Barbarians: a tragic story of fearless foreigners. Barbarians History of the Barbarians

The social revolution that destroyed the slave-owning formation in the Mediterranean was attended by internal and external forces. Within the Roman Empire, the bearers of the new, feudal, trend were the owners of the estates of a new type, who followed the feudal path, and the civil and military servants who were in their service. Feudalization embraced the broad masses of the population - primarily the colons and other categories of small dependent holders of land allotments, which Roman legislation consistently and persistently brought together with slaves planted on the land.

The second, external, camp of the participants in the social revolution that crushed the Roman slave-owning state were the barbarians. In the IV-V centuries. the balance of power between the Roman Empire and the barbarian periphery changed in favor of the barbarians. The tribes surrounding the empire grew in numbers and strengthened economically and militarily. In the last century of the existence of the Roman Empire, there were numerous invasions of barbarian tribes from behind the Rhine and Danube borders into Roman territory. The barbarians settled in the lands of the western half of the empire and formed their own kingdoms.

Considering the social revolution that took place at the turn of antiquity and the Middle Ages, one should not confuse the subjective goals and objective results of the activities of various social forces. Subjectively, according to their conscious immediate interests, the population of the Roman Empire and the barbarian conquerors who invaded it usually turned out to be enemies. The conquerors brought death and ruin to the population of the empire. If the emperors or individual magnates entered into an alliance with the barbarian tribes in order to use them in the struggle for power or to protect against the invasion of other barbarian tribes, then the lands for the settlement of barbarian allies were again assigned at the expense of the local population.

The relationship between the population of the Roman Empire and the barbarians who settled in the IV-V centuries. on its territory, depended on specific conditions. In some cases, the barbarians undertook violent conquests, and the rulers of the empire and, to the best of their ability, its population, especially the inhabitants of fortified cities, resisted them. In other cases, the barbarians penetrated the territory of the empire as allies, who were assigned land for settlement. Then the division of land and other property, as well as slaves between the barbarians and local landowners-slaveowners, was carried out. Sometimes there was a transition of individuals or groups of the population of the empire to the side of the barbarians.

But the main thing was that the majority of the population of the empire, dissatisfied with the situation that existed in it and in one form or another actually fought against the slave system (through popular movements, the restructuring of production on a feudal basis, the political isolation of large land holdings that acquired the features of feudal estates, and etc.), and the barbarians who invaded it did a common historical task - they crushed the Roman slave-owning empire, that is, they were objective allies in the social revolution that destroyed the existing formation and cleared the ground for the next, feudal formation. The transition from antiquity to the feudal Middle Ages was a long and painful process for both populace the late Roman Empire, and for the barbarians - participants in the Great Migration of Nations.

In III-V centuries. Numerous military-tribal unions arose in Central and South-Eastern Europe. A Gothic alliance was formed in the Northern Black Sea region. The Goths are an East Germanic tribe that at the beginning of our era lived on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, at the mouth of the Vistula, and in the 2nd century. moved from the Baltic to the Black Sea region. The Gothic Union included two main tribal masses: the Visigoths (Western Goths) in the lower reaches of the Dniester and the Ostrogoths (Eastern Goths) in the lower reaches of the Dnieper. The Goths lived in the territory immediately adjacent to the Black and Seas of Azov. At the head of the Goths were military tribal leaders - kings. Other tribal unions were also headed by similar leaders.

Beyond the Rhine and Danube, other military-tribal alliances of the Germans also developed. They ranged from the Rhine in the west to the Vistula in the east, from the upper and middle Danube in the south to the North and Baltic Seas in the north; northern Germanic tribes lived on the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as on the Jutland Peninsula (on the territory of modern Denmark), where in the III-V centuries. Jutes and Angles were known.

The Germanic tribes that lived in Central Europe are usually divided into western (from the Rhine to the Elbe) and eastern (from the Elbe to the Vistula). Among the Western Germans, powerful alliances of the Franks (on the middle and lower Rhine) and their eastern neighbors - the Saxons, Alemanni (in the upper Rhine and Danube), Lombards (who lived on the left bank of the middle and lower Elbe) stood out. Among the East Germans, the most famous were the tribal unions of the Burgundians, Suebi, Vandals and Marcomanni. The Burgundians lived in the lower reaches of the Oder and along south coast the Baltic Sea; Sueves - between the middle Elbe and the middle Oder; vandals - between the middle Oder and the middle Vistula; the Marcomanni lived in the upper reaches of the Elbe, occupying territory as far as the upper Oder in the east and as far as the middle Danube in the south.

Starting from the upper reaches of the Oder and the Vistula, south and east towards the Black Sea and up to the upper reaches of the Oka and the Volga, a vast territory inhabited by Slavic tribes stretched. To the north of the Slavs were the Baltic tribes.

The tribes that lived in the neighborhood of the Roman Empire beyond the Rhine and Danube, since the III century. increased their pressure on the empire. Under pressure, Rome is ready in the 3rd century. withdrew his troops and part of the Roman colonists from Dacia (the territory of modern Romania).

In the attacks of barbarian military-tribal alliances on the Roman Empire in the 4th-5th centuries. not only Germanic, but also other tribes who lived by this time in Central and South-Eastern Europe interspersed with Germanic tribes or advanced into Central Europe under pressure from the Huns from the east took part. For example, the Germans are Vandals and Sueves, together with the Iranian-speaking tribe of the Alans (Alans are the descendants of the Scythian tribal union of the Sarmatians, torn off by the Great Migration of Peoples from their habitat in the Don basin.) in the second half of the 4th and at the beginning of the 5th century. made a grandiose migration from Central Europe through the Danube and South Gaul, first to Spain, and then to North Africa.

Invasion of the Huns from the east Southern Europe in the 70s of the IV century. exacerbated relations between European peoples: many of them were moved from their place and began to move, crowding their neighbors. The main stream of the Great Migration of Nations poured in a westerly direction - to the lands of the Roman Empire.

Huns, motley in their own way ethnic composition the horde, which included proto-Turkic, possibly proto-Mongolian, Ugric and other tribes, made a frightening impression on the European peoples with their unusual appearance, lifestyle and military customs. Numerous Hun cavalry hordes turned out to be a terrible enemy for settled agricultural peoples. They were unable to offer sufficient resistance to the Huns. Moving from the east, the Huns in the early 70s of the 4th c. crossed the Volga and attacked the Alans, who lived southeast of the Don in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. They subjugated part of the Alans and included them in their horde; these Alans then moved further west with the Huns. Another part of the Alans left the Huns for the Caucasus, where they settled; together with local ethnic groups, they became the ancestors of the Ossetians.

Having dealt with the Alans, the Huns in 375 attacked the Ostrogoths in the Northern Black Sea region and defeated them. Part of the Ostrogoths was included in the Hunnic tribal association, and the other part fled across the Danube to Roman territory, following the Visigoths.

The Visigoths, fleeing the Huns, turned to the Eastern Roman emperor Valens with a request to allow them to settle in the empire as federates and received consent. Thus, formally, the resettlement of the Visigoths to Roman territory took place with the consent of the empire, but in fact it would hardly have been able to oppose this resettlement. Ammianus Marcellinus compares the large mass of Goth settlers with Libyan sand blown up by the wind. Throwing almost all their property, they crossed the Danube in ships, boats, rafts and by swimming, and many drowned.

