Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. I · Unit 2: The barbarian kingdoms
4. Alaric the Visigoth
Goal: Your child can tell who the Visigoths were, how Alaric's dream came true when he took Rome, and how he was buried.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Europe and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter I (394-410 A.D.): the Goths settle south of the Danube with the emperor's permission. Alaric becomes king of the Visigoths, dreams of riding through Rome as emperor, plunders Athens, fights the general Stilicho, and besieges Rome three times while the emperor Honorius hides at Ravenna. Rome is taken and plundered for six days. Alaric dies on the way to Sicily and is buried in the bed of the river Busento.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find the Danube near the Black Sea, then Romania and Bulgaria (the book spells it Roumania). Then find Athens, Rome and Ravenna.
SayVisigoths means Western Goths. Ostrogoths means Eastern Goths. Both names come back later.
Read the chapter
Read Chapter I aloud. It begins:
Long before the beginning of the period known as the Middle Ages a tribe of barbarians called the Goths lived north of the River Danube in the country which is now known as Roumania.
Heads-up: at the very end, the slaves who dug Alaric's grave are put to death so no one would know where it was.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- Why did the Goths ask to cross the Danube, and what did they promise?
- What did Alaric dream?
- How did Honorius make things worse?
- What did Alaric order about the churches, and what happened to the rest of Rome?
Talk it over
Read this:
The city was taken, and Alaric's dream came true.
Ask:
- Honorius made promises and broke them. How might things have gone if he had kept his word?
- Why did the Goth chiefs cheer when Alaric said he would attack Rome?
Remember it
Add to the timeline: "410 A.D. Alaric takes Rome." (Chapter XI of this book gives 410 as the year Alaric sacked Rome.)
SayFor eight hundred years no enemy had captured Rome. People all over the empire were shocked.
Extra (optional)
Draw the river turned aside while Alaric's grave is dug in its bed, then the water flowing back over it.
Afterwards
Ask your child to tell the story of Alaric's dream to someone in the family.
Tip
If your child knows the Rome book, ask who else rode in triumph through Rome. Alaric is copying the Roman generals he defeated.
Answers to the book's problems
The Goths were tired of fighting the Huns; they promised to be friends of Rome and fight for her. Alaric dreamed he drove a golden chariot through Rome while the people hailed him as emperor. Honorius broke his promises and even let a barbarian ally attack Alaric during peace talks, so Alaric came back a third time. Alaric ordered that the Christian churches not be harmed; the rest of the city was plundered. The chiefs hoped to share the riches of the richest city in the world.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.