Why was the sacking of Rome by Alaric such a hugely significant event in history?

Answer 1

It would be helpful if you specified which sack.

Rome was sacked eight times: four times in antiquity and four times during the Middle Ages. It was sacked by the Gauls in 390 BC, by Alaric, king of the Visigoths, in 410 AD, by Ginseric, king of the Vandals, in 455 AD and by Totila, the king of the Ostrogoths in 546 AD. In the Middle Ages the Vatican was sacked and the Basilica of St Peter’s was destroyed, but the city of Rome itself was saved by her walls. The Normans sacked Rome in 1084. Finally Rome was sacked by the troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, during a mutiny in 1527.

The actualextentof thesackby the Gauls is not known. However, it is known that Rome recovered quickly.

Alaric I besieged Rome and some slaves opened the gates. He plundered Rome for three days. Many great buildings were ransacked and many captives were taken. Tens of thousands of Romans let the ruined city and went to the countryside. The sack was a major shock. Rome had not been sacked for 400 years. However, despite the destruction, the city then recovered.

Ginseric promised Pope Leo I that he would not destroy the city or murder its citizens. The gates of the city were opened. It is accepted that Genseric looted great amounts of treasure from the city, and destroyed cultural objects (the term vandalism comes from this). There is some debate over the severity of the sack. Rome was plundered for 14 days. It is said that Ginseric did not burn buildings and that there was little murder and violence, and the Vandals did not burn the buildings of the city. However, a writer recorded that shiploads of prisoners to be sold as slaves arrived in Africa (where the vandals lived) from Rome. Therefore, the full extent of the sack is unclear. Some historians see this sack as ‘the end of the Roman Empire’, but this is an overstretched claim.

.Totila plundered the city, but did not destroy the fortification, even though he usually did so when he took a city. He withdrew and the walls and fortifications wererestoredquickly. He then marched on Rome again, but was defeated by a Roman general. The general was recalled from Italy and Totila advanced against Rome again and was let in through the treachery of its starving defenders and did not sack the city.