By agreement with the government of the empire, the Visigoths were to receive food from the Romans for the first time and land in the border area. For their part, the Visigoths pledged to serve in the Roman army. But the Roman officials were slow or failed to fulfill the treaty. Among the Visigoths, surrounded by Roman guards, famine began. Roman slave traders bought from them for next to nothing, first slaves, and then their own children. All this caused indignation of the Goths, and they revolted. The slaves - their fellow tribesmen, as well as the miners of the gold mines of Thrace, who were in a very difficult situation, went over to their side. These natives served as guides for the Goths. Emperor Valens called to his aid Gratian, the ruler of the western half of the empire. However, events unfolded in such a way that Valens was forced to engage in battle with the Goths, without waiting for the approach of Gratian.

The battle between the Romans and the Goths took place in 378 near the city of Adrianople (modern Edirne) in Thrace, west of Constantinople. The Roman army was defeated; Emperor Valens also died in battle. Then the Goths scattered over the surrounding areas, plundering. Ready attempts to capture Adrianople and other cities were unsuccessful due to the determined resistance of the townspeople and the inability of the Germans to conduct a correct siege of cities. Approaching Constantinople, the Goths met resistance from the townspeople and hired Arab cavalry; this forced them to move away from the capital.

The famous commander Theodosius (379-395) became the new emperor, who for the last time managed to unite the entire Roman Empire under his rule. In 382, he crushed the revolt of the Goths, partly by force, and partly by the cession of lands in the Balkan Peninsula to them: the Goths were settled as federates in Moesia, Thrace and Macedonia.

In 395, Theodosius, dying, divided the empire between his sons: the eastern half was received by the eldest son Arcadius, the western half - by the youngest son Honorius. This section was the last and final for the Roman Empire: two states were formed - the Latin-speaking Western and the Greek-speaking Eastern Roman Empire. In fact, the western and eastern halves of the former unified Roman Empire, which had long been isolated, turned into independent and hostile states. The Eastern Roman Empire later became known as Byzantium, but its population continued to call themselves Romans, that is, "Romans."

The Eastern Roman Empire was richer and stronger than its western neighbor. She suffered less Crisis III c., since in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire the classical form of slavery was less common before; workers of the colon type prevailed here, and in a number of provinces, for example, in the Danube, free peasantry also remained; in the eastern cities, to a greater extent than in the western ones, the work of free artisans was preserved. Thanks to the developed foreign and domestic trade of the Byzantine cities, the treasury of the Eastern Roman emperors was richer, and this allowed them to maintain a large army or pay off the barbarians. Finally, very important role, apparently, the fact that the main stream of the Great Migration of Nations took a western direction played. True, it must be admitted here that Byzantium thoroughly had a hand in sending the majority of the barbarians to the West.

In 402, the Visigoths, encouraged by Byzantium, invaded Italy. The Western Roman government of Honorius, actually headed by a talented military-political figure, a German from the Vandal tribe, Stilicho, organized a rebuff to the Visigoths. In subsequent years, Roman troops from the western provinces were drawn to the Apennine Peninsula to protect Italy. So, in 407, Stilicho summoned the Roman legions from Britain, which was the end of Roman rule in this country. Gaul, Spain, North Africa and Britain in the coming decades were flooded by the invasion of the Vandals, Burgundians, Suebi, Franks, Angles, Saxons and other Germanic, as well as some other barbarian tribes.

In 408, Stilicho died as a result of court intrigues. Upon learning of this, the leader of the Visigoths Alaric, who actually ruled Illyria (in present-day Yugoslavia), in 410 again invaded Italy. The Visigoths captured Rome and plundered it for several days. Then they went to Southern Italy. At this time, Alaric died. The Visigoths left Italy and, by agreement with the government of the Western Roman Empire, settled in Southwestern Gaul, where in 418 they formed the first barbarian kingdom on the territory of the Roman Empire. Toulouse first became the capital of the Visigothic kingdom, and later, when the Visigoths conquered a significant part of the Iberian Peninsula, Toledo in Spain.

In 429, the Vandals and Alans, who had previously settled on the Iberian Peninsula, moved to North Africa, pressed by the Visigoths, who by that time had conquered most of Spain. In 439, the Alano-Vandal kingdom was formed in North Africa with its capital in Carthage. The Vandal nobility started a large pirate fleet and plundered the islands and coasts of the Western Mediterranean. In 455, the Vandals sacked and destroyed Rome, giving rise to the term "vandalism", meaning the cruel and senseless destruction of cultural property.

In 451, the Western Roman Empire and the barbarian kingdoms that had arisen by that time on its territory had to repel the invasion of the Huns. Under the leadership of their leader Attila, nicknamed by contemporaries for his cruelty "the scourge of God", the Huns, moving from the middle Danube to the west, reached the city of Orleans on the Loire, but they could not take it and set off on the return journey. On the Catalaunian fields in North-Eastern Gaul, a battle took place between the Huns and the Romans. Many tribes and peoples conquered by them fought on the side of the Huns, including from the Germans - the Ostrogoths, from the Slavs - the Antes, etc. Their allies fought on the side of the Romans - the Germanic Visigoths, Franks and Burgundians. The Huns retreated, but the next year they attacked Northern Italy. In 453 Attila died, and the Hunnic union, whose center was on the middle Danube, broke up. The tribes and peoples conquered by the Huns freed themselves.

In Eastern Gaul, as early as the beginning of the 5th century. the kingdom of the Burgundians was formed, but in 437 it was destroyed by the Huns (Legends about alliances and wars between the Burgundians and the Huns were reflected in the German epic songs about the Nibelungs.). After the collapse of the Hunnic state, a new Burgundian kingdom arose in Southeastern Gaul with its capital in Lyon (in 457). Being located in a highly romanized area with beautiful natural conditions, the Burgundian kingdom began to develop successfully in socio-economic terms. The long and deep Romanization of this area contributed to the accelerated formation of class (feudal) relations in Burgundy. And in the Burgundian society itself, by that time, the decomposition of tribal relations was already underway.

In 476, the leader of the German mercenaries in Italy, Odoacer, overthrew the last Western Roman emperor, the infant Romulus Augustulus. Odoacer sent the insignia of imperial dignity (crown and purple mantle) to Constantinople and assumed the title of king (king), as was customary in other barbarian states. This event is considered the end of the Roman Empire.

True, for contemporaries it passed almost unnoticed, since by this time only Italy and Northern Gaul remained from the entire Western Roman Empire; imperial power was in complete decline; Rome has long ceased to be the capital of the empire; the emperors lived in swampy Ravenna on the northeast coast of Italy.

In 486 Northern Gaul was conquered by the Franks (Hence current name countries - France). From the middle of the 5th c. the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, who lived on the Jutland Peninsula, and the Saxons, who lived in the coastal region between the lower reaches of the Rhine and the Weser, began the conquest of Britain, inhabited by the Celtic Romanized tribes of the Britons; the conquerors formed their own, Germanic, kingdoms, destroying or pushing the Celts to the north, to the western coast of Britain and across the sea to the Armorica peninsula (now Brittany in France).

So, by the end of the 5th c. throughout the territory of the former Western Roman Empire, barbarian kingdoms were formed. They were a transitional form from the late Roman statehood and at the same time from the military democracy of the barbarians to the early feudal state. Barbarian states on the territory of the former Roman Empire are called those states that retained the class division inherited from the empire (to this were added the germs of class antagonism that formed at the end of the development of primitive societies); but the main part of the ruling class was formed in them from the top of the tribal (“barbarian”) nobility, i.e., not yet quite class or even pre-class in origin.

There could be no barbarian kingdoms outside the boundaries of the former slave-owning empire: here class relations grew directly out of the pre-class society, and nothing was inherited from the society that survived the slave-owning formation. This applies to Russia, Scandinavia, most of Germany, part of Britain, where the Celtic population has virtually disappeared. There was a free community here.

