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<p>[QUOTE="IMP Shogun, post: 4889470, member: 114683"]In November, A. D. 401, the fearsome Goth Alaric invaded Italy and was soon encamped outside of Milan, placing it under siege. Milan was strongly fortified and Stilicho, Rome's most capable general of the time, ordered the garrison to hold out until he could bring his forces from the North. Rather than allow himself to be trapped between an armed city and an advancing army, Alaric withdrew. Stilicho caught up with Alaric and soundly defeated him in a great battle near Pollentia on Easter Sunday, in 402 AD. The Goths had been raiding the Roman Empire since Adrianople and were laden with booty. </p><p><br /></p><p>Stilicho recovered much of the booty the Goths had taken from the Romans since Adrianople, and took hostages, including Alaric’s wife. The Roman court was located at Ravenna where the below coin was minted in 402-406 AD. Possibly from dies made from this recaptured booty and intended to build the Western Roman empire with ethnic-Gothic troops.</p><p><br /></p><p>Alaric was still not forced out of Italy until he was defeated yet once again at Verona in 403. Rumors began to fly that Alaric was paying Stilicho off or that Stilicho was allowing their former friendship to get in the way of duty. </p><p><br /></p><p>At the battle of Faesulae in 406 AD, Stilicho went on to defeat the Gothic king Radagaisus and his combined Vandal and Goth army, only with the support of Gothic chieftain Sarus and Hunnic ruler Uldin. Was that recaptured booty used to buy support of Goths and Huns?</p><p><br /></p><p>Or maybe Honorius made this coin to keep under his favorite chicken's pillow:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/media/honorius-solidus-ravenna.15314/full?d=1601067397" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><i><b>Honorius (395-423) AV Solidus</b></i></p><p><i>21.5mm, 4.43 g</i></p><p><i>Ravenna mint </i></p><p><i>Struck AD 402-406. </i></p><p><i>Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right</i></p><p><i>Honorius standing right, spurning captive, holding labarum and Victory on globe R|V//COMOB. </i></p><p><i>RIC X 1287d</i></p><p><br /></p><p>I tend to think Honorius was not as fleckless as history remembers. But history does not look fondly on the purging of Stilicho and the ethnic Gothic troops and their families in 408 as Honorius was either was forced by anti-Germanic sentiment in the Army, was foiling a plot by Stilicho to create his own dynasty or was just insane. This ended up being a massive blemish on a 28-year reign and directly led to the sacking of Rome in 410 AD and eventual collapse of the Western Roman Empire. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'd love to see your Honorius coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="IMP Shogun, post: 4889470, member: 114683"]In November, A. D. 401, the fearsome Goth Alaric invaded Italy and was soon encamped outside of Milan, placing it under siege. Milan was strongly fortified and Stilicho, Rome's most capable general of the time, ordered the garrison to hold out until he could bring his forces from the North. Rather than allow himself to be trapped between an armed city and an advancing army, Alaric withdrew. Stilicho caught up with Alaric and soundly defeated him in a great battle near Pollentia on Easter Sunday, in 402 AD. The Goths had been raiding the Roman Empire since Adrianople and were laden with booty. Stilicho recovered much of the booty the Goths had taken from the Romans since Adrianople, and took hostages, including Alaric’s wife. The Roman court was located at Ravenna where the below coin was minted in 402-406 AD. Possibly from dies made from this recaptured booty and intended to build the Western Roman empire with ethnic-Gothic troops. Alaric was still not forced out of Italy until he was defeated yet once again at Verona in 403. Rumors began to fly that Alaric was paying Stilicho off or that Stilicho was allowing their former friendship to get in the way of duty. At the battle of Faesulae in 406 AD, Stilicho went on to defeat the Gothic king Radagaisus and his combined Vandal and Goth army, only with the support of Gothic chieftain Sarus and Hunnic ruler Uldin. Was that recaptured booty used to buy support of Goths and Huns? Or maybe Honorius made this coin to keep under his favorite chicken's pillow: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/media/honorius-solidus-ravenna.15314/full?d=1601067397[/IMG] [I][B]Honorius (395-423) AV Solidus[/B][/I] [I]21.5mm, 4.43 g[/I] [I]Ravenna mint [/I] [I]Struck AD 402-406. [/I] [I]Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right[/I] [I]Honorius standing right, spurning captive, holding labarum and Victory on globe R|V//COMOB. [/I] [I]RIC X 1287d[/I] I tend to think Honorius was not as fleckless as history remembers. But history does not look fondly on the purging of Stilicho and the ethnic Gothic troops and their families in 408 as Honorius was either was forced by anti-Germanic sentiment in the Army, was foiling a plot by Stilicho to create his own dynasty or was just insane. This ended up being a massive blemish on a 28-year reign and directly led to the sacking of Rome in 410 AD and eventual collapse of the Western Roman Empire. I'd love to see your Honorius coins.[/QUOTE]
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