HIST-102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Arianism, Imperial Province, Materiel
9 Oct 2020
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• in 376 when the Huns arrived at the easternmost reaches of Europe, the territory that
today roughly corresponds with the country of Romania. There they crushed the
Ostrogoths and sent them fleeing into the Balkans.
The Visigoths, who were the Huns’ next target, pleaded with the emperor in Constantinople for
permission to settle within the imperial province of Moesia, which lay just south of the Danube.
The emperor Valens (364–378)—an Arian Christian, he sympathized with the Visigoths, who
had some time before con- verted to Arianism—granted them refuge on the usual condition
that they serve as federati and defend that section of the border.
Valens failed to provide the arms and materiel he had promised, however, and left the
Visigoths exposed to contin- ued attack from the Huns and scorn from the local population for
their failure to defend them.
The Visi- goths responded by renouncing their alliance with the empire and going on a
rampage.
They plundered the province of Thrace and began to march on Con- stantinople itself.
Valens, at the head of the imperial army, met them in battle near Adrianople in 378.
The Visigoths defeated the Romans and killed Valens, then went on to pillage much of Greece.
Theodosius (379–395)—the man who declared Christianity the official religion of the empire—
restored some order to the region by skillful diplomacy, but the harm had been done.
From his time on, hordes of panicked and pillaging Germans crashed through Roman defenses
almost at will.
Later emperors survived the on- slaught in two ways.
First, they relied increasingly on the power of German gen- erals familiar with the fighting
strategies and tactics of the invaders.
This practice enabled them to dispel all but the largest of the attacks, but it came at a high
price.
Within just a few years the generals themselves were in real command, often using the
emperor as a mere puppet to be set up or pulled down at will.
Second, the emperors focused their energies on defending and preserving the eastern half of
the empire only, and opened up the west to the newcomers.
Document Summary
In 376 when the huns arrived at the easternmost reaches of europe, the territory that today roughly corresponds with the country of romania. Ostrogoths and sent them fleeing into the balkans. The visigoths, who were the huns" next target, pleaded with the emperor in constantinople for permission to settle within the imperial province of moesia, which lay just south of the danube. The emperor valens (364 378) an arian christian, he sympathized with the visigoths, who had some time before con- verted to arianism granted them refuge on the usual condition that they serve as federati and defend that section of the border. Valens failed to provide the arms and materiel he had promised, however, and left the. Visigoths exposed to contin- ued attack from the huns and scorn from the local population for their failure to defend them. The visi- goths responded by renouncing their alliance with the empire and going on a rampage.
