The Barbarians: How Rome Lost Control

How did the Huns, Goths, and Vandals help bring down the Roman Empire - and sack the city of Rome itself, not once but twice? Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Peter Heather to explore the dramatic wave of invasions that shook Rome in the late 4th and early 5th centuries. From the arrival of the Huns to the sacks of Rome by the Goths in 410 and the Vandals in 455, we trace how the advance of innumerable barbarian tribes brewed decades of tension, betrayal, and bloodshed which helped bring the empire to its knees. Presented by Tristan Hughes. Video editor is Matthew Wilson. Produced by Joseph Knight and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. 00:00 Introduction 01:17 The Roman Empire Was Thriving 04:20 What Did Romans Mean By "Barbarians"? 08:13 The Goths, Franks, Saxons & Other Frontier Peoples 10:38 The Arrival of the Huns 13:04 Why Barbarian Groups Moved Towards Rome 16:15 376 AD: The Gothic Crisis Begins 18:33 Why Valens Let the Goths Into the Empire 21:37 Betrayal, Revolt & Rising Tensions 23:12 The Battle of Adrianople (378) 25:57 Rome's Response to Disaster 29:13 Alaric and the Gothic Revolt 31:27 The Western Empire Under Pressure 36:17 Why Alaric Marched On Rome 41:06 The Sack of Rome (410) 44:20 Who Were the Vandals? 49:46 The Vandals Invade North Africa 51:18 Why the Vandals Sacked Rome 54:33 The Real Reason the Western Empire Fell 59:27 Attila the Hun and the Balance of Power 1:03:07 The Goths Become Kingmakers Presented by Tristan Hughes. Producers are Joseph Knight & McKenna Fernandez, senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Editor is Matthew Wilson. Channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #HistoryHitPodcast #TheAncients #