The sack of Rome by Alaric in AD 410
Alaric’s Gothic army entered Rome on 24 August AD 410 and plundered it for several days.
0:47 · Episode film
AI-generated historical dramatization.
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Why Alaric sacked Rome in AD 410, how failed negotiations and food shortages led to the crisis, what happened to residents, and why the empire continued.
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Rome, August AD 410. Years of sieges, hunger and failed negotiations have brought Alaric's Gothic army back to the city. On 24 August, his forces enter through the Salarian Gate. For several days, soldiers plunder houses, take captives and drive families from their homes. Some inhabitants find refuge in churches. Far away in Ravenna, the emperor Honorius remains in power. Rome's capture sends shock through the Mediterranean, even as imperial government continues. A city long associated with enduring dominion has been exposed to conquest, and its people bear the immediate cost of that political failure.
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