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Ancient Rome.
From here, an empire sent out armies which mastered the known world.
A superpower unrivalled in its ingenuity
and its savagery.
This was the glorious civilisation that shaped our own.
For 500 years, Rome ruled supreme.
The Empire, they said, would last forever.
But then, it was all Just ripped apart.
This is the story of how Rome fell.
It's a tale of a weak emperor who tried to be strong.
Barbarians are all beasts.
Animals.
A tale of a barbarian king who wanted Justice.
The Emperor has betrayed us again.
This is the extraordinary story of how treachery and greed
brought down the greatest city of the ancient world,
and why it should never have happened at all.
We will win what was promised us. Either that, or Rome itself will fall!
At the start of the fifth century AD, Rome was under siege,
threatened by a vast army of barbarian Goths.
40,000 of them were poised at the city's gates.
The men are ready.
Rome is at your mercy.
Rome was defenceless.
Even the remnants of its garrison abandoned their posts.
We stand our ground and fight to the last man.
Alaric, come on!
Give the order!
There can be no turning back.
When we take Rome, it will not be a victory.
We will have failed our people.
I will have failed.
The events that brought Rome to the brink of disaster
had their origins in an act of betrayal two years earlier.
At the beginning of the fifth century AD, the Roman Empire was under assault,
its armies at breaking point.
It battled hordes of outsiders. Barbarians, as the Romans called them.
These tribes, with names like the Huns and the Vandals,
had swept all before them.
Even other barbarians.
One such smaller tribe, the Goths, had been forced from their lands near the Black Sea.
They had fled westward until they crossed into the Roman Empire.
The Goths now wandered the Empire, a refugee nation.
Their leaders, Alaric and his brother-in-law, Athaulf,
were desperate to find a new homeland for their people.
Somewhere safe within Roman borders.
# From the grass of the steppe, they have made a scourge
# From the grass of the steppe... #
Can you hear it?
What is it?
# Spirit of the wind, carry me
# Spirit of the wind, carry me home #
Come on.
# From the grass of the steppe they have made a scourge
# Spirit of the wind, carry me home #
How long do we have to live like this?
I swear to you, this will soon be over.
I have the word of the Emperor Honorius. He will grant us land.
Good land. To settle in.
Be patient.
You're promising them too much.
I'm promising what I can deliver.
- And you really trust the Emperor? - I trust Stilicho, and he holds the real power.
The man in whom Alaric had put his faith was Flavius Stilicho,
the Emperor's chief advisor.
They had made a deal.
Goth military muscle would serve the Empire in return for land.
But Stilicho had fallen out with his Emperor, and taken refuge in a church.
Flavius Stilicho.
If you continue to remain within the sanctuary of this church,
the Emperor will take it as an admission of your guilt.
That you wilfully conspired with the barbarian enemies of...
I have not conspired.
I've negotiated, for the sake of the Empire's security.
Then make your case to the Emperor himself.
This letter guarantees your safety.
I understand.
Flavius Stilicho, I have another letter.
A later command from the Emperor. It orders your immediate execution.
The order for Stilicho's murder had come not from Rome,
but from the Emperor's new headquarters in Ravenna, Northern Italy.
The Emperor Honorius had been on the throne since childhood.
His character would prove critical in Rome's eventual fate.
Close the doors.
- What are the people saying about me, Olympius? - That you did the right thing, my Lord.
The right thing?
Stilicho was like a father to me.
- He taught me. - He deceived you, my Lord.
His policy of appeasing the barbarians would have dismantled your empire, piece by piece.
I feel...
horrible.
You may feel pain. But you should also be proud.
You put loyalty to the Empire over your own personal feelings.
What you did was strong and decisive.
Yes.
Yes, it was strong. And I will protect the Empire.
- With your help, Olympius. - Of course, my Lord.
But your work is not finished.
Stilicho had many barbarian supporters within the Empire.
Now they could organise against us.
We need to find a solution to this problem.
Brother!
Stilicho's been killed. Executed by the Emperor.
And our deal's dead with him.
Thank you. We'll train again tomorrow.
Our deal is with the Emperor, not with Stilicho.
- The Romans must still honour it. - They won't.
We'll never get our land, Alaric.
What will you tell the people?
I don't know.
A few days after Stilicho's death,
Olympius' solution to the barbarian problem was revealed.
In Roman cities, the families of any barbarians
who might have supported Stilicho, were slaughtered.
Every barbarian is a potential threat.
