Alaric

Alaric I was King of the Visigoths (395-410 CE).
In 410 CE, Alaric conducted the First Sack of Rome in 800 years, the last time being by the Gauls in 390 BCE.

In 395 CE, Alaric and his Visigoths invaded Greece.
Rufinus, the Praetorian Prefect of the East who commanded the Eastern Army, surrounded Alaric, then seems to have made a deal with him, and persuaded the Emperor Arcadius to make the western Roman General Stilicho recall the troops, thereby releasing Alaric.
This plot backfired as the Gothic mercenaries withdrew, but killed their own General, Rufinas.
In 397 CE, Alaric’s Army invaded Macedonia, but was defeated by Stilicho, however, Alaric escaped again.

In 401 CE, Alaric invaded Italy and besieged the Roman Emperor Honorius in Milan.
By 402 CE, Stilicho had relieved the siege, rescuing Honorius, and defeating Alaric at the Battle of Pollentia, but again Alaric escaped with his army.
But Stilicho had captured Alaric’s wife, children and family. He offered to return them, on condition the Visigoths withdrew to Illyricum.
As Alaric retreated he stopped to capture Verona. Stilicho confronted and defeated him again at the Battle of Verona forcing Alaric to leave Italy, as many of his Generals decided to change sides.
Either in 405 or 407 CE Stilicho and Alaric signed a Treaty giving Alaric a Title and 4,000 pounds of gold to pay his troops, in exchange for loyalty to Rome.

In 408 CE, Stilicho, the only Roman General who Alaric was unable to defeat, was brought to Trial for Treason by Honorius and executed, leaving a power vacuum in Italy.
Honorius then encouraged a massacre of the wives and children of Gothic Troops serving in the Roman Military.
As a result, in 408 CE, 30,000 Gothic Troops defected to Alaric, who marched to Rome, sacked Aquileia and Cremona and other coastal towns on their way, before laying siege to Rome.
The Roman Senate liberated 40,000 Gothic slaves and granted Alaric another payment, but refused to make him Commander of the Western Roman Army.

In 409 CE, Alaric besieged Rome again, then relieved the siege after appointing Attalus, who had been the Praefectus Urbanus of the City of Rome, as Western Roman Emperor.
This he hoped would put pressure on the Emperor Honorius at Ravenna. Attalus then appointed Alaric as Master of both Military Services, but prevented him from sending an Army to Africa.

In 410 CE, Alaric then deposed Attalus, besieged Rome for the third time, and the Gates were opened by his allies within.
He then conducted the first Sack of Rome since 390 BCE, when Rome was sacked by Brennus and the Gauls.
However, there was no massacre, although buildings were burnt or ransacked for three days. After this, he then led his army home.
In the same year, Alaric died on the return march, after his fleet had been destroyed in a storm.

Rome