In the barbarian kingdoms that arose on the territory of the former Western Roman Empire, and in Byzantium, free communities (Germanic in the West, Slavic in Byzantium) were only islands of the barbarian world in the midst of an array of class society, passing from a slave-owning system to a feudal one. For example, in the Visigothic kingdom, the Germanic community existed in areas with the most compact Gothic population. In those areas where the Goths settled interspersed with the local population, mixed Gothic-Roman rural communities arose. Major change social structure in Southwestern Gaul and in Spain after their conquest by the Visigoths, it consisted in increasing the stratum of small free landowners and in strengthening the neighboring community. But in the future, the decomposition of communal relations, a new growth of large land ownership and social stratification began at a rapid pace. During the conquest of southwestern Gaul and Spain by the Visigoths, 2/3 of arable land and half of the forests and meadows were taken from local landowners, as well as, it is believed, 1/3 of slaves and columns. However, this division of land and labor between the conquerors and local landowners did not take place everywhere. The Visigoths, who settled in the heavily Romanized areas of Gaul and Spain, got rid of the remnants of tribal relations much faster than, for example, the Franks, who conquered Northern Gaul, and the Anglo-Saxons, who captured Britain. Formed under the influence of Roman law, the Visigothic laws protected private ownership of land and slaves not only of the Gothic, but also of the Gallo-Roman and Spanish-Roman nobility. However, large-scale landownership gradually changed its character, approaching feudal landownership. The columns in the Visigothic kingdom were no longer considered subjects of the state and were exempted from state taxes and duties (carriage, construction); at the same time, they retained all the limitations of their legal capacity in relation to the landowner on whose land they kept allotments: they were attached to allotments and limited in their right to dispose of their property. Subsequently, the descendants of the Roman columns and freedmen merged with the slaves (serves) planted on the land and with dependent holders from the former free community members of Gothic and local origin, forming a class of feudal-dependent peasantry. The class of feudal lords was formed from the Gothic military-tribal nobility, from large Gallo-Roman and Spanish-Roman landowners and from the highest clergy of the Arian Church. Feudal land ownership was represented by the possessions of the Gothic king, the Arian Church and large secular landowners.

In Byzantium, the social revolution took place without breaking the state machine of the Roman Empire. The inner essence of the social upheaval that took place in it during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages was fundamentally similar to the social revolution in the West: it was the collapse of the slave-owning formation and the formation of the feudal one.

The barbarian invasions also affected Byzantium: on the Balkan Peninsula in the 4th-5th centuries. the Huns, Goths, Alans and many other tribes invaded, and in the VI-VII centuries - the Slavs. But these invasions did not lead to the conquest and destruction of Byzantium. Only in the north of the Balkan Peninsula did the Slavic kingdoms of Serbia and Bulgaria form during the early Middle Ages. Bulgaria first arose as a Turko-Slavic state; The Bulgar Turks (from the Volga) dissolved in the Slavic mass only towards the end of the 9th century. In the rest of the territory of Byzantium, the Slavic tribes settled without destroying the Byzantine state, and gradually merged with the local population.

Barbarian invasions of the Balkan Peninsula contributed to the decline of cities, especially small ones; at the same time villages and villages are preserved; archaeologists trace the continuity of the existence of many villages before and after the appearance of the barbarians, although the composition of the population in them changes; there is mutual influence of local and barbarian communities. In the IV-VI centuries. in the process of feudalization of Byzantium, a new type of village was formed with a mixed population - slaves, columns, free; the villages had their own, although not very developed craft. The position of rural settlements on state and private lands is being equalized, as well as the position of individual groups of workers. In large villages, markets are formed for the surrounding villages. The specificity of Byzantium, as well as a number of Middle Eastern regions, was the long-term preservation of large villages with a market and handicraft production, which differed little from small towns; their existence hindered the development of new cities.

At the same time, in the VI century. even large Byzantine cities are gradually losing their importance as centers for supplying handicraft products to the rural area. The main role in the cities is played by large independent landowners and the church: in the eastern regions of the former Roman Empire, the city, although somewhat later than in the West, ceases to be municipal organization; by the end of the 6th century. city government disappears. Monasteries, which were not only large landowners (the church subjugated entire communities), but also trade and craft centers, were of great importance in the restructuring of the Byzantine economy.

The free peasant community brought by the barbarians (German in the West, Slavic in the Balkan Peninsula) played a progressive role in the development of feudalism in the lands of the former Roman Empire. The collapse of the Roman state organization in the West contributed to the revival of rural communities that survived in the late empire in the provinces. The community contributed to the preservation of land ownership and personal freedom of the peasants and, thus, stimulated the development of the productivity of their labor, since these were workers who were most interested in its results.

1. Great Migration

What do you already know about the Great Migration of Nations from the history of the Ancient World?

The Great Migration of Peoples is a conventional name for the totality of ethnic movements in Europe in the 4th-7th centuries, mainly from the periphery of the Roman Empire to its territory. Scientists are still arguing about its causes. According to the analysis of fossilized plants of that era, it was possible to establish that in Europe the climate became colder and rainier. Crops perished, and primitive farmers set off in search of better lands. In the Asian steppes, on the contrary, droughts destroyed the grass. In the III-IV centuries, the union of nomadic tribes - the Huns - shifted along Great Steppe from China to Europe. Hundreds of thousands of horsemen moved in search of prey, followed by carts with women and children, herds of animals. In 375, the Huns crossed the Don, defeated the Goth militia and rushed on. They plundered villages and coastal towns, loading their wagons with grain and wine, gold ornaments and the finest fabrics.

The new neighbors seemed to the Romans monstrous "two-legged beasts on ugly horses." Christian priests said that these are the peoples of Gog and Magog mentioned in the Bible, the invasion of which portends the "end of the world." Fleeing from the Huns, the Goths as a whole tribe (at least 90 thousand people) crossed the Danube. The emperor allowed them to settle on the lands of the empire. However, the Goths, dissatisfied with the arbitrariness of Roman officials, rebelled and defeated the Roman legions in the battle of 378, killing the emperor himself. Divided into western and eastern, the Germanic Goths moved through the Roman provinces from the Balkans to Italy.

2. Rise of barbarian kingdoms

Follow on the map (p. 30) the routes of movement of the Germanic tribes, name the places of their new settlement and the creation of kingdoms.

The Germanic tribes moved from the territory of the central part of Europe to the West and settled in Italy, where they created the kingdom of the Ostrogoths, Spain, where they created the kingdom of the Visigoths, North Africa, where they founded the kingdom of the Vandals, in France, where they created the kingdom of the Franks, in Britain - the Angles and Saxons.

3. Orders of the Germans

1. What signs of the primitive communal system remained among the Germans at the beginning of the early Middle Ages? What accelerated the transition of the Germans to civilization?

Signs of the primitive communal system among the Germans:

Equality of all members of the community;

The presence of leaders who were considered the first among equals and led the people's militia;

Lack of writing;

The capture of Roman lands and the gradual adoption of Roman traditions, customs, language, etc. accelerated the transition to civilization.

2. What were the consequences for the Germans of their adoption of Christianity?

The Germans assimilated more and more with the local population and were less and less invaders in the eyes of the conquered people, as they shared their religion.

Questions at the end of the paragraph

1. When and why did the Great Migration of Nations begin and what were its results?

The great migration of peoples began in the 4th century due to the migration of the nomadic tribes of the Huns, which most likely began as a result of climate change. The Huns moved on ready. As a result, many tribes left their native lands in search of new lands.

The result of the Great Migration of Nations was the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the devastation and collapse of Rome and other cities, the settlement of Germanic tribes in the territory Western Europe and the formation of a modern ethnic map of Europe.

The end of the 4th century - the beginning of the Great Migration of Nations.