The Empire has been tainted ever since they crossed our borders.
And now they live among us, in our homes.
Please.
You know the teachings.
We have reason. They are irrational.
We are controlled by intellect.
They are ruled by base instinct.
Please, not my son, please!
Throughout our history,
whenever Rome has stood up to the barbarian, we have flourished.
Death to all barbarians!
The massacre of barbarian families was brutal even by Roman standards.
The survivors fled.
Among them, thousands of barbarian soldiers who had deserted the Roman Army.
They all sought the same sanctuary.
You're safe now.
He was just a boy.
My boy.
What can I do?
Make Rome suffer
as I have suffered.
- This cannot be about simple vengeance. - We've 30,000 men now.
Let's march on Ravenna, capture the Emperor and force him to honour the deal he made with us.
We'll never trap him in Ravenna.
There's water on three sides, marsh on the other.
That's why he squats there. He'll see us coming and be long gone.
We need a target that can't escape us.
Something that Honorius really values.
We'll march on Rome.
- You want to take Rome? - No, Berig.
I want to hold Rome hostage.
We threaten to take it.
The city's the heart of their Empire.
No emperor could survive the shame of losing it. He'll honour his promise first.
They'll fight hard to defend it.
They can't.
That's the beauty of it. Their armies are scattered across the Empire.
Rome's more vulnerable now than it's ever been.
Let's see if Honorius wants to be the first Emperor to preside over the city's fall.
We were promised a new homeland.
The Emperor has broken that promise.
So today we march against him. Today we march against Rome.
Their armies are scattered far and wide,
defending their borders, fighting usurpers.
The way is open to us, but it will not be easy.
I swear to you I will lead us to victory.
We will win what was promised us. Either that, or Rome itself will fall!
The Goth war machine swept through Italy.
It met with little opposition.
Honorius's armies were already fully occupied,
countering rebellion in Gaul and attacks from across the Rhine.
So, Just three months after leaving their camp in Noricum,
the Goths arrived outside the walls of Rome.
Block every route into the city.
Nothing gets in. Nothing.
Our people are hungry.
Now the Romans will find out how it feels.
And so it was that Rome, for the first time in 800 years,
began to suffer the miseries of siege.
Amongst those trapped in the city,
the Emperor's younger sister, Galla Placidia.
Petronius, the truth.
- How much food do we have left? - Enough for ten days. No more.
All the grain merchants are closed. There's nothing.
- Even for the Emperor's sister? - My lady, the city is starving.
People are dying. If your brother doesn't act...
It's not my brother who's besieging Rome.
- This is absurd. - I'm sorry, my lady. We're doing our best.
I know you're trying.
From today, we're all on the same rations. Myself included.
Do you understand?
My brother won't let Rome starve.
Now Alaric's asking for four provinces. Noricum, Dalmatia and the two Venetias.
My Lord, he may as well demand your whole empire.
And what do you suggest we do, Olympius? Our troops are stretched as it is.
His Majesty is right. We do not have the forces to contend with Alaric.
So we negotiate with the barbarian? Is that what you're saying, Jovius?
- We give in to his threats? - At least keep him talking.
Jovius, you cannot go around giving land to barbarians
just because they show their teeth and bark for it.
That way, we lose everything.
Perhaps if I give them land, they'll think me generous.
If only that were true, but, my Lord, you cannot afford it.
These provinces pay us a great deal in taxes. Give them away and they won't.
Our financial situation is already critical.
Nevertheless, your Majesty's instinct is right.
Go on, Jovius, I'm listening.
By negotiating with Alaric, we are buying time. That is what we need.
So that when we have dealt with the rebellions elsewhere, our forces...
What forces? If you give Alaric what he wants, there won't be any forces.
No taxes, no army.
No army, no Empire. Simple logic, my Lord.
We will reject his demands.
Dressers.
Get the boot.
Their garrison is pathetic. A handful, at best.
- We could sack this city any time we like. - And what then?
If we sack Rome, we'll have nothing to bargain with.
The Emperor must believe our threat.
But if I ever lead our men through those gates, we've lost.
It's not as complicated as that for the men. Or for me.
The Empire is too strong.
In the end, they'll come after us.
- We'll be hunted and homeless forever. - Our men need paying.
They see a city full of gold and treasures and they can't understand
- why you don't just take it. - No. We continue the siege.
If my plan works we'll get the gold, and our promised land.
As the siege wore on,
Rome's desperate citizens turned to the Senate for leadership.
