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Looking back, the Goths are in need (3) – Teja's tits are supposed to be bleeding

I see the man standing in front of me with the whip. "Not from the front, not my bosom," I beg, but the guy just grins. He lifts his arm, reaches back and flings the thin but tough strap at me. The whip howls through the air...

Moments later, the leather tears across the tops of both of my delicate breasts. The blow makes my boobs shake and soaks them with fiery pain. I screech loudly, a burning red welt running above my tits. The audience is thrilled while I look at my boobs in horror.

"Give it to her, whip these gothic tits... beat her harder," someone calls out. Another is even meaner: "That was nothing; we want to see her naughty boobs bleed!"

"Eleven more ... Please not my breasts again," I think desperately. Then the man lifts the whip again, I hear the thong rush through the air ... this time the tough, thin leather shoots hissing diagonally across the front of my body ... from the shoulder over the left breast, where it crosses the first welt, further across my stomach down to my right hip.

I scream, howl and pant. I knew what to expect on this second blow and still I can't control myself. I jump up, the ropes pull me back and my breasts jump. People like that, but someone shouts: “Punish the Goth whore's tits harder, she must bleed!” “Yes, hit her harder, her tits should bleed!” Another man shouts.

It hurts so much, I'm scared and desperate. What have I done to these people? Why do they hate my boobs?

"Howl ... gossip!" The next blow, the next hit. This time the whip hits my right breast. The thong bites badly, my struck tit trembles, the pain is fiery. Again I gasp, clench my teeth and feel my first tears flow... Nine more to come!

His fourth blow from the front is mean and hits again my breasts, this time from the underside. The force makes my tits jump up as if released. The leather scrapes under my nipple on the left. It turns deep red and the pain is throbbing. The audience is happy, but not jet satisfied; more tears run down my cheeks.

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Her tormentor aims the whip at Teja's breasts

The next blows follow and devastate my unprotected front, covering it with fiery welts, but the man with the whip is now slowly working his way deeper and deeper, over the ribs, several times over my stomach, down to the hips and the base of my thighs.

As the whip rages over my mons, it tears out a clump of pubic hair. The Romans are happy again and someone shouts: "Good thing, harvest the wool of her pussy with the whip!"

I sink into pain; my whole body is covered with red welts. "Ten…" the last two blows in the third and last sentence. But again the man stops and changes his whip. I haven't gotten through it yet.

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Cane and whips – Teja is severely punished for the fun of the Romans

My tormentor reaches for a significantly shorter strap. Then he comes very close to me. I have no doubt, he is now intent on punishing my breasts ... and people are demanding it. "Hit their boobs harder, her tits must bleed!" Another shouts: "Ruin her cheeky Goth tits!" I cannot and will not believe what I am hearing.

I want to beg that he will spare my breasts now; but when I hear the people shouting that he should strike my tits bloody, I just shake my head in fear.

My tormentor has a kind of riding whip in his hand, with a leather loop at the end of the elastic stick. He starts to play on my nipples until they stand up harder and harder. I just shake my head and go with fear. There is an excited, expectant silence in the audience. Suddenly the man reaches out and hits the end of the whip from top to bottom over the nipple of my left breast.

It's like lightning, I flinch; it hurts so much, I scream and howl. The spectators are enthusiastic, only a little later do I feel the reason. My warm blood is dripping from my teat. He gives me some time to collect myself; then he attacks the bud on my right breast.

"Aaaahhhhh … ouch … ow!" His blow jerks through me, robs me of the air to breathe, my legs become weak; I'm hanging on the ropes. But my nipple doesn't want to bleed; I see the disappointment in the eyes of my tormentor and feel it in the audience.

People ask for an encore. “No, not again!” I think, but the commander first points to my tormentor and then he shows three fingers. I am too eaten away by pain and fear; it wasn't until later that I should understand that the man had three attempts to make my nipples bleed if he didn't want to embarrass himself. The commandant hands my tormentor a thin stick with the words: "Show it the Goth girl that we don't tolerate thieves." The audience is enthusiastic.

The man in front of me starts to play with his stick on my nipples, repeatedly rubbing over the excited but injured buds until I moan in pain. Then he strikes, from above directly above my right bud. I can't breathe; the pain is cruel and even more intense than what I've experienced before... The little bud of my breast is cherry red and my blood is dripping from the nipple. The people applaud.

While I'm still panting and moaning in pain, he starts to play with my injured left nipple, which already hurts badly, but hardly bleeds anymore. Fearfully, I see the little bud straighten up even harder, and then he strikes. There is a flash of lightning and then a roar and raging. The blood is now dripping from both of my nipples. Finally, that was it what the audience wanted to see.

