GOTH S. 



I 



Cliriftian Gotli5 were devoutly celebrating Eader, tliey 

 were attacked by Slilic'io, and after a very ievcre engage- 

 ment, they retreated irom the field of battle, after the tctal 

 defeat of the infantry, with their cavalry entire, under 

 the cominand of Alaric, vvh« polTed'ed a mind, tliat was 

 invincible and fuperior to misfortune, and that derived new 

 relources from adverfity. The Gothic fovereign, wifliing to 

 dilliuguilh his retreat by fome illuftrious exploit, attacked 

 Verona, but in the battle that eiifued he fuffercd a defeat 

 no lefs difallrous than tliat at Pollentia. In the year 408 

 Alaric marched again towards Rome ; witli bold and rapid 

 marches lie paffed the Alps and the Po ; liallily pillaged 

 the cities of Aquilcia, Altinum, Concordia, and Cremona ; 

 increafrd his forces by the acceliion of ?,o,ooo auxiliaries ; 

 and, without meeting a fuigle enemy in the field, advanced 

 as far as the edge of the morafs, which protefted the im- 

 l>regnable relldence of the emperor of the Weft. He foon 

 after pitclied his camp under the walls of Rome. A ran- 

 fom liaving being offered and accepted, he raifes the fiegc 

 A.D. 409. Alaric's next attack was directed againll the 

 ])ort of Oilia, one of the boldeft and moll ttupendous 

 works of Roman magnificence ; and as foon as he was in 

 o(le)li(m of thl:? important place, ho fummoned the city to 

 arrender at diferelion ; but lie contented himfelf with 

 fuperleJing Honorius, and bellcrwlng the purple on Attains, 

 pretecl. of the city. Attains w.iS foon after degraded, and 

 Ills degradation was followed bv the third fiege and fack 

 of Rome, Aug. 24, A. D. 410. At the hour of mid- 

 night the Salarian gate was filently opened, and the inha- 

 bitants were av.-akened by the tremendous found of the 

 Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred and fixty-three years 

 alter the foundation of Rome, the Imperial city, whicli had 

 Inbdued and civilized fo confiderable a part of mankind, was 

 delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germany 

 and Scythla. After fix days' pillage and devallation, the 

 vli\orlous Goths evacuated Rome, and their intrepid leader 

 advanced into Campania, and having ravaged that and 

 the neighbouring provinces of Lucania, Samnium, Apulia, 

 and Calabria, he approaciied the ilraits of Sicily, with a 

 defign to pafs over into tliat ifland, and thence into Africa ; 

 but he was feized in the neighbourhood of Rhegium with 

 a tit of illnefs, of which he died in a few days. (See 

 Alaric.) lie was fucceeded in the Gothic throne by his 

 brother-in-law Ataulphus, or Adolphus, who concluded a 

 peace with the empire, and marched into Gaul A. D. 412. 

 Being driven out of Gaul A. D. 415, he retired to Spain, 

 where he was foon after afTalTinated. .lingerie, his fuccefFor 

 on the Gothic throne, iliared the fame fate. After his death 

 the free choice of the nation bellowed the Gothic fceptre on 

 Valiia or Wallia, wiio concluded a peace v.-ith the Romans, 

 and commenced a fanguinarv, but fuccefsful war with the 

 barbarians, who had fettled in Spain. His victorious Goths, 

 A. D. 419, forty-three years after they had paffed the 

 Danube, were ellablilhed, according to the laith ot treaties, 

 in the poffefTion of the fecoud .•\quitain, a maritime pro- 

 vince between the Garonne and tlie Loire, under the civil 

 and ecclefiadical jurifdiclion of Bourdeaux. The Gothic 

 limits were afterwards enlarged bv the additional grant of 

 fome neighbouring diocefes ; and the fuccefTors of Alaric 

 fixed their royal refidence at Thouloiife. Thus, about the 

 fame time, in the lail year of the reign of Honorius, 

 tiie Gotiis, the Burgundians, and the Franks, obtained a 

 permanent feat and dominion in the provinces of Gaul. 

 Valiia -.vai fucceeded by Theodoric, who firit made \\ar 

 w-ith the Romans, and gained feveral places in Gaid belong- 

 ing to them, ar;d afterwards concluded a peace with them. 