It was the nearest thing they had to a parliament, but no longer the force it once was.
Our great city. A million hungry people and the Emperor does nothing.
He's safe in Ravenna.
- Rome means nothing to him. - His sister lives here.
How many times has he visited our city, Festus?
Three. And one of those as a baby.
No, we the Senate must take control of the situation.
- We can't make a move without the Emperor's... - Forget the Emperor.
We must negotiate with Alaric ourselves directly.
Negotiate with him?
I, for one, am not about to meekly present my arse to that barbarian.
I said I'd win us gold and land. Today, the gold.
And you are?
We represent the great Senate of Rome.
We speak for the people and the glorious city itself.
Well, a simple name would have done.
Tell me, great Senate. Is your Emperor going to help you?
Our Emperor knows we can defend ourselves.
And he won't negotiate with a savage.
But you will.
I'm not here to negotiate with you.
I'm here to tell you
that we have 100,000 armed citizens ready to defend Rome,
ready to attack your camp if you don't withdraw immediately.
Then come out and fight.
The thicker the hay, the easier it's cut.
Just how much of a stupid savage do you think I am?
I know how many soldiers you have in your city.
I know how many soldiers you have on every single gate.
Now, shall we start this again?
What do you want?
What will it take for you to lift this siege?
I want your gold. Your silver.
Every treasure. All of it.
You would leave us with nothing?
No. I'll leave you your souls.
The Senate did what Alaric wanted.
To its citizens' dismay, Rome's public and state buildings were stripped of much of their wealth.
All Rome's riches without spilling a single drop of blood.
You were always the clever one.
And now for the land.
And you're telling me this is all Rome's treasure?
- All the riches of the glorious city itself? - Yes.
5,000 pounds of gold. 30,000 pounds of silver.
The finest silks and spices.
Not such a great city, after all.
We've stripped every house and public building.
Ah.
And what about your own personal hoards? Cleaned them out too?
I don't think so. And I'm disappointed.
I think we'd better come and have a look for ourselves.
See what our swords turn up, hidden in little nooks and crannies.
Yes?
This is all we have.
Really?
This gold. Not enough.
Not nearly enough.
It doesn't buy you your freedom.
It buys you... three days.
I'll let food in for three days.
And I suggest you use the time wisely.
I suggest you go to your Emperor and tell him
that if he gives me what he once promised, I'll leave Rome.
If you can persuade him to do that,
you, Senator Attalus,
will have saved your city.
Alaric was true to his word.
Within a few days, food was allowed back into Rome.
But the fate of the city now depended on Senator Attalus' mission
to the Emperor in Ravenna.
Attalus took with him a new proposal from Alaric.
Do you know how I got here? Escorted by barbarians through my own country.
We're all delighted to see you alive, Attalus.
Please, won't you eat something first?
You must be starving after your journey.
He's only asking for one province now. Just Noricum.
That's not the actions of a looting thug. He wants a settlement.
He won't keep his side of any bargain, we can be sure of that.
General Sarus, you were born a Goth. What's your opinion?
Can we trust Alaric?
He has no honour. He's a killer.
- Greedy for anything he can get his hands on. - Precisely.
He will destroy Rome if you don't give him what he wants.
General Sarus, tell me, before you joined the Roman Army,
weren't you and Alaric rivals for the leadership of the Goths?
He tricked me out of it. That's his nature.
- Why he can't be trusted. - I see.
A barbarian blood feud.
My Lord, we can't be influenced like this, by personal grievances.
Rome's survival is at stake.
Your sister is there. If that matters to you, my Lord.
I haven't forgotten.
And you're wrong to think I don't care about Rome.
- Tell Alaric... - My Lord...
No more, Olympius.
He can have what he wants. I don't want any more Romans to die.
For the moment, our treasury will just have to do without Noricum.
It's mostly mountains, anyway.
Senator Attalus returned to Rome a hero.
Everyone believed that there would soon be a peace treaty.
Even the Goths.
You will tell the Emperor we accept his terms.
We'll withdraw to Tuscia. Give the order to strike camp.
As a sign of goodwill before final negotiations,
Alaric agreed to pull back from Rome.
I can see what you're doing, my Lord. And it's brilliant.
Is it?
What am I doing, Olympius?
Well, now Alaric thinks he's won, now he's withdrawn from Rome,
we can get more troops into the city to defend it properly.
But is that a good idea, Olympius?
