Gothic 3 HUN Free

The two armies clashed in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, the outcome of which is commonly considered to be a strategic victory for the Visigothic-Roman alliance. Theodoric was killed in the fighting, and Aëtius failed to press his advantage, according to Edward Gibbon and Edward Creasy, because he feared the consequences of an overwhelming Visigothic triumph as much as he did a defeat. From Aëtius' point of view, the best outcome was what occurred: Theodoric died, Attila was in retreat and disarray, and the Romans had the benefit of appearing victorious.

Gothic 3 HUN Free

Download

The elites of the Huns practiced polygamy,[186] while the commoners were probably monogamous.[187] Ammianus Marcellinus claimed that the Hunnish women lived in seclusion; however, the first-hand account of Priscus shows them freely moving and mixing with men.[188] Priscus describes Hunnic women swarming around Attila as he entered a village, as well as the wife of Attila's minister Onegesius offering the king food and drink with her servants.[189] Priscus was able to enter the tent of Attila's chief wife, Hereca, without difficulty.[190]

Jordanes, as he himself tells us a couple of times, was of Gothicdescent and wrote this work as a summary of Cassiodorus' much longertreatment of the history of the Goths. Because Cassiodorus' book nolonger survives, Jordanes' treatment is often our only source forsome of the Gothic history it describes. He wrote the Geticaduring the later stages of the reign of Justinian, not too long afterthe demise of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy.

XIX (104) Then upon thedeath of Decius, Gallus and Volusianus succeeded to the Roman Empire.At this time a destructive plague, almost like death itself, such aswe suffered nine years ago, blighted the face of the whole earth andespecially devastated Alexandria and all the land of Egypt. Thehistorian Dionysius gives a mournful account of it and Cyprian, ourown bishop and venerable martyr in Christ, also describes it in hisbook entitled "On Mortality". At this time the Goths frequentlyravaged Moesia, through the neglect of the Emperors. (105) When acertain Aemilianus saw that they were free to do this, and that theycould not be dislodged by anyone without great cost to the republic,he thought that he too might be able to achieve fame and fortune. Sohe seized the rule in Moesia and, taking all the soldiers he couldgather, began to plunder cities and people. In the next few months,while an armed host was being gathered against him, he wrought nosmall harm to the state. Yet he died almost at the beginning of hisevil attempt, thus losing at once his life and the power he coveted.(106) Now though Gallus and Volusianus, the Emperors we havementioned, departed this life after remaining in power for barely twoyears, yet during this space of two years which they spent on earththey reigned amid universal peace and favor. Only one thing was laidto their charge, namely the great plague. But this was an accusationmade by ignorant slanderers, whose custom it is to wound the lives ofothers with their malicious bite. Soon after they came to power theymade a treaty with the race of the Goths. When both rulers were dead,it was no long time before Gallienus usurped the throne.

XXVI (134) Soon famine and want came upon them, asoften happens to a people not yet well settled in a country. Theirprinces and the leaders who ruled them in place of kings, that isFritigern, Alatheus and Safrac, began to lament the plight of theirarmy and begged Lupicinus and Maximus, the Roman commanders, to opena market. But to what will not the "cursed lust for gold" compel mento assent? The generals, swayed by avarice, sold them at a high pricenot only the flesh of sheep and oxen, but even the carcasses of dogsand unclean animals, so that a slave would be bartered for a loaf ofbread or ten pounds of meat. (135) When their goods and chattelsfailed, the greedy trader demanded their sons in return for thenecessities of life. And the parents consented even to this, in orderto provide for the safety of their children, arguing that it wasbetter to lose liberty than life; and indeed it is better that one besold, if he will be mercifully fed, than that he should be kept freeonly to die.

Now it came to pass in that troubIous time that Lupicinus, theRoman general, invited Fritigern, a chieftain of the Goths, to afeast and, as the event revealed, devised a plot against him. (136)But Fritigern, thinking no evil, came to the feast with a fewfollowers. While he was dining in the praetorium he heard the dyingcries of his ill-fated men, for, by order of the general, thesoldiers were slaying his companions who were shut up in another partof the house. The loud cries of the dying fell upon ears alreadysuspicious, and Fritigern at once perceived the treacherous trick. Hedrew his sword and with great courage dashed quickly from thebanqueting-hall, rescued his men from their threatening doom andincited them to slay the Romans. (137) Thus these valiant men gainedthe chance they had longed for--to be free to die in battle ratherthan to perish of hunger--and immediately took arms to kill thegenerals Lupicinus and Maximus. Thus that day put an end to thefamine of the Goths and the safety of the Romans, for the Goths nolonger as strangers and pilgrims, but as citizens and lords, began torule the inhabitants and to hold in their own right all the northerncountry as far as the Danube.

