Sarus (Goth)
Encyclopedia
Sarus was a Gothic
chieftain and commander for the emperor Honorius
(died 412). He was known for his hostility to the prominent Gothic brothers Alaric I
and Ataulf
, and was the brother of Sigeric
, who ruled the Goths briefly in 415.
, against the invasion of Italy by Radagaisus
of 405-6. Roman and federate troops ultimately defeated the invaders at the Battle of Faesulae
.
In 407 he was sent against the British usurper Constantine III. First he defeated and killed Iustinianus
, one of Constantine's magistri militum, then tricked and killed the other, Nebiogastes
. Then Sarus laid siege to Constantine himself in Valentia
, but fled back to Italy at the approach of Constantine's new generals Edobichus
and Gerontius, being forced to surrender all his booty to Bacaudae (late Roman bandits or rebels) for passage over the Alps. As he must have commanded an army, he may have been appointed magister militum
(general) for this expedition; elsewhere he is said to have had a following or warband of only about three hundred.
Early in 408. whilst commanding a force of barbarians at Ravenna
, Stilicho
induced him to mutiny in an attempt to prevent Honorius from travelling there. Then, when Stilicho was recalled by the Emperor under suspicion of treachery, Sarus, apparently incensed that he continued to obey orders and refused to use the barbarian troops on hand to defend himself, fought his way through Stilicho's Hun bodyguard to protest. Later in 408, after the fall of Stilicho, Sarus' name was put forward as Stilicho's successor as the most suitable candidate for the office of magister militum in praesenti (supreme commander), but the Emperor Honorius refused to promote him. It is possible his resentment of Honorius, as borne out by later actions, started here
We next hear of Sarus in 410, apparently subsisting independently in the region of Picenum
. Ataulf, who was coming to join his brother Alaric, decided to attack him in passing and Sarus, thinking his force of three hundred would be no match for the Gothic army, fled to Honorius. Later that year, when Alaric was conducting negotiations with Honorius near Ravenna, Sarus with his warband attacked him, seemingly on his own initiative. This prompted Alaric to finally give up on negotiations and sack Rome
on August 24.
, approached from Northern Gaul, supported at first by Ataulf, he went to join him because of a grudge against Honorius, who had failed to investigate or avenge the murder of his servant. Sarus had only twenty eight men with him, but Ataulf gathered a force of ten thousand to waylay him. Even so, Sarus fought with marvellous courage and was only with difficulty taken alive, to be soon killed.
Sarus' last contribution to the events of the time were posthumous. Ataulf had been foolish enough to take one of Sarus' followers into his own service; this man waited till Ataulf visited his stable alone and there killed him (September 415). Sarus' brother, Sigeric, then ruled for seven days before Wallia
killed him and took over the kingship.
Sarus was active for only six years in an extremely confused period, yet he made his mark as a figure of some importance in several large and small events of those years. Unfortunately a bald account of his deeds gives a very disjointed picture of him, but he obviously made an impression on those of his time, who describe him as "a brave and invincible warrior", possessing "marvellous heroism", who "excelled all the other confederates in power and rank" and had "intrepidity" and "experience in warlike affairs".
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
chieftain and commander for the emperor Honorius
Honorius (emperor)
Honorius , was Western Roman Emperor from 395 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the eastern emperor Arcadius....
(died 412). He was known for his hostility to the prominent Gothic brothers Alaric I
Alaric I
Alaric I was the King of the Visigoths from 395–410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire....
and Ataulf
Ataulf
Ataulf was king of the Visigoths from 410 to 415...
, and was the brother of Sigeric
Sigeric
Sigeric was a Visigoth king for seven days in 415 CE. His predecessor, Ataulf, had been mortally wounded in his stables at the palace of Barcelona by an assassin. The assassin was probably a loyal servant of Sarus, a Gothic noble and personal enemy whom Ataulf had earlier slain...
, who ruled the Goths briefly in 415.
Career
Nothing is known of his life before he comes to notice in 406 commanding a force of Gothic troops, along with other barbarian foederatiFoederati
Foederatus is a Latin term whose definition and usage drifted in the time between the early Roman Republic and the end of the Western Roman Empire...
, against the invasion of Italy by Radagaisus
Radagaisus
Radagaisus was a Gothic king who led an invasion of Roman Italy in late 405 and the first half of 406. A commited Pagan, Radagaisus evidentily planned to sacrifice the Roman Senators to the gods and burn Rome to the ground. Radagaisus was executed after being defeated by the half-Vandal general...
of 405-6. Roman and federate troops ultimately defeated the invaders at the Battle of Faesulae
Battle of Faesulae (405 AD)
The Battle of Faesulae was fought in 405 CE as part of the Gothic invasion of the Western Roman Empire. After General Flavius Stilicho repelled the Visigoths at Pollentia and Verona, he encountered a new incursion of Vandals and Goths led by Radagaisus whose forces attacked Florence...
.
In 407 he was sent against the British usurper Constantine III. First he defeated and killed Iustinianus
Iustinianus
Iustinianus was a Roman military commander who supported the usurper Constantine III.- Life :Iustinianus was an officer of the Western Roman army in Britain. In 407 the general Claudius Constantine rebelled against Emperor Honorius and appointed Iustinianus and Nebiogastes magistri militum of the...
