC, and was carried out by the Gauls under their leader Brennus) was Alaric, the first king of the Visigoths.

It has been said, however, that King Alaric had no intention of conquering Rome, and actually sought to negotiate peacefully. This was done in spite of, or as a means of, avoiding the prophecy which stated that Alaric would control Rome. In Claudian’s poem, The Gothic War, these words are placed in Alaric’s mouth:

“The gods, too, urge me on. Not for me are dreams or birds but the clear cry uttered openly from the sacred grove: ‘Away with delay, Alaric; boldly cross the Italian Alps this year and thou shalt reach the city.’ Thus far the path is mine. Who so cowardly as to dally after this encouragement or to hesitate to obey the call of Heaven?”

Alaric’s Rise to Kingship

Little is known about Alaric’s early life, although this Visigoth king is thought to have been born around 360 AD. Alaric is also said to have belonged to the family of the Balthi, whose nobility, according to the historian Jordanes was “second only to that of the Amali.” Jordanes also mentions that Alaric was appointed as the king of the Visigoths after the death of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, i.e. 395 AD, due to the increasing contempt of the Romans for the Goths and “for fear their (the Goths) valor would be destroyed by long peace.”