- Breaking the agreement? - It's an idea of genius, my Lord.
It will give us the upper hand. That's what you intended, isn't it?
Yes. Yes, it was.
- But will it work? - Of course, my Lord, I assure you.
Everyone will see it as your masterstroke.
So, how many troops can we send?
6,000 soldiers were gathered to reinforce Rome's garrison in secret.
But their commander made the mistake of taking his troops by open road.
Silence. I said, shut up!
The Emperor's sending troops to Rome.
Trying to sneak them in.
He's double-crossed us.
We'll head them off.
I'll kill every one of them.
Honorius's relief force never reached Rome.
Athaulf intercepted them with the full might of the Goth army.
Only 100 Roman soldiers survived.
I asked you again and again,
"Are 6,000 troops enough?"
And you said, "Yes. "
I thought it would be sufficient.
- I never thought Alaric would discover... - You were wrong!
Say you were wrong.
- Please, my Lord... - Say it. Say it!
I was wrong.
So, my brilliant...
My stroke of genius
didn't work.
And it's all your fault.
I should never have listened to you!
Everything that you have suggested has been a disaster.
Look at what has happened. Get out of my sight.
Get out of my city. Now!
Please, my Lord. Please, I've always tried to help.
What do I do now?
Athaulf.
I was told you were wounded.
This is not my blood.
This is the blood of our soldiers.
The Emperor's word means nothing.
I say we go back to Rome and we destroy it.
No. We already have their gold.
Alaric. They have more gold back there, much more, and the men want revenge.
You know this is about land. Not vengeance.
Without Roman recognition, we will never be secure.
It's too late for that.
These are Romans, Alaric. We are dirt under their feet.
They will never treat us as equals. Why can't you see it?
The Emperor has betrayed us twice. He cannot be allowed to get away with it.
You cannot allow it.
Otherwise our people will suspect you're weak.
That it's time for a new leader.
I'm their leader, Berig.
Then lead us.
There's another way to do this.
We will go back to Rome, but not to sack it.
We have to be clever, especially now.
If the Emperor doesn't value Rome,
let's see if Rome values its Emperor.
Why the truce?
What's he doing? Why doesn't he just take what he wants and get it over with?
He's come to gloat. Size us up, like cuts of meat.
I want to talk to all of you inside now.
Your Emperor broke his word!
Tell me why I shouldn't burn this city and kill every single person in it!
My men are begging for your blood!
But...
unlike your Emperor, I'm an honourable man.
How have you become so weak?
It's time to show this Emperor what you think of him.
It's time for Rome to take control of its own destiny again.
Choose from amongst yourselves a new leader.
A new emperor I can negotiate with.
An emperor who will enforce the promise that was made to my people.
This is the man I suggest you choose.
In the winter of 409 AD,
one of the most bizarre events in Rome's history occurred.
The Senate turned against their own Emperor and chose Attalus in his place.
All at the behest of a barbarian.
Purple suits him, don't you think?
He's a fool.
He'll never have the authority to give us our land.
Attalus will deliver it without even trying.
All Honorius cares about is his own authority.
And a rival emperor? It weakens him.
Honorius will give us anything we ask for to be rid of our new friend.
It's men like him who stood by and watched while our people were murdered.
- Killed on these streets. - I know.
But this is how we get what we want, Athaulf. Trust me.
Is this what you always wanted? To replace my brother?
I had no idea you were so happy with your brother's policies.
- You enjoy watching people starve? - You don't see it, do you?
- He's using you against my brother. - No. You don't see it.
Alaric has agreed to remain outside the city and his army's at my service.
Unlike your hopeless brother, I will restore greatness to Rome.
- I cannot have you undermining me. - What are you saying?
I shall issue my first Imperial command.
You are to be confined under guard to your villa.
I know it looks bleak, my Lord, but this could be Alaric's first mistake.
How can it be a mistake? Attalus and Rome have allied with the Goths.
Exactly. And as soon as the people see Attalus for what he is, they'll turn against him.
I suggest we use Alaric's own tactic against them.
- What do you mean? - I mean, my Lord,
that we may have to think the unthinkable.
Starve Rome.
- I've just tried to save them from starvation. - I know that, my Lord, I know that.
We all have family there. But this is a test of wills, my Lord.
Think. Who will follow Attalus if he can't even feed his own people?
Jovius' strategy was simple. By the fifth century AD,
Rome had become almost entirely dependant on grain shipped from North Africa.
So Honorius ordered those supplies to be cut at source.
