Mighty Monarchs II (Barbarians) Quiz

Answer: Gaiseric

After first temporarily settling in Spain the Vandals crossed over into Africa (429 AD) under Gaiseric (r. 428-477 AD) and eventually established a permanent kingdom (c. 439 AD). Gaiseric would depart Rome with Licinia Eudoxia, widow of the late emperor Valentinian III (r. 425-455 AD), as a captive.

Answer: Visigoths

Valens, Emperor of the Roman East (r. 364-378 AD), agreed to allow the Visigoths to settle in the Empire in return for military service (to help strengthen the frontiers against other migrating barbarians). In 377 AD the Visigoths, after being exploited by local Roman officials, revolted. They defeated and killed Valens at the Battle of Adrianople (Aug 9, 378 AD).

Answer: Alaric I, King of the Visigoths

Alaric I (r. 390-410 AD) had just sacked Rome (Aug 24-26, 410 AD) and was marching into southern Italy when he suddenly died at Cosenza (c. Sep 410 AD).

Answer: Avars

The Avars did not burst onto the European scene til the 6th Century. They would eventually establish a kingom in Pannonia (modern day Hungary) around 600 AD. Charles I, the Great, King of the Franks, destroyed the Avars as a military threat to Europe in 796 AD. Their people were finally eradicated (c. 808 AD) from the pages of history by an even larger threat - the Bulgars!

Answer: Boudicca

After the death of King Praesutagus the Iceni and their territory were absorbed into the still young Roman province of Britain. Boudicca, the late king's wife, led the Iceni til her death of unknown causes in 61 AD. The last great revolt in Britain against Roman rule quickly collapsed. Roman forces remained in Britain till 410 AD.

Answer: Stilicho

Theodosius I left the western half of the Roman Empire to his youngest son Honorius (aged 12 yrs) and the eastern half to his eldest son Arcadius (aged 18 yrs). Stilicho was the 'Master of Soldiers' (Commander-in-Chief) of all the western armies and the father-in-law of Honorius (his daughter, Maria, married Honorius in 395 AD). Stilicho had earlier married into the imperial family when he wed Serena, a niece of Theodosius I.

He wielded great influence over the young emperor till his fall in 408 AD.

He was suddenly seized and eventually executed (Aug 23) on false charges of treason. Honorius ruled till 423 AD.

Answer: Clovis I, King of the Franks

Clovis I (r. 481-511 AD) was the first Barbarian King to adopt Roman Catholicism (his wife, Clotida, was already a Catholic). Theodoric (Ostrogoths), Thrasamund (Vandals), and Alaric II (Visigoths) were his peers. Their tribes had previously been converted but they practiced Arian Christianity (considered a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church, it taught that Christ was a perfect man touched by God but not the Son of God).

Answer: Arbogast

After Theodosius I (r. 379-395 AD) banned pagan worship throughtout the Empire (392 AD) Arbogast, Praetorian Prefect of the West, proclaimed Eugenius the new Emperor of the Roman West (the late Western Emperor, Valentinian II, had died in 392 AD) and proceeded to ignore the ban (Theodosius was technically only Emperor of the Roman East but in theory whatever was decreed in one part of the Empire also pertained to the other half).

Theodosius had to tolerate the situation til he was able to deal effectively with the upstarts. On September 6, 394 AD their armies met at the Battle of the Flavia Frigida (Vipacco River). Arbogast and his puppet emperor were defeated (Arbogast committed suicide after the battle and Eugenius was executed).

Theodosius was the last man to rule over a united Roman Empire.

It was permanently divided less than five months later when he died (Jan 17, 395 AD). The Western Empire went to his youngest son, Honorius, and the Eastern Empire to his eldest son, Arcadius.

Answer: Caratacus

Caratacus, King of the Cantii and the Catuvellauni (r. 41-51 AD), finally sought the aid of Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, in 51 AD but was taken captive by the queen and turned over to the Romans. Her actions were not popular with her husband, King Venutius, or the majority of her people. She also is remembered in Celtic lore but as a traitor. Boudicca's revolt occured 60-61 AD.

Answer: Burgundians

The Kingdom of the Burgundians, sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Worms (the city not the bug), was established in 413 AD. In 435 AD Aetius, 'Master of Soldiers' (Commander-in-Chief) of all the armies of the Western Empire, summoned the Huns to deal with the troublesome Burgundians. Approx. 20,000 Burgundians were massacred by the Huns (including King Gundahar) in 436 AD. Eventually the survivors would settle in Sapaudia (modern Savoy) and be granted federate (allied) status within the Roman Empire by Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, in 443 AD.