455 - the destruction of Rome by the Vandals;

476 - the capture of Rome by the barbarians, the fall of the Western Roman Empire;

493 - the subordination of Italy to the Ostrogoths;

568 - the capture of Italy by the Longobards;

3. Using additional materials prepare reports on the occupations of the ancient Germans and their religion.

ancient Germanic peoples how the ethnic group was formed on the territory of Northern Europe. Their ancestors are considered to be Indo-European tribes who settled in Jutland, southern Scandinavia and in the Elbe River basin. As an independent ethnic group, Roman historians began to distinguish them, the first mention of the Germans as an independent ethnic group refers to the monuments of the first century BC. From the second century BC, the tribes of the ancient Germans begin to move south. Already in the third century AD, the Germans began to actively attack the borders of the Western Roman Empire.

All the Germans were pagans, and their paganism was different, in different parts, it was very different from each other. However, most of the pagan deities of the ancient Germans were common, only they were called by different names. So, for example, the Scandinavians had the god Odin, and to the Western Germans this deity was represented by the name Wotan.

The priests of the Germans were women, as Roman sources say, they were gray-haired. The Romans say that the pagan rituals of the Germans were extremely cruel. The throats of prisoners of war were cut, and predictions were made on the decomposed entrails of prisoners.

In women, the ancient Germans saw a special gift and also worshiped them. In their sources, the Romans confirm that each Germanic tribe could have their own unique rites and their own gods. The Germans did not build temples for the gods, but dedicated any land to them (groves, fields, etc.).

Roman sources say that the Germans were mainly engaged in cattle breeding. They mainly raised cows and sheep. Their craft was developed insignificantly. But they had high quality furnaces, spears, shields. Only selected Germans could wear armor, that is, they could know.

The clothes of the Germans were mainly made from animal skins. Worn, both men and women, capes, the richest Germans could afford pants.

To a lesser extent, the Germans were engaged in agriculture, but they had a fairly high quality tools, they were made of iron. The Germans lived in large long houses (from 10 to 30 m), next to the house there were stalls for pets.

Before the great migration of peoples, the Germans led a sedentary way of life and cultivated the land. Of their own free will, the Germanic tribes never immigrated. On their lands they grew grain crops: oats, rye, wheat, barley.

4. Determine the names of which barbarian tribes in one form or another have been preserved on modern map Western Europe.

Burgundians, Angles, Saxons, Franks, Germans.

Questions for additional material

Why did Theodoric, a barbarian by birth, treat the Romans and their culture with respect, appreciated scientists?

I think that the reason for this was that Theoderic was brought up by the Romans in captivity, where he was imbued with their culture and science. He could not just destroy the people who created such a great civilization.

Movements of barbarian tribes and their attacks on the Roman provinces became commonplace. However, the Roman Empire for the time being managed to restrain this onslaught. At the end of the IV century. mass movements of Germanic and other barbarian tribes began, which received the name of the great migration of peoples and ended with the conquest of the entire territory of the Western Roman Empire. What caused them?

The main reason for these movements was the growth in the population of barbarian tribes, caused by an increase in living standards due to the intensification of agriculture and the transition to a stable settled way of life. Barbarian tribes sought to seize the fertile lands of the Roman Empire and establish permanent settlements on them. Numerous German nobility used these campaigns to seize booty and exploit the conquered population.

Huns. The Visigoths invaded the territory of the Roman Empire. The Visigoths were the first to move within the empire. The tribes are ready until the II century. lived in the lower reaches of the Vistula, where, according to ancient legends, they moved from Scandinavia. At the beginning of the III century. most of the Goths went to the southeast and settled in the Black Sea region (from the lower reaches of the Danube to the Don). The Goths, settled in the west in the forest belt, separated themselves from the eastern steppe. The former were called the Visigoths (Vizigoths), the latter Ostrogoths (Ostrogoths). In the Black Sea region, the Goths subjugated the Slavic and Scythian-Sarmatian population living there, as well as the Germanic tribe of Heruls who settled here. So a large multi-tribal union was created, in which the Goths (Ostrogoths) were a minority. They borrowed a lot from local residents, in particular in the military field. Eastern Roman sources often refer to the Goths as Sarmatians.

The Goths undertook military campaigns against the Roman Empire. The Heruli, who lived in the Sea of Azov, made pirate raids on the coast of Asia Minor. At the same time, the Goths were involved in trade relations with the empire and were subject to Roman influence. They spread Christianity in the form of the Arian heresy. His preacher was Bishop Ulfilas (313-383), who compiled the Gothic alphabet and, as is believed, translated the Bible into the Gothic language. This translation is the oldest monument of Germanic writing. The "Gothic state" reached its highest power during the time of the Ostrogothic king Ermanaric, who subjugated a number of Slavic tribes and pushed the boundaries of the Ostrogothic union far to the east. The Visigoths were not part of this association. They were drawn into the orbit of Roman influence.

In 375, the Huns invaded the Black Sea region - warlike nomads, moving from the depths of Asia and subjugating many peoples by that time. Under their blows, the tribal union of the Ostrogoths fell, and its leader. Ermanaric, severely wounded in battle, committed suicide. Most of the Ostrogoths fell under the rule of the Huns. The Visigoths, fleeing the Hun threat, asked the Roman authorities to allow them to settle on the territory of the empire as allies. Emperor Valente concluded an agreement with the Visigoths, and they were settled in Moesia. But the Roman authorities did not fulfill their promises, did not provide them with food and treated the Visigoths like slaves. This led to an uprising of the barbarians, which was supported by the population of Thrace. In the battle of Adrianople (378), the Goths won, the emperor Valens died. The Roman commander Theodosius with difficulty managed to push the Goths away from Constantinople. Theodosius, who soon became emperor, concluded a peace treaty with the Visigoths, allowing them to settle in the best lands of the Balkan Peninsula as allies of the empire. For some time, the Goths were in peaceful relations with the Romans, but soon, after the death of Theodosius (395), they, under the leadership of King Allaric, began to undertake devastating raids and tried to capture Constantinople. The emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Arcadius was forced to pay a large ransom to the Visigoths and provide the rich province of Illyria. In 401, Allaric undertook a campaign in northern Italy, but was defeated by the Roman troops commanded by the commander Stilicho.

At the beginning of the 5th century The Western Roman Empire had to repel an unprecedented onslaught of barbarians. In 404, a mass of Germans led by Radagaisus invaded Italy from the upper reaches of the Danube. They laid siege to Florence. Stilicho mobilized all his forces and defeated them. Many barbarians were taken prisoner and enslaved. To defend Italy, Stilicho was forced to withdraw Roman troops from Britain, where the Anglo-Saxons had already begun to invade. The situation in Italy became catastrophic after the execution of Stilicho, who was condemned by the Roman Senate on suspicion of treason. Huge hordes of the Visigoths, replenished by people from other barbarian tribes, occupied Northern and Central Italy and approached Rome. Emperor Honorius took refuge in Ravenna. Allaric demanded a large ransom and extradition of all slaves of barbarian origin. These demands were granted, but the emperor refused to give the barbarians the provinces of Dalmatia, Noricum, and Venice, which they desired. Then Rome was subjected to a starvation blockade. On August 24, 410, the city fell. The army of Allaric entered Rome and subjected it to terrible plunder. These events made an indelible impression on contemporaries. The fall of the "eternal city" was considered not only the end of the Roman Empire, but a light show. Supporters of paganism blamed the Christians for everything. Famous figure For the Christian Church, the philosopher Augustine the Blessed in his work “On the City of God” contrasted the perishing “earthly kingdom” with the eternal “kingdom of God”, the prototype of which he considered the Christian church.