Within weeks, Romans once again began to starve.
Attalus'popularity collapsed.
In Rome's streets, the rule of law started to crumble.
Honorius is better advised than I expected.
Your plan's not working.
We're worse off than we were before.
Honorius will never recognise our claims now.
It's time to take this city.
We should have done it months ago when we first saw it.
No one believes in your tactics anymore.
The voices against you are becoming deafening.
I don't want to spend the rest of my life fighting and running.
Fighting and moving, always looking over my shoulder. Do you?
What else can we do?
Our people want an end to this, one way or another!
Let's take what we can from Rome.
Carve out a new homeland for ourselves with our swords and their gold.
Alaric, the people chose you for your strength.
They're talking about Berig... as a leader.
Deal with it.
Now.
I've done nothing. Alaric is not fit to lead us!
You know that!
You know that.
If you give me 20,000 of your men, under Roman command,
I can put together a fleet, sail to Africa
- and force the governor to reopen the trade... - Shut up!
Stop trying to be clever.
I assure you, General, I am trying to resolve this situation.
You! You're the most pathetic worm I've ever encountered!
Just be quiet. You're no use!
I am the Emperor.
Get him out of here before I kick him to death!
Get off me!
You.
Take this to Honorius.
Tell him I grew tired of Attalus.
Tell him...
I will meet with him to discuss a fair settlement.
He can propose the terms.
But remind him...
my army remains at the gates of Rome.
If we don't come to an arrangement, I'll sack the city.
I swear it.
Now go.
- So Alaric has had enough. - Congratulations, my Lord.
Tell him I'll meet him. He can come to us in Ravenna.
You cannot do that, my Lord.
Oh, really, Sarus? And what gives you the right?
I'm sorry, but I strongly advise against this. Alaric is not to be trusted.
And why are you so certain of that?
He killed my family. Before.
Well, I'm afraid your past rivalries are nothing to do with us, General.
And you serve the Emperor now.
My Lord, Alaric's Goths are still outside Rome.
We must give them some land, but the least they'll accept. Not an inch more.
Yes. I want this over and done with.
Thank you.
In the summer of 410 AD,
Alaric and a small bodyguard set off to sign a final treaty.
After two years of conflict, it seemed at last the King of the Goths
and the Emperor would meet in peace.
Sarus.
That bastard, Sarus.
The Emperor has betrayed us again.
And so it was, nearly two years after their arrival at the gates of Rome,
Alaric's barbarian army finally fell upon the city.
God have mercy on our souls.
What we know from sources
suggest that the gates were opened to the Goths by some of Rome's own citizens.
They wished to be spared further agony.
It was a forlorn hope.
Don't burn the churches! Leave the churches!
Leave her.
I said, leave her!
She's a valuable hostage.
My apologies.
You'll be treated with respect, I give you my word.
It's over, Alaric. You've won.
Is this what we set out for?
No. But this is better than nothing.
We'll get our land.
And we still have something to bargain with.
Let's get going. Tell the men we head south.
What have I done?
You've done nothing, my Lord. It wasn't your fault.
Done nothing.
That's right, isn't it?
Nothing.
We were betrayed. Sarus sent his troops. They ambushed Alaric.
Sarus couldn't stand us negotiating with him.
Olympius was right.
Barbarians are all beasts.
Animals.
Find Sarus. I want Sarus!
He's disappeared, my Lord. I'm sorry.
I wanted peace.
I was ready for peace.
How will I be remembered now?
Honorius remained Emperor for a further 13 years.
He died childless and vilified for his role in Rome's decline.
Alaric died Just four months after the sack of Rome.
He went to his death tormented by his failure to find a safe haven for his people.
Athaulf succeeded Alaric and four years later, he married Galla Placidia.
It was an astonishing alliance,
but there is no evidence that it wasn't for love.
After eight further years of wandering,
Alaric's successors finally achieved his dream.
A secure new homeland in what is now western France.
The kingdom of the Visigoths.
Alaric's sack of Rome was not the end of the Roman Empire,
but it was the beginning of the end.
The same factors that weakened Honorius,
poor leadership, the loss of territory and revenue, finally overwhelmed it.
In 476 A D, the last Roman emperor in the west was deposed.
In the east, the Empire continued in a different form.
Its capital, Constantinople.
But the glory that was ancient Rome,
a superpower legendary for its brilliance,
and its brutality,
for its madness,
and for its beliefs,
that was finished.
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