History of Florence and Italy | Page 6

fought
under his ensigns, and authority. On the death of Theodosius, his sons
Arcadius and Honorius, succeeded to the empire, but not to the talents
and fortune of their father; and the times became changed with the
princes. Theodosius had appointed a governor to each of the three
divisions of the empire, Ruffinus to the eastern, to the western Stilicho,
and Gildo to the African. Each of these, after the death of Theodosius,
determined not to be governors merely, but to assume sovereign
dominion over their respective provinces. Gildo and Ruffinus were
suppressed at their outset; but Stilicho, concealing his design,
ingratiated himself with the new emperors, and at the same time so
disturbed their government, as to facilitate his occupation of it
afterward. To make the Visigoths their enemies, he advised that the
accustomed stipend allowed to this people should be withheld; and as
he thought these enemies would not be sufficient alone to disturb the
empire, he contrived that the Burgundians, Franks, Vandals, and Alans
(a northern people in search of new habitations), should assail the
Roman provinces.
That they might be better able to avenge themselves for the injury they
had sustained, the Visigoths, on being deprived of their subsidy,
created Alaric their king; and having assailed the empire, succeeded,
after many reverses, in overrunning Italy, and finally in pillaging
Rome.
After this victory, Alaric died, and his successor, Astolphus, having
married Placidia, sister of the emperors, agreed with them to go to the
relief of Gaul and Spain, which provinces had been assailed by the
Vandals, Burgundians, Alans, and Franks, from the causes before
mentioned. Hence it followed, that the Vandals, who had occupied that
part of Spain called Betica (now Andalusia), being pressed by the
Visigoths, and unable to resist them, were invited by Boniface, who
governed Africa for the empire, to occupy that province; for, being in
rebellion, he was afraid his error would become known to the emperor.
For these reasons the Vandals gladly undertook the enterprise, and
under Genseric, their king, became lords of Africa.

At this time Theodosius, son of Arcadius, succeeded to the empire; and,
bestowing little attention on the affairs of the west, caused those who
had taken possession to think of securing their acquisitions. Thus the
Vandals ruled Africa; the Alans and Visigoths, Spain; while the Franks
and Burgundians not only took Gaul, but each gave their name to the
part they occupied; hence one is called France, the other Burgundy. The
good fortune of these brought fresh people to the destruction of the
empire, one of which, the Huns, occupied the province of Pannonia,
situated upon the nearer shore of the Danube, and which, from their
name, is still called Hungary. To these disorders it must be added, that
the emperor, seeing himself attacked on so many sides, to lessen the
number of his enemies, began to treat first with the Vandals, then with
the Franks; a course which diminished his own power, and increased
that of the barbarians. Nor was the island of Britain, which is now
called England, secure from them; for the Britons, being apprehensive
of those who had occupied Gaul, called the Angli, a people of Germany,
to their aid; and these under Vortigern their king, first defended, and
then drove them from the island, of which they took possession, and
after themselves named the country England. But the inhabitants, being
robbed of their home, became desperate by necessity and resolved to
take possession of some other country, although they had been unable
to defend their own. They therefore crossed the sea with their families,
and settled in the country nearest to the beach, which from themselves
is called Brittany. The Huns, who were said above to have occupied
Pannonia, joining with other nations, as the Zepidi, Eurili, Turingi, and
Ostro, or eastern Goths, moved in search of new countries, and not
being able to enter France, which was defended by the forces of the
barbarians, came into Italy under Attila their king. He, a short time
previously, in order to possess the entire monarchy, had murdered his
brother Bleda; and having thus become very powerful, Andaric, king of
the Zepidi, and Velamir, king of the Ostrogoths, became subject to him.
Attila, having entered Italy, laid siege to Aquileia, where he remained
without any obstacle for two years, wasting the country round, and
dispersing the inhabitants. This, as will be related in its place, caused
the origin of Venice. After the taking and ruin of Aquileia, he directed
his course towards Rome, from the destruction of which he abstained at
the entreaty of the pontiff, his respect for whom was so great that he

left Italy and retired into Austria, where he died. After the death of
Attila, Velamir, king of the Ostrogoths, and the