Having robbed Rome and captured huge booty, Allaric headed to the South of Italy, intending to move to Sicily, and then to North Africa. But here the Visigoths failed. Shortly thereafter, Allaric died. Having elected a new king, the Visigoths moved back to the north.

Visigothic kingdom. The Visigoths captured the southwestern part of Gaul and founded their kingdom there with its capital at Toulouse (419). Formally, they were considered federates of the empire, and their king was a Roman military leader, but in essence it was the first independent state of the barbarians on Roman territory. The Visigoths seized two-thirds of the arable land from local landowners and divided it among themselves "by lot". So the barbarian warriors turned into communal peasants. In the second half of the 5th c. conquered the territory of Gaul up to the Loire and most of Spain. After the loss of Aquitaine, conquered by the Franks in 507, the center of the Visigothic kingdom moved to Spain (the capital of Toledo). In 554, Byzantium captured the southeastern coast of Spain. Thus. The Visigothic kingdom owned only part of the Iberian Peninsula; the northwestern part belonged to the kingdom of the Suebi.

The conquerors, having settled on a vast territory, constituted a minority of the population. The Visigoths did not create continuous settlements, but lived among the Hispano-Roman population, to which they were clearly inferior in terms of numbers and level of development of material and spiritual culture. This, despite their special privileges - the military profession, tax exemption, naturally led to the Romanization of the Goths. At the end of the VI century. the Visigoths abandoned Arianism and adopted the Roman Christian religion, which further accelerated their assimilation. The mixing of the Visigoths with the local population contributed to the formation of feudal relations in the Visigothic society. The peasants lost their freedom, the nobility turned into large landowners.

With the development of feudal relations in the Visigothic state, internal unrest began. This facilitated the conquest of Spain by the Arabs.

Vandal Kingdom. In the III century. Vandals moved from the depths of Germany to the Middle Danube. Under the onslaught of the Huns, they moved west along with the Suebi and Allans (a tribe of Sarmatian origin that came from the east), broke through at the beginning of the 5th century. Roman defensive line on the Middle Rhine and invaded Gaul, and then into Spain. In 428, the Vandals, together with the Allans, crossed the strait (Gibraltar) to North Africa and began to conquer it. The Vandal king Geiseric skillfully used the current situation - the rebellion of the Roman governor Boniface, the liberation struggle of the local Berber population, the movement of agonists and within ten years conquered most of the Roman possessions. So, a new state was created on Roman territory - the kingdom of the Vandals with its capital in Carthage (439). Like the Visigoths, the Vandals were considered federates of the empire, which did not prevent them from appropriating its territories and plundering its cities. Being Arians, the Vandals seized the lands and property of the Roman church, as well as the wealth of the Roman nobility. They captured the islands of the Mediterranean - Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Balearic Islands. In 455 the Vandals sacked Rome. At the same time, many monuments of culture and art were destroyed. Later, the term "vandalism" began to refer to the senseless destruction of cultural property. The Vandal kingdom lasted until 534 and was conquered by Byzantium.

Burgundian kingdom. East German Burgundian tribe in the 4th century. moved to the Middle Rhine and founded his kingdom in the region of Worms, which was defeated by the Huns. The remnants of the Burgundians (with the permission of the Roman commander Aetius) settled as federates in Sabaudia (Savoy). Later, the Burgundians occupied the entire Upper and Middle Rhone and in 457 founded a new kingdom with Lyon as its capital. Like other barbarians, the Burgundians divided the land with the local population, seizing first half, and later two-thirds of the arable land, as well as half of the estates and communal lands and one-third of the slaves from the Gallo-Roman landowners. The Burgundians settled in consanguineous groups (headlights), which later turned into territorial communities. Settlement among the Gallo-Romans contributed to the decomposition of community-clan relations among the Burgundians and the growth of social differentiation. The Burgundian kingdom maintained a connection with the Roman Empire until its fall. In 534 it was conquered by the Franks.

Fight against the Huns. The Huns, having subjugated a number of Germanic tribes - Ostrogoths, Heruls, Gepids, Quads, Marcomanni, Skirs, Thuringians, Eastern Burgundians, created a huge military alliance. At the end of the IV century. they invaded Pannonia and soon turned it into the center of their possessions. The Western Roman Empire and Byzantium used the Huns to fight against barbarian invasions and suppress uprisings in the provinces, which undoubtedly contributed to the strengthening of the Hun alliance. In the 5th century the Huns already had hereditary power. They remained nomads, and their conquests were devastating: they destroyed villages and even cities, turning the occupied territories into pastures for livestock. The Huns became especially dangerous for the European peoples during the time of Attila (435-453), nicknamed "the scourge of God" for his cruelty.

In 451 the Huns invaded Gaul and laid siege to Orleans. The common danger forced the Western Roman Empire and the barbarian peoples to join forces. The decisive battle, nicknamed the "battle of the peoples", took place on the Catalaunian fields (near Troyes). The allied army, consisting of the Romans, Visigoths, Franks and part of the Burgundians, under the command of the Roman commander Aetius, defeated the Huns, along with whom the conquered Germanic tribes fought. Nevertheless, Attila made a campaign in Italy in 452 and captured huge booty there. In 453 he died, and the Hun alliance soon fell apart. The tribes conquered by the Huns gained independence.

End of the Western Roman Empire. Despite the loss of almost all of their provinces. The Western Roman Empire formally still continued to exist. The imperial court had long been located not in Rome, but in Ravenna, and the affairs of the empire were actually managed by barbarian military leaders who commanded mercenaries from barbarian tribes. In 476, the commander Odoacer, who came from the Germanic tribe of the Skirs, dethroned the infant Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus, executed his father Orestes and became the de facto ruler of Italy and Rome. The year 476 is considered to be the date of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, although in fact Rome fell back in 410, when it was conquered by the Visigoths. Odoacer himself did not believe that he was abolishing the empire by this act. He sent the signs of imperial dignity to Constantinople to the Eastern Roman emperor. But in essence it was a radical revolution. In Italy, as elsewhere in the territory of the former Western Roman Empire, the barbarians became the masters. Odoacer carried out a reform, endowing his combatants with land, for which he took away a third of their landed property from local landowners. All the barbarian kingdoms in the west, considered Roman "allies", gained independence.

Ostrogothic kingdom. The Ostrogoths, after the collapse of the Hunnic union, settled in the Danubian regions in the position of federates of the Byzantine Empire. The leader of the Ostrogoths, Theodoric, from the noble family of Amalov, subjugated almost all the Ostrogoths and began to rule as a king. In 488, with the consent of the Eastern Roman emperor, he organized a campaign in Italy with the aim of conquering it. The Ostrogoths failed to achieve decisive victory. In 493, Theodoric concluded an agreement with Odoacer on the division of Italy. But soon Odoacer was treacherously killed at the feast of Theodoric, and all of Italy came under the rule of the Ostrogothic king. Thus, a new barbarian state was created - the kingdom of the Ostrogoths. It included, in addition to Italy, areas along the Danube - part of modern Switzerland, Austria and Hungary (Pannonia). The capital was Ravenna.

The Ostrogoths settled mainly in Northern and Central Italy. They seized one-third of the land (mainly from the barbarians, endowed at one time with Odoacer) and divided it among themselves. Theodoric also confiscated the possessions of the fiscus and vacant lands and distributed them to the nobility. Italo-Roman landowners whose land had not been confiscated had to pay the Goths one-third of their income. Thus, large land ownership was not eliminated. Theodoric even endowed some of the Roman aristocrats with new possessions. In general, as a result of the Ostrogothic conquest, small-scale communal land ownership increased somewhat, but a radical transformation of agrarian relations did not occur. Under the influence of the Roman order, the Ostrogoths quickly decomposed tribal ties and social differentiation took place.

