Who were the Goths?

The word 'Gothic' evokes various images, but few connect it to the ancient Germanic people known for sacking Rome in 410 AD. However, it was these Goths who lent their name to later artistic and cultural movements. The term 'Gothic' was a pejorative in the Renaissance, used to denigrate medieval styles, but later saw a revival in the 18th and 19th centuries with Gothic architecture and literature. Despite all these incarnations, the original Goths remain largely obscured, yet they played a significant role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and post-Roman European history. They were more than just raiders; they were craftsmen, farmers, and traders, sometimes enjoying cordial relations with neighbors and even fighting alongside Roman armies. This video aims to understand who these Goths truly were.

The earliest origins of the Goths are shrouded in mystery, with Roman sources from the 1st century AD offering unclear accounts. A later 6th-century text, 'Getica' by the Goth bureaucrat Jordanis, provides a crucial, though potentially biased, glimpse into their early history. Jordanis suggests the Goths originated from the island of Scanza (Scandinavia), migrating southwards into Europe under King Beric, settling in Gothiscanza. Archaeological evidence, specifically the Wielbark culture (1st century AD) in the lower Vistula region, supports a Scandinavian origin and a gradual migration process. This culture, associated with Germanic peoples, replaced the Oksywie culture and is characterized by stone circles and inhumation burials lacking weapons. Roman writers like Pliny the Elder and Tacitus also attest to a group called the Gutones/Gothones dwelling near the Baltic Sea, beyond the Vandals.

The 2nd century AD brought significant upheaval, with the Wielbark culture shifting southeast towards the Black Sea. This migration was part of a larger movement of Germanic tribes, driven by factors like fertile lands, population growth, and pressure from other tribes. These migrations likely triggered the Marcomannic Wars (166-180 AD), as other Germanic tribes sought refuge within the Roman Empire after being displaced by Vandals and Goths. According to Jordanis, the Goths, led by King Filmer, eventually reached Scythia (north of the Black Sea), defeating the Spali and settling in the fertile regions of modern Ukraine. Archaeological findings of the Chernyakhov culture (mid-3rd century AD) largely corroborate this account, pointing to a period of sedentary settlement and agricultural development. This era marked the beginning of a complex, often antagonistic, relationship between the Goths and the Roman Empire, characterized by frequent raids into Roman territory starting with the sack of Histria in 238 AD. They even defeated and killed Emperor Decius in 251 AD.

Gothic incursions extended beyond land, with their ships ravaging Roman coastal settlements along the Black Sea. These raids likely led to the capture of Ulas's progenitors, who were taken from Anatolia as slaves and later played a significant role in Christianizing the Goths. Roman emperors like Galianus, Claudius II, and Aurelian campaigned extensively to secure the Danube frontier, largely succeeding by the end of the 3rd century. This led to decades of largely peaceful relations, interspersed with occasional conflict. As the Goths became entwined with Roman politics, they found themselves involved in internal imperial struggles, often backing the losing side, such as with Licinius against Constantine the Great and Procopius against Valens. Valens's subsequent campaigns against the Goths concluded with a peace treaty in 369 AD with the Gothic chief Athanaric. This treaty deepened Roman-Gothic ties, fostering trade and military service, with many Gothic troops serving under Roman banners.

The westward movement of the Huns brought massive upheaval to the Goths. These nomadic, warlike horse archers were seen as a uniquely dangerous threat by Roman authors like Ammianus Marcellinus, who described them as ugly and beast-like. Hunnic attacks forced the Goths from their lands north of the Black Sea. The Greuthungi Goths, after resisting, joined the Tervingi Goths under Athanaric, but even his resistance proved futile. Facing overwhelming Hunnic pressure, the Goths fled westward, petitioning Emperor Valens for permission to settle in the Roman Balkans. Valens's disastrous policy of dividing them and corrupt officials led to a Gothic revolt in 377 AD. The Greuthungi crossed the frontier, joining the Tervingi. In 378 AD, Valens prematurely engaged the Goths at Adrianople, resulting in a catastrophic Roman defeat, rivaling the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. Led by King Fritigern, the Goths, especially their heavy cavalry, routed the unprepared Roman army. Valens himself perished, marking a turning point for the Roman Empire, initiating a chain of events that would contribute to its eventual downfall in the West. The Goths became masters of the Balkans, and in 382 AD, Emperor Theodosius I made peace, allowing them to settle under their own leaders in exchange for military support, bringing temporary stability.

The aftermath of the Hunnic invasions led to a split among the Goths: those who settled within the empire became known as Visigoths (Western Goths), and those remaining under Hunnic rule were Ostrogoths (Eastern Goths). This uneasy peace was shattered by the actions of Gothic chieftains Radagaisus and Alaric, leading to the infamous 410 AD sack of Rome. Alaric, who had likely fought under Emperor Theodosius, rose to prominence in 395 AD upon Theodosius's death and the division of the Roman Empire between his sons. With the Goths caught in the middle, Alaric led a revolt, demanding better treatment from imperial authorities. Raids in Greece and invasions of Italy ensued. In 406 AD, Hunnic pressure drove other barbarian peoples, including Vandals, Alans, and Suebi, into the Western Empire, further destabilizing it. The crucial death of the Roman general Stilicho in 408 AD, ordered by Emperor Honorius, weakened Rome significantly, allowing many Germanic troops to join Alaric. Alaric's initial goal was not destruction but securing land, food, and gold, even seeking an imperial title for legitimacy. However, Honorius's stubborn refusal to negotiate led to Alaric's second march on Rome in 410 AD. On August 24, 410 AD, the Salarian gate opened, and the Goths entered the city. While remarkably restrained for the time, with most monuments and churches spared due to the Goths being Christian, movable loot was plundered, and citizens endured hardship, torture, and displacement. The psychological impact of Rome's fall after 800 years was immense, prompting spiritual crisis and philosophical works like Augustine's 'City of God'.

Despite their triumph, Alaric and his Goths were in a precarious position, with no chance of a permanent settlement with Honorius. They moved south, intending to cross to Sicily or North Africa, but stormy weather destroyed their ships. Alaric died in early 411, possibly from fever, and was secretly buried under the Bucento River. Alaric's historical importance cannot be overstated; he coalesced the Goths into a united people, transforming them from fragmented groups into a force capable of founding the Visigothic kingdom in southern Gaul in 418 AD. The subsequent history of the Goths involves the emergence of the Visigothic Kingdom in Spain and Southern Gaul, and the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy, both of which deserve detailed study in their own right.