Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/116

 80 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE emperor still did nothing, Stilicho came from Italy again, but contented himself with making a treaty with Alaric, and in consequence was now declared a public enemy by the government at Constantinople. Alaric went on devas- tating until Arcadius gave him the generalship and money he desired, and perhaps persuaded him to direct his future ravages toward Italy rather than Greece or Constantinople. That at least is what he did. In both 402 and 403 he in- vaded Italy and fought with Stilicho; in 408 he came again, but was bought off by four thousand pounds of gold. In 408, too, Arcadius died, leaving a seven-year-old son, Theodosius II, but the rule of the East was already really Improved in the hands of the praetorian prefect, Anthemius, theEastem who governed well from 404 to 414, repelling the Empire Huns and other invaders and mending the fron- tiers on the Danube and in Illyria. After the battle of Adri- anople it had rather seemed as if the eastern half of the Empire would fall first, but the barbarians had been unable to take the strong city of Constantinople and the eastern half of the Empire seems to have been better able to buy them off. They turned instead, therefore, against Rome. In the same year, 408, in the West the foolish Honorius executed Stilicho on a charge of high treason. As a conse- Sack of quence Alaric again entered Italy and was joined Alaric, V m great numbers both by the imperial German 410 a.d. troops, who were discontented with Stilicho's fate, and by runaway slaves. Honorius took refuge in Ravenna, the home henceforth of the Western imperial court. It was a city close to the Adriatic coast just north of the Apennines, where, protected by surrounding swamps and with access to the sea and so to Constantinople, one could watch the main roads leading to the Alps and to Rome. Alaric did not try to take Ravenna, but marched on Rome. Constantinople, open to the sea, could not easily be cut off from supplies; but Rome, dependent on Africa for grain and located many miles from the coast, could be starved out by blockading the Tiber. Since Honorius sent no aid, the senate had to pay Alaric a huge sum to raise the