The royal power among the Ostrogoths very soon lost its military-democratic character and acquired despotic features. Theodoric considered himself the successor of the Roman emperors and imitated them in every possible way. Theodoric's legislation was based on Roman law. German customary law was not codified and legislated, as in other barbarian kingdoms. In Italy, Roman law and the old state apparatus were preserved, the Senate functioned according to the old tradition. The Roman nobility was attracted to the highest positions. The Roman Church was equalized with the Gothic Arian Church. For the Goths, there was a special German system of government headed by counts. Theodoric's policy increased ethnic disunity in the country, which made it difficult for the Romanization of the Goths and the interaction of the Roman and German social systems.

The Gothic military elite sought to weaken the influence of the Roman nobility and seize its wealth. After Theodoric's death, this led to open clashes. Queen Amalasunta, who succeeded to the throne, tried to continue the policy of her father, patronizing the Roman nobility and focusing on Byzantium, which cost her not only the throne, but also her life. A fierce struggle for power began among the Ostrogothic nobility. The Byzantine Empire, which had long sought to conquer Italy, took advantage of this.

In 534, the Byzantine emperor sent a huge army and fleet under the command of Belisarius to Italy. Roman aristocrats and the Catholic clergy supported Byzantium. In a short time, the Byzantines captured most of the country, including Rome and Ravenna. However, the war was not over. The restoration policy of Byzantium was opposed not only by the barbarians, but also by the lower strata of the Roman population. The leader of the Goths, Totila, who was elevated to the royal throne, brutally cracked down on the pro-Byzantine-minded Roman nobility, deprived them of their possessions and income, and at the same time alleviated the position of columns and other dependent people, trying to attract them to his army. This made it possible to achieve a turning point in the course of the war and expel the Byzantines from Northern and Central Italy. But Byzantium sent large military reinforcements to Italy and in 552 defeated the Goths. Totila fell on the battlefield, and the Goths waged a war of liberation for another three years. In 555, Italy, devastated in a twenty-year war, was completely conquered by Byzantium. Emperor Justinian, in a law specially issued for Italy, ordered that all lands, slaves and colonies be returned to their former masters. A significant part of the property was taken from the Ostrogoths. Many Goths left the country, only in the north of Italy the Gothic population was partially preserved. Nevertheless, Byzantium failed to fully restore the old slave-owning order in Italy.

The Pangobard Kingdom. Thirteen years after the Byzantine conquest, the Lombards invaded Italy from the north. They had previously settled in Pannonia, creating a large tribal union there, which included not only Germanic tribes (Saxons, Gepids), but also Sarmatians with Bulgarians. Byzantium at one time used the Lombards as allies in the war against the Ostrogoths. Now the Lombard king Alboin decided to retake Italy from Byzantium. Compared to other Germanic tribes, the Lombards were the most brutal conquerors: they destroyed cities, exterminated civilians or turned them into slaves. Not content with one or two thirds of the land, like other barbarians, they took almost all the property from the rich landowners, and they themselves were expelled or made their slaves. The entire local population was taxed and put under the control of the Lombard dukes.

Gradually, the Lombards conquered most of Italy. They owned the entire northern part of the country. In Central Italy, only the region of Ravenna (the Exarchate of Ravenna, which remained under the rule of Byzantium) and a small territory near Rome were not included in the Lombard state. In southern Italy, the Lombards owned the duchies of Benevent and Spoleto. The most numerous settlements of the Lombards were in the valley of the Po River, which was called Lombardy (Langobardia). The Lango-Bard conquest dealt the final blow to the remnants of slavery in Italy and had a decisive influence on the development of feudalism.

Under the influence of a more developed socio-economic system in the conquered country, the Lombards quickly disintegrated communal and tribal ties, established private ownership of land, and increased social differentiation. The old military-democratic structure was falling into decay. Instead of a general militia crucial acquired by the royal team. For service, the combatants received land allotments and turned into feudal landowners.

As a result of the formalization of feudal relations, the positions of royal power were weakened. The political struggle intensified in the country. The dukes and other magnates, who kept the mass of the population in dependence and had military squads, strove for complete independence. At the same time, the foreign policy situation of the Lombard state became more complicated. The popes sought to seize the Lombard lands along the Tiber River and called for help from their allies - the Frankish kings. In 754 and 757 Pepin the Short defeated the Lombard state and took away part of its territory, giving it to the pope.

The concept of "barbarians" appeared in Ancient Greece. That is what they called any foreigners who arrived in Greece from another country. Subsequently, the Greek tradition took root in ancient Rome. Roman citizens considered any people not related to Roman culture to be barbarians.

Who are the barbarians, where did this name come from?

At present, it is difficult to say where the name "barbarians" came from. There is only one assumption that can partially explain its origin. The ancient Greeks knew the Varii tribe, which are found in written sources of those years. It is not known for sure whether the Varians were Germans, Celts or some other people, but they lived near the island of Rügen.

It is possible that the Varii were a super ethnic group, which later split into several large tribes. At least the historians and chroniclers of ancient Rome knew the following barbarian peoples:

Scythians; Germans; Alans; Goths; Sarmatians; Gauls and many more barbarian tribes.

Most of the barbarian tribes were distinguished by militancy and constantly raided the border regions of the Roman Empire.

But the ancient Greeks divided the barbarians into only two tribes:

Hyperboreans; Scythians.

If the Hyperboreans were understood to be all foreigners from the northern lands, then the Scythians were understood to be the tribes of the northern Black Sea region.

Descendants of Hercules - Scythians

The ancient Scythians, who are considered the ancestors of the Russian barbarians, were known to the ancient Greeks as harsh and cruel warriors. They periodically attacked the lands of the Greeks and their allies, but since their tribes were scattered, they did not cause significant damage. However, the Scythians were often hired as mercenaries and guards.

Some tribes of the Scythians in those days were influenced by the Hellenic culture and began to lead a settled life. They were engaged in trade and crafts, and their religion practically did not differ from the Greek. At present, samples of the Scythian culture, made of gold and precious stones, have been preserved. They were made by masters of their craft, who were not inferior to the best Greek masters of that time.

According to Herodotus, the main gods of the cultural Scythians were:

Hercules; Ares; Hestia; Zeus and other Greek gods.

The fact that the gods of war are at the head of the Scythian pantheon clearly testifies to the militancy of this people.

Alans - the legendary descendants of the Trojans

The barbarian tribes of the Alans, who are mentioned in the chronicles as Ases, Roxalans or Yazigs, were nomads moving along the steppes of the Volga and Dnieper regions. It is very likely that it was the Alans who were the very legendary Trojan aces. Not all Alans were nomads. Some of them led a settled way of life, and lived in clay semi-dugouts.

The ancient geographer Strabo, mentioning the Alans, calls them the last known Scythians, and talks about the battle of the Roxalans with the Persian king Mithridates. In that battle, the Alanian tribes were able to gather an army of 50,000 soldiers to help the Scythian king Palak. Despite their courage, the barbarian armadas could not resist the civilized army of the Persians and were defeated.

Venetian barbarian tribe

The life of the barbarians from the Veneti tribe proceeded in the northern territories, not far from the Baltic Sea. Some scientists consider this tribe to be the descendants of the Vanir, who were mentioned in the ancient Greek "Younger Edda". The origin of the Venets is still unclear. There are several points of view on this matter:

It is possible that the Veneti are related to the Vandals; According to one version, the Veneti are the ancestors of the Western Slavs; Some describe the Venedi warriors, claiming that they look like the Russians.

