Alaric I Biography

Alaric I was the first king of the Visigoths. A direct descendant of the great chieftain Rothestes, he reigned from 395–410 as the ruler. He hailed from Balti, an aristocratic dynasty. He is best remembered for the sack of Rome which was decisive in the decline of the Western Roman Empire. He began his military career under Gainas, a Gothic soldier. He later joined the Roman army. The death of the Roman Emperor Theodosius elevated Alaric to the status of the king of the Visigoths. Though he never wanted to besiege Rome at any point in his life, he ended up invading the country trice as his demands were not agreed upon by the Roman emperor. He tore apart various cities of Italy during this invasion, often leading to a lot of losses both in terms of revenue and soldiers for the Roman Empire. He breathed his last after falling sick with malaria, which he contracted while traveling in a ship to besiege Africa. Acquiring Africa had been an important part of his expansion plans owing to the land’s richness in terms of available food resources.