On This Day: Barbarians cross the Rhine, ushering in upheaval of Western Roman Empire - Dec. 31, 406
(edited from article)
"
Barbarian Invasion: The Beginning of the End for Rome?
In 406 AD, there was a large-scale barbarian invasion across the Rhine frontier into the territory of the Western Roman Empire, beginning a period of upheaval and decline.
According to the account of Prosper of Aquitaine, a contemporary Christian writer whose life was thrown into disarray by Gothic incursions into the Roman Empire, a large-scale crossing of the Rhine by barbarian confederations occurred on 31st December 406. This migration was a crucial moment in the decline of the Roman Empire in the west and marked the beginning of a tumultuous period which saw widespread raiding and the collapse of Roman order in the provinces. The crossing, or ‘barbarian invasion’ of 406 led to a breakdown of central Roman power along the Rhine frontiers and arguably instigated the usurpation of Constantine III, a rebellion that presented a grave threat to the Western Emperor Honorius.
The crossing of the Rhine in 406 AD was part of a period of European history known as the Migration Period,’ or the ‘Barbarian Invasions.’ Lasting from the mid-to-late-4th century until the 560s, large numbers of Germanic peoples, Huns, Avars, and Slavs either migrated within the Roman Empire’s boundaries or else migrated into the Empire from outside its borders. Traditionally, the arrival of the Huns in Europe in 375 is considered the beginning of the Migration Period, while the Lombard conquest of Italy in 568 marks its end.
There is a great deal of debate concerning the cause of these migrations. Were these opportunistic tribal warbands intent on looting and pillaging Roman cities, or were they refugees fleeing from more powerful political entities further east, such as the Huns? The construction of the Great Wall of China has been suggested as a cause for the migrations, forcing tribes westward, creating a domino effect that led to Germanic tribes moving into the Western Roman Empire. Climate change, poor harvests, and population pressures have all been cited as reasons for these large-scale movements.
Therefore, the Rhine crossing of 406 was a seminal moment in the decline of the Western Roman Empire, as well as exacerbating the rebellion of Constantine III. As a result of the ‘barbarian invasion,’ the empire abandoned one of its long-standing frontiers and was forced to allow various barbarian groups into the political landscape of the empire. It is these barbarian polities that would go on to grow into the kingdoms that would eventually replace the Western Roman Empire.
"
https://www.thecollector.com/barbarians-crossing-the-rhine-the-end-of-rome/
(edited from Wikipedia)
"
Crossing of the Rhine
The crossing of the Rhine River by a mixed group of barbarians which included Vandals, Alans and Suebi is traditionally considered to have occurred on the last day of the year 406 (December 31, 406). The crossing transgressed one of the Late Roman Empire's most secure limits or boundaries and so it was a climactic moment in the decline of the Empire. It initiated a wave of destruction of Roman cities and the collapse of Roman civic order in northern Gaul. That, in turn, occasioned the rise of three usurpers in succession in the province of Britannia. Therefore, the crossing of the Rhine is a marker date in the Migration Period during which various Germanic tribes moved westward and southward from southern Scandinavia and northern Germania.
Motives
The initial gathering of barbarians on the east bank of the Rhine has been interpreted as a banding of refugees from the Huns or the remnants of Radagaisus' defeated Goths, without direct evidence. Scholars such as Walter Goffart and Guy Halsall have argued instead that the barbarian groups crossed the Rhine not (so much) because they were fleeing away from the Huns, but seized the opportunity to plunder and settle in Gaul when the Roman garrisons on the Rhine frontier were weakened or withdrawn in order to protect Italy. Peter Heather (2009), on the other hand, argued that this hypothesis does not explain all the evidence, such as the fact that 'the vast majority of the invaders who emerged from the middle Danubian region between 405 and 408 had not been living there in the fourth century', and that the evidence for any Roman military withdrawal from the northwest at this time is weak; escaping 'the Hun-generated chaos and predation' was still a better explanation.
Frozen Rhine?
A frozen Rhine, making the crossing easier, is not attested by any contemporary source, but was a plausible surmise made by 18th-century historian Edward Gibbon. Although many later writers have since mentioned a frozen Rhine as if it were a fact, for Gibbon himself it was merely a hypothesis ('in a season when the waters of the Rhine were most probably frozen') to help explain why the Vandals, Alans and Suebi were able to cross the Rhine into Gaul with such apparent ease. It is also possible that they used a Roman Rhine bridge, or that the migrating peoples simply used boats.
Unguarded Rhine?
It is not clear why the Germanic bands crossing the Rhine apparently met no organised military resistance on the Roman side. A common hypothesis is that Roman general Stilicho may have depleted the garrisons on the Rhine border in 402 to face the Visigothic invasion of Alaric I in Italy.
Aftermath
According to bishop Hydatius of Aquae Flaviae, the barbarians crossed into Spain in September or October 409; little is known about the acts of the Vandals, Alans and Suevi in Gaul between the crossing of the Rhine and their invasion of Spain. Gregory of Tours only mentions that 'the Vandals left their own country and burst into the Gauls under king Gunderic. And when the Gauls had been thoroughly laid waste they made for the Spains. The Suebi, that is, Alamanni, following them, seized Gallaecia.' Based on Jerome's letter, Kulikowski argued that the Vandals, Alans and Suebi probably mostly stayed in northern Gaul until at least the spring of 409 (the earliest possible date of Jerome's letter), because almost all cities pillaged by the barbarians listed by Jerome were located in the north, and the southern city of Toulouse (Tolosa) had so far been able to repel the invaders, and they hadn't yet crossed into Spain.
"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_of_the_Rhine
---------------------------------------------------------
On This Day: "the most important strikes in American history" - Dec. 30, 1936
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016370620
On This Day: Pocahontas saves John Smith's life (may be a cultural fiction) - Dec. 29, 1607
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016370588
On This Day: "The Greatest Game Ever Played" helps launch an industry - Dec. 28, 1958
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016370563
On This Day: New Netherland residents protest for religious freedom - Dec. 27, 1657
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016370540
On This Day: Lincoln averts war with Great Britain by agreeing to release Confederate diplomats - Dec. 26, 1861
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016370495
= new reply since forum marked as read