How the barbarians conquered the Roman Empire

Although Rome managed to conquer and subjugate vast territories, the eastern lands still lived their own original life. Of course, there could be no question of any Barbarian Empire, but the tribes often entered into alliances among themselves and together organized campaigns on the territory of the Roman Empire. Although the frontier of the Roman Empire was secured, cohorts of legionnaires could not be in several places at the same time. This was the main component of the military strategy of the barbarians. Suddenly raiding the border regions, the barbarians burned and plundered everything in their path.

The year 370 was of great importance for the future of the entire Roman Empire. This year, the Hun warriors attacked the Alans, who were fighting against ready. Because of this, the Alans and Goths united and tried to repulse the Hun hordes. The battle ended in defeat, and the remnants of the Goths and Alans invaded the Balkan lands. There they defeated most of the local tribes, after which they entered into a series of military alliances with the Vandals, Burgundians and Suebi against Rome.

The adventures of the barbarian army did not end there, as they had to fight the West Goths, who attacked them from the territory of Gaul, making an alliance with the Roman troops. Rome has always tried to pit the various barbarian tribes against each other, and after its weakening, this tactic became the main one. The Goths began to gradually push the united barbarian army south.

African campaign of the barbarian army

In 428, a barbarian army, consisting of 80,000 Alans and Vandals, decided to leave the territory of Spain and, led by their king Gaiseric, crossed into northern Africa. Using the experience of the Spanish company, they agreed with the governor Boniface, who was dissatisfied with Rome. As a result of the agreement, the barbarian troops captured Carthage, losing only a small part of their army.

The barbarians managed to create a new kingdom on the ruins of the African part of the Roman Empire. Oddly enough, the barbarians turned out to be quite a cultured people. Rough vandals, which became the talk of the town, opened many new temples, cathedrals, schools and theaters. By decree of King Gaiseric, all the vices of the local population of Carthage were strictly persecuted, and the barbarians themselves turned out to be zealous Christians. This state, despite the help of numerous friends and fellow tribesmen in Europe, was conquered in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian.

Theodoric's campaign and the emergence of the power of the West Goths

At the beginning of the 4th century, power in the Eastern Roman metropolis fell into the hands of the Ost-Gothic king Theodoric, who served the Byzantine throne. His army, consisting of more than 100,000 warriors, conquered the Apennine Peninsula. Ravenna became the capital of the new state.

Around the same time, the Visigoths began to conquer Gaul. After the army invaded the Pyrenees, the Alans and Vandals moved south. The Goths concluded peace and military treaties with the Sueves, after which they began to create their own state. The first king of the West Goth state was King Ataulf, who was from of old kind Balts.

The fate of the Vandals in the 4th century AD

The Vandals, who, together with the Alans, captured Carthage, having founded their strong state, constantly fought back from the legions of Justinian. In the end, Carthage could not resist, and the army of the Byzantine emperor captured it. This event took place in 534. After the capture of the city, the emperor issued a series of decrees infringing on the local population:

All noble representatives of the tribes of the Vandals and Alans lost almost all their privileges; Byzantine orders were introduced in the city; Arian churches were closed, Orthodox churches were opened instead.

All discontent was brutally suppressed, the rebels were executed or sent into slavery. The Arian priests, dissatisfied with the new order, tried to raise the people to an armed uprising, and soon they succeeded. The armed uprising was led by the vandal warrior Stotz. He was able to gather 400 Vandal warriors, with whom he escaped from the ships. Soon another 8 thousand people went over to the side of the rebels, and then 70% of the local army.

Upon learning of this, the Byzantine emperor Justinian sent legions to suppress the uprisings. As a result of punitive measures, less than 10% of the rebel army, which numbered about 170,000 people, remained. All local residents with Vandal and Alanian roots were forced to flee, as the emperor's troops robbed and killed everyone indiscriminately.

After these events, the Byzantine emperor Justinian tried to prevent the formation of tribal Slavic unions, constantly sending gifts and quarreling Slavic leaders with each other. Such tactics quickly bore fruit, and the barbarians were mired in bloody civil strife.

At the same time, Byzantium began to contact the Avars, who were of Turkic origin. These steppe warriors in different years could both serve Byzantium and rob its borders. To rid himself of two enemies, Emperor Justinian sent the Avars, with whom friendly relations were established at that time, against the Slavs.

Famous Russian campaigns against Byzantium

At the end of the 8th and beginning of the 9th century, the formation of the Rus people began. Russian soldiers in 862 created the state of Rus, which began expansion to the south. main reason This was the need to establish control over the ancient trade route "From the Varangians to the Greeks." In addition, Russia sought to capture Constantinople, in which untold wealth had accumulated. Until the middle of the 11th century, Russian barbarians tried to capture the capital of Byzantium:

The first recorded raid of the Russian rati took place at the beginning of the 9th century; In the 830s, the Russians managed to sack Amastrida; In the 860s, Russia made a big campaign against Tsargrad; In 907, Prince Oleg went on a campaign against Tsargrad. As a result of this campaign, a trade agreement was concluded with Byzantium and the prince received a large tribute; Prince Igor also made two campaigns against Constantinople in the period from 941 to 944. If the first campaign ended in failure, then the second ended with the payment of tribute and a peace treaty; In 970-971, Prince Svyatoslav twice went to Constantinople; In 988, Prince Vladimir besieged Korsun.

After that, the gradual baptism of Russia began.

The history of the barbarians is still full of white spots. Only archaeologists can discover the unexplored secrets of the barbarians.

The concept of "barbarians" appeared in ancient Greece. That is what they called any foreigners who arrived in Greece from another country. Subsequently, the Greek tradition took root in ancient Rome. Roman citizens considered any people not related to Roman culture to be barbarians.

Who are the barbarians, where did this name come from?

It is possible that the Varii were a super ethnic group, which later split into several large tribes. At least the historians and chroniclers of ancient Rome knew the following barbarian peoples:

Scythians;
Germans;
Alanov;
Ready;
Sarmatov;
Gauls and many more barbarian tribes.

Most of the barbarian tribes were distinguished by militancy and constantly raided the border regions of the Roman Empire.

But the ancient Greeks divided the barbarians into only two tribes:

Hyperboreans;
Scythians.

If the Hyperboreans were understood to be all foreigners from the northern lands, then the Scythians were understood to be the tribes of the northern Black Sea region.

Descendants of Hercules - Scythians

Some tribes of the Scythians in those days were influenced by the Hellenic culture and began to lead a settled life. They were engaged in trade and crafts, and their religion practically did not differ from the Greek. At present, samples of the Scythian culture, made of gold and precious stones, have been preserved. They were made by masters of their craft, who were not inferior to the best Greek masters of that time.

According to Herodotus, the main gods of the cultural Scythians were:

Hercules;
Ares;
Hestia;
Zeus and other Greek gods.

The fact that the gods of war are at the head of the Scythian pantheon clearly testifies to the militancy of this people.

Alans - the legendary descendants of the Trojans

The next mention of the Ases-Alans appeared around the 2nd century BC. Then these barbarian tribes suddenly appeared in the territories of modern Crimea, where they began to fight with the Bosporan Scythian state.

The Goths and the famous conquests of Germanarich

Soon, in search of more fertile lands, cruel Gothic tribes came to the Black Sea region. Arriving with their leader Berebista, the Goths immediately ravaged the following countries:

Illyria;
Thrace;
Many Celtic tribes.

Arriving in Dacia, the Goths mixed with the local Dacian barbarians, as they were kindred tribes. Strabo claimed that they also got along well with the ancient Germans, constantly making military alliances against Rome. However, for ancient rome barbarian raids at that time were fearless. As a rule, the border regions of the empire, which were inhabited by conquered peoples, suffered. For the barbarians, the march on Rome was a real adventure, which could bring both great wealth and glory, and lead to the death of half the army.