 The Goths continued quiet in tli>» countries that had been 

 allotted them in Gaul for the fpuce of ten years, ov till the 



year 436, when, the Romans being engaged in a war witJi 

 the Inirgundians, Theodoric availed himfelf of tl.atoppor- 

 tunity to enlarge his don.inioi.s. At length the Gothic 

 king made peace with the Romans; and in the year 4c 1 

 engaged by an alliance «ilh them to -Mii th. n. agaiuft the 

 Huns who had entered Gaul. Thorifmund. his fon and 

 iucceffor, breaks with the Romans; but his brother Thco- 

 done, who next occupied llie Gothic throne, and who was 

 emmently d.ftmguilhed by his talents and attainments, cul- 

 mated the fnendlh.p of the Romans, and contributed by his 

 martial exploits to the fupport of the Roman empire. 

 Theodonc entered Spain with a large army of Goths and 

 Burgundians : and havnig almoil reduced the Suevians i., 

 Cxahca, A U. 457, he paffed from thence into Lufitania, 

 and reduced feveral places. Upon his return to Gaul, he 

 ook Icveral cit.es belonging to the Romans, but was at 

 length checked in his career and defeated by ./Eiridius, 

 commander in chief of the Roman forces in that comitry! 

 In 6pam the Goths were more fuccefsful than th-y were in 

 Gaul, and became mailers of the greater part of the- country. 

 Under huric, who afcended the throne A.D. 466, the 

 Goths drove the Romans out of Spain ; and all The pro- 

 vinces, except Galicia, and part of Lufitania, which were 

 lubjec-l to the S.evians, acknowledged him for their king. 

 who refidmg at Thouloufe, governed them bv his lieutenants! 

 Luric, having alio made himfelf mailer of the bell p:u-t of 

 Oaul, comprihng the whole traft between the Rhone and 

 lie Loire, and oi the greatell part of Spain, was llill de^ 

 hrous ot reducing the remaining parts of both countries, 

 waen h,s death at Aries, A. D. 484, put a flop to hi* 

 great deligns. Euric is faid to have been the firfl who 

 gave written laws to the Goths, for till his reign thev had 

 been governed by culloms only; and for thi. purpjfc he 

 cmpl<,yed Leo, his prime miniller, one of the moft learned 

 men and bell civilians of that period. Tliefe laws were 

 called the " 1 heodorician" laws ; and were obtruded bv 

 Eunc upon the people of Gaul and Spain, who had b;-.n 

 longaccuftomed to the Roman l.iws; but Alaric, his fon 

 and fuccefior, reftored the Roman laws to their fonrer 

 authority, and caufed them to be obferved tlirci. 'hout 

 his dominions. About this period the kir.gdom of the 

 \ il.goths in Gaul terminated ; and they, being driven from 

 thence, fixed their royal feat at Toledo, iu Spain. (S— 

 VisiGOTHs.) For the hillory of the Oilrogoths ; fer 

 O.sTROGoTir.s. Under Theodoric, who, A. D. 49 ,, caufed 

 lumlelt to be proclaimed by his Goths king of Italy, and 

 was acknowledged as fuch bv the emperor Anaftafiiis, the 

 fuccefior of Zeno, Theodoric fecured his new kingdom 

 by alliances with neighbouring powers : he quarterinl all 

 his Goths in the callles and ftrong holds, with their officers 

 who were to command them in time of war, .ind go- 

 vera them in time of peace ; he retained the Roman laws, 

 the fame form of government, the fame dilbibution of pro- 

 vinces, ;he fame magillrates and dignities ; and, bcfidcs, 

 according to the cullom of the Goths, he appointed 

 for each city inferior judges, diftinguilhed bv the title 

 of counts, who were to adir.inillcr jnllice, and' decide .ill 

 difputes; and. in this refpec\ the "polity of the Gollis, 

 as Grotius obferves, far excelled that 'of the Romans. 

 Thus Italy, from the dominion of the Romans, fell under 

 that of the Goth.s, ainioll without any p^-rccptible change. 

 See Tiiicononic. 



At hibfequent periods attempts were made to recover the 

 country from fubjeftion to their goveninient ; particuUrly 

 in the rclgn of .lultini.iu. Under ihe weak n-ign of Theo- 

 datus, the Gothic king of lta!y, Belifarius iuvr.ded Italv, 

 entered Rome A. D. ^^6, aiid rediicd Naples A. D. 

 557. He defended Rome againll the whole armv of the 



