Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/97

* GOTHS. 75 GOTHS. were either partially or wholly destroyed. Even Italy was threatened; but the danger drew the indolent Kniperor, Gallienns, from his seclusion. The Emperor appeared in arms, and his presenee seems to hae cheeked the ardor and to have divided the strength of the enemy. A portion of the Goths now returned to their own countrj'. But in 2G9 they again started on a maritime expedition in far greater numbers than ever. After ravaging the eoast-s of both Europe and Asia, the main armament at length anchored before Thessaloniea. Tn Claudius II., the successor of Gallienus, however, the Goths found a far abler general than any they had yet contended with. This Emperor defeated their immense host, said to number as many a-s 300,000 men, in three successive battles, taking or sinking their Heet, and after an immense slaughter of their troops, pursuing such as esea])ed until they were hemmed in by the passes of iMount Haemus, where they perished for the most part by famine. This, however, was only a single reverse. Aurelian, the successor of Claudius, was obliged to cede to them, in 272, the large Province of Dacia, after which there was comparative peace between the combatants for about fifty years. In the reign of Constantine their King. Alaric, again provoked hostilities, but was obliged eventually to sue for peace with the master of the Roman Empire, t'nder ¥alens they once more encountered the Roman legions, with whom they carried on a war for about three years (.^67-309) with toler.ible success. They now began to be distinguished by the appellations of Ostrogoths and Visigoths, or the Goths of the east and the west: the former inhabiting the shores of the Black Sea, and the latter the Dacian province and the banks of the Danube. On the irruption of the Huns the Visi- goths sought the protection of A'alens against those barbarians, and in 376 were allowed by him to pass into Jloesia, to the number of about 200,- 000. Great numbers of them also now took senice in the Roman Army; but a dispute soon arose between the Cioths and their new allies, which led to a decisive battle in 378, near Adrianople. in which the Emperor Valens lost his life. The Goths now threatened Constanti- nople, but were not able to take it; and during the reign of Theodosius there was again a period of comparative peace. Henceforward the history of the Visigoths and Ostrogoths tlows in two divergent streams. Be- fore tracing either of these, however, it should be mentioned that the Goths, for the most part, became converts to Christianity about the middle of the fourth century, adopting the Arian form of belief. Here, also, it may be stated that the term Jloesogoths was ajjplied to certain of the western Goths, who, having settled in Jloesia, de- voted themselves to agricultural pursuits, under the protection of the Roman Emperors. Visigoths. Upon the death of Theodosius the Great in 30.5. and the partition of the Empire between Honorius and .-Vrcadius. the renowned Aloric. King of the Visigoths, invaded Greece with an army of his coiintrymen. His retreat was purchased by giving him a commission to govern Illyricum. In 402 he invaded Italy, took and pillaged Rome (410). and was preparing to carry his arms into Sicily and Africa, when his career was arrested by death. (See Ai.ario.) Alaric was succeeded in the sovereigntv by Athaulf (410-415). who, having married Placidia, Vol. IX,— 6. the sister of Honorius, withdrew from Italy into the south of Gaul, and al)out 412 crossed the Pyrenees into Spain. Athaulf was assassinated at Barcelona, and his successor, Sigerie, dying the same year, the choice of the Goths now fell on alli:i (415-410), wlio extended his power over a great part of Southern Gaul and Spain, and made Toulouse his capital. The Goths, under this monarch, greatly assisted the Romans in their contests with the Vandals and the Alani. Wallia was succeeded by Theodorie i. (410-451), son of the great Alaric. He lost his life fighting on the side of the Romans against Attila at Chalons, leaving the throne to his son, Thoris- mund (451-453), who, however, was assassinated by his brother TiiEO[)OKic II. (453-406), who was himself assassinated by his brother Euric (466- 483). The reign of Euric was unusually bril- liant and successful. He extended the sovereignty of the Visigoths considerably both in France and Spain, introduced the arts of civilization among his subjects, and drew up for their use a code of laws. Under his successors. Alaric II. (483- 507) and Amalaric (507-531). however, the kingdom of the Visigoths declined before that of the Franks. Alaric II. fell by the hands of Clovis in battle, and Amalaric Avas killed by the hand of an assassin. Under the latter's successor, Theudis, the rule of the Visigoths was con- fined exclusively to Spain. Theudis was in his turn assassinated in his palace at Barcelona in the j'car 548. It will not be necessary to trace the long line of Visigothic kings that subse- quently ruled in S])ain from this period down to the year 711. The Visigothic power was com- pletely broken by the Saracen invaders on the battlefield of Jerez de la Frontera. (See Spaix. ) OsTEOGOTH.s. At the coming of the Huns, part of the Ostrogoths had been conquered and com- pelled to lend aid ; thus they joined Attila in his renowned expedition against Ciaul, and fell by thousands under the swords of their kinsmen, the Visigoths, at the battle of Chalons, in 451. After this they obtained a settlement in Pannonia, where they were joined by the other Ostrogoths, who had, at the coming of the Huns, been admitted within the Roman Empire. In 476 Theodorie. the greatest of the Ostrogoth sovereigns, succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father, Theodemir. He directed his arms almost immediately against the Eastern Emperor, Zeno: and having gained considerable advantages over him, obtained a grant of some of the richest provinces in the Empire. Eventually, he was named chief of the Imperial guard, and consul for the year 484. In 488, with the consent and advice of Zeno. he planned an immense expedition again Odoacer, King in Italy, who had hold that position since 476, vhcn he dethroned Romulus Augustulus, the last of the Western emperors. Theodorie utterly defeated Odoacer, slew him, it is said, with his own hand, in 403, and reigned undisturbed sover- eign of Italy until his death in 526. The seat of his empire was at Ravenna, and in 500 he visited Rome, when he convened a meeting of the Senate, and declared that it was his intention to rule the people committed to his charge with even- handed justice. To a great extent, he fulfilled this promise, and governed his subjects, upon the uhole, wisely and to their advantage. The glory of his reign was. however, sullied by the execu- tion of two of the most distinguished men of that