The most famous Gothic commander was Germanaric. His military campaign took place in the second half of the 4th century AD. The conquests of the Gothic leader took place as follows:

First the Heruli were conquered;
Then the army of Germanaric defeated the Bosporan kingdom;
Further, the Antes, Sclaveni and part of the Veneti were defeated.

After that, having gathered the conquered tribes under his banners, the famous commander made a grandiose military campaign, which began from the Baltic Sea and ended in the east of Byzantium.

Like most barbarian commanders, the Goth leader died a violent death. Germanaric was stabbed to death by the brothers of one of his wives, whom he ordered to be torn apart by horses.

Venetian barbarian tribe

It is possible that the Veneti are related to the Vandals;
According to one version, the Veneti are the ancestors of the Western Slavs;
Some give a description of the Venedian warriors, arguing that they look like Russians.

Basically, scientists agree that the Wends and Vandals are representatives of the same super ethnic group.

Vandals - destroyers of Rome

About the vandal tribe modern world almost everyone knows. The word "vandal" has long been a household word. Vandals are called rude and uncultured people. In the 15th century, the outstanding educator Mavro Orbini proved that this tribe is related to the Slavs. Orbini used the works of Roman and Greek authors as sources of information.

This theory is partly confirmed by Polish legends, which say that their people descended from Prince Vandal. Even in the Russian chronicles there is a legend about the Novgorod king Vandal, who was the ancestor of all the Slavs.

How the barbarians conquered the Roman Empire

The year 370 was of great importance for the future of the entire Roman Empire. This year, the Hun warriors attacked the Alans, who were fighting against the Goths. Because of this, the Alans and Goths united and tried to repulse the Hun hordes. The battle ended in defeat, and the remnants of the Goths and Alans invaded the Balkan lands. There they defeated most of the local tribes, after which they entered into a series of military alliances with the Vandals, Burgundians and Suebi against Rome.

Already in 406, the united barbarian army invaded the territory of Italy, where it managed to plunder and destroy not only villas and settlements, but also many major cities among which was Florence. The most important among the commanders of the barbarian army was Radigast. Judging by the name, this leader came from a noble family. According to the legends, the leader of the barbarian army swore to destroy Rome to the ground.

Most likely, Radigast, who had gathered a huge army under his banner, would have destroyed the eternal City, but he was overtaken by death almost under the very city. For the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, the name Radigast personified horror. Wherever the army passed, huge human sacrifices were made. The barbarians did not spare even children.

Bloody campaign of barbarians across Europe

Since the Roman army in Italy could not hold off the barbarians, their hordes headed west. In 409, a united army consisting of Alans, Suebi and Vandals entered the territory of Spain. King Gunterich commanded the barbarian horde. With the help of the local commander Gerontius, who, taking advantage of the situation, decided to rebel against Rome, the barbarians defeated the Spanish legions, establishing their power over the Iberian Peninsula. The conquered territory was divided as follows:

The Alans received the territory on which modern Portugal and part of central Spain are located;
The Vandals received the territory of modern Andalusia;
Suevi - all the northwestern islands.

Judging by the division of the territory, the basis of the barbarian army was the Alans. Roman troops subsequently repeatedly tried to drive the barbarians out of Spain, but they were able to fortify themselves by building protected settlements and fortresses.

African campaign of the barbarian army

Soon, the warlike Goths also had to go on a military campaign, as they began to be driven out by hordes of wild Huns. The Goths managed to capture first the territory of modern Bulgaria, then the entire Balkan Peninsula. In 410, the Goths captured Rome.

The Huns and their famous leader Attila

Although the origin of Attila has not yet been clarified, it is believed that the son of Mundzuk led his ancestry from the White Huns, who in ancient times waged war with China. If you believe the historians who talked with people who saw the legendary Hun commander, then Attila was a man with a Mongolian type of face, while his skin was very light. Now it is difficult to give an objective assessment of this information, but other sources simply do not exist.

According to the same ancient historians and chroniclers, Attila's power extended from the steppes of Scythia to the dense forests of Germany. Some written sources and legends of various nations claim that the Hunnic warriors reached the Volga and the Baltic Sea. Despite the fact that Attila reached Gaul, he failed to defeat the Roman army. Gathering about 500,000 warriors under his banner, the Hun commander led an army against Rome.

In 451, the Battle of Chalon took place, in which the following tribes of barbarians came out on the side of the Huns:

Rugi;
Heruli;
Franks;
Gepids;
West Goths;
Burgundy.

The Ost-Goths and Alans fought on the side of the empire. In this battle, both sides lost between 150 and 300,000 men. Terrified by the huge losses, Attila decided to withdraw his army. This campaign significantly weakened the power of the leader of the Huns, who died two years later.

According to the official version, Attila died due to excessive consumption of wine, but since poison was often added to wine at that time, most likely famous commander just eliminated. The death of the ruler of the Barbarian Empire was the beginning of a split. The Germanic tribes gained independence, part of the Slavs formed the Bulgarian ethnic group, and part of the Eastern Slavs went beyond the Dniester.

Theodoric's campaign and the emergence of the power of the West Goths

Around the same time, the Visigoths began to conquer Gaul. After the army invaded the Pyrenees, the Alans and Vandals moved south. The Goths concluded peace and military treaties with the Sueves, after which they began to create their own state. The first king of the state of the West Goths was King Ataulf, who was from the ancient family of the Balts.

The fate of the Vandals in the 4th century AD

All noble representatives of the tribes of the Vandals and Alans lost almost all their privileges;
Byzantine orders were introduced in the city;
Arian churches were closed, Orthodox churches were opened instead.

For 10-20 years, Carthage lost almost all of its inhabitants. Most of the white population was forced to flee to Italy, Byzantium and Spain. According to Byzantine historians who recorded the events of those years, the wars in North Africa claimed more than 5,000,000 inhabitants.

Slavic wars with Byzantium

Emperor Justinian did not have long to rest on the laurels of the conqueror of the barbarians. In 558 Byzantium was threatened by the Slavic barbarians. The army of the Slavs, led by the leader Zavergan, in the amount of 3,000 people was able to reach the walls of Constantinople. Despite the superior forces of the Byzantine army, the Slavic warriors showed such an indomitable thirst for victory, skill and cruelty that the Byzantines chose to pay them huge tribute instead of continuing to fight.

Accustomed to war, Zavergan became famous as a master of psychological attack. At every opportunity, he showed the Byzantines what would happen to them if the Slavs won. Picturesque executions were constantly arranged in places open to the eyes of the enemy and mass human sacrifices.

Famous Russian campaigns against Byzantium

At the end of the 8th and beginning of the 9th century, the formation of the Rus people began. Russian soldiers in 862 created the state of Rus, which began expansion to the south. The main reason for this was the need to establish control over the ancient trade route "From the Varangians to the Greeks." In addition, Russia sought to capture Constantinople, in which untold wealth had accumulated. Until the middle of the 11th century, Russian barbarians tried to capture the capital of Byzantium:

The first recorded raid of the Russian rati took place at the beginning of the 9th century;
In the 830s, the Russians managed to sack Amastrida;
In the 860s, Russia made a big campaign against Tsargrad;
In 907, Prince Oleg set off on a campaign against Tsargrad. As a result of this campaign, a trade agreement was concluded with Byzantium and the prince received a large tribute;
Prince Igor also made two trips to Constantinople in the period from 941 to 944. If the first campaign ended in failure, then the second ended with the payment of tribute and a peace treaty;

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I am fond of martial arts with weapons, historical fencing. I write about weapons military equipment because it is interesting and familiar to me. I often learn a lot of new things and want to share these facts with people who are not indifferent to military topics.