, one of Constantine's magistri militum, then tricked and killed the other, Nebiogastes
Nebiogastes
Nebiogastes was a Roman military commander who supported the usurper Constantine III.- Life :Nebiogastes was an officer of the Western Roman army in Britain. In 407 the general Claudius Constantine rebelled against Emperor Honorius and appointed Nebiogastes and Iustinianus magistri militum of the...
. Then Sarus laid siege to Constantine himself in Valentia
Valence, Drôme
Valence is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Drôme department, situated on the left bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon on the railway to Marseilles.Its inhabitants are called Valentinois...
, but fled back to Italy at the approach of Constantine's new generals Edobichus
Edobichus
Edobichus was a general of the Roman usurper Constantine III.- Life :Edobichus was a Frank. He was already an experienced soldier when in 407, after the deaths of the generals Nebiogastes and Iustinianus, the Western usurper Constantine III appointed him and Gerontius as his magistri militum...
and Gerontius, being forced to surrender all his booty to Bacaudae (late Roman bandits or rebels) for passage over the Alps. As he must have commanded an army, he may have been appointed magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
(general) for this expedition; elsewhere he is said to have had a following or warband of only about three hundred.
Early in 408. whilst commanding a force of barbarians at Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, Stilicho
Stilicho
Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of Vandal birth. Despised by the Roman population for his Germanic ancestry and Arian beliefs, Stilicho was in 408 executed along with his wife and son...
induced him to mutiny in an attempt to prevent Honorius from travelling there. Then, when Stilicho was recalled by the Emperor under suspicion of treachery, Sarus, apparently incensed that he continued to obey orders and refused to use the barbarian troops on hand to defend himself, fought his way through Stilicho's Hun bodyguard to protest. Later in 408, after the fall of Stilicho, Sarus' name was put forward as Stilicho's successor as the most suitable candidate for the office of magister militum in praesenti (supreme commander), but the Emperor Honorius refused to promote him. It is possible his resentment of Honorius, as borne out by later actions, started here
We next hear of Sarus in 410, apparently subsisting independently in the region of Picenum
Picenum
Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was the birthplace of such notables as Pompey the Great and his father Pompeius Strabo. It was situated in what is now Marche...
. Ataulf, who was coming to join his brother Alaric, decided to attack him in passing and Sarus, thinking his force of three hundred would be no match for the Gothic army, fled to Honorius. Later that year, when Alaric was conducting negotiations with Honorius near Ravenna, Sarus with his warband attacked him, seemingly on his own initiative. This prompted Alaric to finally give up on negotiations and sack Rome
Sack of Rome (410)
The Sack of Rome occurred on August 24, 410. The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. At that time, Rome was no longer the capital of the Western Roman Empire, replaced in this position initially by Mediolanum and then later Ravenna. Nevertheless, the city of Rome retained a...
on August 24.
Death and aftermath
Sarus seems to have stayed in the service of the Emperor for the next two years, but when in 412 another usurper, JovinusJovinus
Jovinus was a Gallo-Roman senator and claimed to be Roman Emperor .Following the defeat of the usurper known with the name of Constantine III, Jovinus was proclaimed emperor at Mainz in 411, a puppet supported by Gundahar, king of the Burgundians, and Goar, king of the Alans...
, approached from Northern Gaul, supported at first by Ataulf, he went to join him because of a grudge against Honorius, who had failed to investigate or avenge the murder of his servant. Sarus had only twenty eight men with him, but Ataulf gathered a force of ten thousand to waylay him. Even so, Sarus fought with marvellous courage and was only with difficulty taken alive, to be soon killed.
Sarus' last contribution to the events of the time were posthumous. Ataulf had been foolish enough to take one of Sarus' followers into his own service; this man waited till Ataulf visited his stable alone and there killed him (September 415). Sarus' brother, Sigeric, then ruled for seven days before Wallia
Wallia
Wallia was king of the Visigoths from 415 to 419, earning a reputation as a great warrior and prudent ruler. He was elected to the throne after Athaulf and then Sigeric were assassinated in 415....
killed him and took over the kingship.
Sarus was active for only six years in an extremely confused period, yet he made his mark as a figure of some importance in several large and small events of those years. Unfortunately a bald account of his deeds gives a very disjointed picture of him, but he obviously made an impression on those of his time, who describe him as "a brave and invincible warrior", possessing "marvellous heroism", who "excelled all the other confederates in power and rank" and had "intrepidity" and "experience in warlike affairs".
Ancient
- Olympiodorus of ThebesOlympiodorus of ThebesOlympiodorus was an historical writer of classical education, a "poet by profession" as he says of himself, who was born at Thebes in Egypt, and was sent on a mission to the Huns on the Black Sea by Emperor Honorius about 412, and later lived at the court of Theodosius II, to whom his History was...
, Histories (existing only in 10th century summary by Photius) - Orosius, Historiarum Adversum Paganos
- PhilostorgiusPhilostorgiusPhilostorgius was an Anomoean Church historian of the 4th and 5th centuries. Anomoeanism questioned the Trinitarian account of the relationship between God the Father and Christ and was considered a heresy by the Orthodox Church, which adopted the term "homoousia" in the Nicene Creed. Very little...
, Historia Ecclesiastica - SozomenSozomenSalminius Hermias Sozomenus was a historian of the Christian church.-Family and Home:He was born around 400 in Bethelia, a small town near Gaza, into a wealthy Christian family of Palestine....
, Historia Ecclesiastica - ZosimusZosimusZosimus was a Byzantine historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury.- Historia Nova :...
, Historia Nova