Now the land of the Bruttii is at the extreme southern bound ofItaly, and a corner of it marks the beginning of the Apenninemountains. It stretches out like a tongue into the Adriatic Sea andseparates it from the Tyrrhenian waters. It chanced to receive itsname in ancient times from a Queen Bruttia. (157) To this place cameAlaric, king of the Visigoths, with the wealth of all Italy which hehad taken as spoil, and from there, as we have said, he intended tocross over by way of Sicily to the quiet land of Africa. But sinceman is not free to do anything he wishes without the will of God,that dread strait sunk several of his ships and threw all intoconfusion. Alaric was cast down by his reverse and, whiledeliberating what he should do, was suddenly overtaken by an untimelydeath and departed from human cares. (158) His people mourned for himwith the utmost affection. Then turning from its course the riverBusentus near the city of Consentia--for this stream flows with itswholesome waters from the foot of a mountain near that city--they leda band of captives into the midst of its bed to dig out a place forhis grave. In the depths of this pit they buried Alaric, togetherwith many treasures, and then turned the waters back into theirchannel. And that none might ever know the place, they put to deathall the diggers. They bestowed the kingdom of the Visigoths onAthavulf his kinsman, a man of imposing beauty and great spirit; forthough not tall of stature, he was distinguished for beauty of faceand form.

XXXII (164) Then Valia, the fourth from Alaric, wasmade king, and he was an exceeding stern and prudent man.The EmperorHonorius sent an army against him under Constantius, who was famedfor his achievements in war and distinguished in many battles, for hefeared that Valia would break the treaty long ago made with Athavulfand that, after driving out the neighboring tribes, he would againplot evil against the Empire. Moreover Honorius was eager to free hissister Placidia from the disgrace of servitude, and made an agreementwith Constantius that if by peace or war or any means soever he couldbring her back to the kingdom, he should have her in marriage. (165)Pleased with this promise, Constantius set out for Spain with anarmed force and in almost royal splendor. Valia, king of the Goths,met him at a pass in the Pyrenees with as great a force. Hereuponembassies were sent by both sides and it was decided to make peace onthe following terms, namely that Valia should give up Placidia, theEmperor's sister, and should not refuse to aid the Roman Empire whenoccasion demanded.

XLIII (225) So Attilareturned to his own country, seeming to regret the peace and to bevexed at the cessation of war. For he sent ambassadors to Marcian,Emperor of the East, threatening to devastate the provinces, becausethat which had been promised him by Theodosius, a former emperor, wasin no wise performed, and saying that he would show himself morecruel to his foes than ever. But as he was shrewd and crafty, hethreatened in one direction and moved his army in another; for in themidst of these preparations he turned his face toward the Visigothswho had yet to feel his vengeance. (226) But here he had not the samesuccess as against the Romans. Hastening back by a different way thanbefore, he decided to reduce to his sway that part of the Alani whichwas settled across the river Loire, in order that by attacking them,and thus changing the aspect of the war, he might become a moreterrible menace to the Visigoths. Accordingly he started from theprovinces of Dacia and Pannonia, where the Huns were then dwellingwith various subject peoples, and moved his array against the Alani.(227) But Thorismud, king of the Visigoths, with like quickness ofthought perceived Attila's trick. By forced marches he came to theAlani before him, and was well prepared to check the advance ofAttila when he came after him. They joined battle in almost the sameway as before at the Catalaunian Plains, and Thorismud dashed hishopes of victory, for he routed him and drove him from the landwithout a triumph, compelling him to flee to his own country. Thuswhile Attila, the famous leader and lord of many victories, sought toblot out the fame of his destroyer and in this way to annul what hehad suffered at the hands of the Visigoths, he met a second defeatand retreated ingloriously. (228) Now after the bands of the Huns hadbeen repulsed by the Alani, without any hurt to his own men,Thorismud departed for Tolosa. There he established a settled peacefor his people and in the third year of his reign fell sick. Whileletting blood from a vein, he was betrayed to his death by Ascalc, aclient, who told his foes that his weapons were out of reach. Yetgrasping a foot-stool in the one hand he had free, he became theavenger of his own blood by slaying several of those that were lyingin wait for him. 2ff7e9595c