Answer: Wallia

The deal was that Wallia would return the emperor's half-sister, Galla Placidia (she had been taken as a captive by Alaric I after the sack of Rome in 410 AD, had married the next king Athaulf in 414 AD, and was a widow in 415 AD), and help Rome defeat the barbarians tribes that had migrated and settled in Spain in 409 AD.

In return the Visigoths would be allowed to settle in southern Gaul and retain their native customs and laws (as long as they recognized the emperor's authority - which in the future they seldom did).

Answer: Vandals

After joining up with the Vandals, the culture and customs of the Alans quietly disappeared from the pages of history. From King Gunderic (r. 406-428 AD) on, the official title of the Vandal kings would be 'Rex Vandalorum et Alanorum' (King of the Vandals and Alans).

Answer: Attila, King of the Huns

Legend has it that Leo I (r. 440-461 AD) convinced Attila to leave Rome or face the judgement of the Christian God (St. Peter and St. Paul were said to have appeared by the Pope's side). Leo I would also meet with Gaiseric (455 AD) but he could only persuade him to spare the churches and other holy sites within the city. Alaric I had already sacked Rome in 410 AD. Brennus is a semi-legendary Gallic leader who invaded Italy in 396 BC and sacked Rome in 390 BC.

Answer: Odovacar

Odovacar was the powerful Commander of the 'Roman' Army of Italy. Orestes was the father of the young emperor and commander before Odovacar. (He was captured and killed by Odovacar on August 28, 476 AD). Odovacar ruled as virtual king of Italy till Zeno, Eastern Roman Emperor, commissioned Theoderic, the Great, King of the Ostrogoths, to reclaim Italy for the Empire in 489 AD.

Answer: Gelimer

Gelimer fled after his forces were defeated at the Battle of Tricamarum (Dec 15, 533 AD). Belisarius quickly hunted down and captured the last Vandal King and sent him to Constantinople (Mar 534 AD).

Answer: Gothic Wars

The Kingdom of the Ostrogoths was destroyed with the Byzantine victory. Most of Italy was temporarily reunited with the Empire till the arrival of the Lombards (568 AD)

Answer: Agila

Agila was King of the Visigoths (r. 549-554 AD) when southeastern Spain was temporarily reunited to the Byzantine Empire. Totila was one of the most powerful of the Kings of the Ostrogoths. He successfully confronted Belisarius throughout his reign (541-552 AD) until his death in battle (Battle of Taginae).

He was succeded by Teias who fell in battle himself a few months later. Thus ended the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths.

Answer: Lombards

The Lombards were migrating westward due to pressure exerted by the migrating Avars. The Avars would eventually fall to the migrating Bulgars.

Answer: Reccared I

Reccared I (r. 586-601 AD) had been personally converted to Catholicism earlier (587 AD).

Answer: Aethelbert, King of Kent

Though Aethelbert was married to a Christian (Bertha) his reasons for converting may have been more for political advantages.

Answer: Tarik (Tariq)

Roderick (r. 708-711 AD) was killed during the Battle of Rio Barbate (Jul 19, 711 AD) thus ending the Kingdom of the Visigoths. When Tarik first invaded Spain he had established his base at Gibraltar (which means 'Jabal Tarik' - Mountain of Tarik).

Answer: Mongols

The Mongols did not appear as a military threat to Europe till the 13th Century.

Answer: Bleda

Mundiuch was the father of Attila and his brother Bleda. Upon his death the brothers briefly ruled until Attila allegedly killed his brother. Ellac and Ernac were Attila's sons who succeded him in 453 AD. They would witness the end of the Huns as a major power.

Answer: Claudius II

Decius (r. 249-251 AD) would be killed battling the Goths. Valerian (r. 253-260 AD) would be captured by the Persians in 260 AD. Constantine I (r. 306-337 AD) would try to claim descent from Claudius II (who some think may have secretly been a Christian). Claudius II reigned from 268-270 AD.

Answer: False

Though the Barbarian Tribes dismantled the Western Roman Empire the kingdoms that they established quickly adopted many useful Roman customs and laws. Far from destroying Roman culture, they transformed it, thus creating the basis for early Medieval Europe.