I took forty-one lashes. With the words "It's enough, she is bleeding" the commandant ends my punishment and the spectacle for the audience. My tormentor proudly points with his stick at the blood stains on the underside of my breasts, then he bows and there is stormy applause. I hang at the ropes for a while, the audience is allowed to gaze at me from all sides once more and admire the work of the man who made me suffer. I am no longer receptive to their certainly mean sayings in a foreign language.

They are finally untying me. I slump on my knees; I don't have the strength to stand. I hold one arm protectively over my breasts; the other hand goes between my legs. The guards grin, but I don't care now. Somebody throws at me my clothes and I start to get dressed again in front of the remaining spectators.

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Teja is whipped until her tits bleed for the fun of the crowd
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Teja after she was whipped

Three Roman soldiers pull me away from the crowd. "Hurry up girl, you need to get out of here now. Some of the men in the audience got a taste for you, they want even more from you... You gave us all an exciting performance... You are a really hot goth girl."

They are dragging me away, back to the commandant's house. My brother is waiting for me there. He has tears in his eyes when he sees me like this. He knows what I suffered for him, but I did it for both of us too. He will always owe me, and that is exactly what the Romans intend. They wanted to whip me, but humiliate both of us, yes and all the Goths who cannot protect their women...

"Your punishment was appropriate and a success for both sides," says the commander happily. "I'm sorry about the little encore, but people really liked you ... they wanted to see blood dripping from your tits ... Now they were having fun and after you screamed and pissed on yourself naked in front of them, they will no longer fear you and the Goths…” I felt ashamed by his remarks.

“Hopefully you Goths will stop stealing and earn your money honestly. In any case, the Goth girls in this city will earn well after you've been flogged... Many men will look for a blonde whore and in their minds they will fuck you instead of one of these girls."

Now I'm angry, but I'm silent; I'm too exhausted, my whole body burns like fire. I've suffered a lot more pain than I could ever have imagined. But I also feel deeply ashamed, for myself and for the people of the Goths. A naked, hungry Goth girl who is scared, screams in pain and is whipped until she bleeds from her back, bottom and breasts, is an attraction for the Romans ... so that they do not have to fear us. I will hate them forever ... and they should still fear us! I swear to myself I will never be humiliated by them again.

It was just a nice spectacle for the captain, I had to suffer seriously and bleed a little for my brother, which was appropriate and generous for him. At least he gives me back our sack with the stolen bread; he even put more bread in it. He also gives me figs. "So that you don't go hungry tonight," he says with a smile. He really seems to think I really deserved this meal today ... yes, he thinks he's a nice person! Sure, we could have been worse off than with this commander. My hatred is not for him, it is for the Romans.

When it gets dark, we sneak out of the city and only in the moonlight do we reach the gothic camp ... at least we brought bread for the whole family, very painfully earned bread, at least for me. I treat myself to figs for consolation.

My bottom is a place of sorrow and is covered with thick welts, I cannot sit. My whole back burns like fire, the skin is torn and I'm bleeding through my shirt. My front doesn't look much better, my nipples are no longer bleeding, but they too have dripped a blood stain on my shirt, they're swollen and they're still a long way from calming down. My skin is burning and my beautiful, tender breasts are throbbing, they are on fire ... even in my pussy I can still feel the leather thong bite.

Two women take care of me, they try to comfort me and to cool and heal my wounds with herbs and damp towels. I want to cry, but I suppress it. I want to be proud that I showed great courage and I was able to protect my brother from slavery.


Gillis listens attentively to my story the whole time without asking much. Then he said, “You are a strong woman and a brave warrioress. First you sacrificed yourself for your family so that they would have something to eat, then you suffered for your brother so that he could keep his hand and not become a slave ... and in the end you helped more than any other woman in defeating the Romans and killing Emperor Valens… You are a proud heroine of the Goths!” He takes me in his arms and kisses me. His hands slide slowly under my shirt and he feels my breasts.

"Are your boobs all right again?" Gillis asks worried. I first nod and then I laugh. But I remember my breasts have hurt a lot for a long time after my cruel and brutal punishment.

My suffering under the Romans as a whore and as a thief has not changed anything in his respect and affection for me. I feel relieved and happy despite my bad memories.
 
After the Great Battle (2) – Outside the walls of Constantinople

We moved on through Thrace with our large entourage. We have found the Emperor’s camp and many things that interest us. There were also supplies of food, but they were intended for his army of maybe 30,000 men - we are about 200,000, the supplies are very welcome, but they will not last long.

We are only making slow progress; the people who live here have enough time to flee from us. They don't leave much behind for us. Our cavalry riding ahead burned down a few villages out of frustration, but Fritigern has forbidden that.

We have turned to the east and are now moving towards Constantinople, the great capital here in the east of the Roman Empire. We passed there before and quickly realized that this city was impregnable for us. Now let's try again to solve our supply problems and to convince the Emperor of the West, Gratian, to negotiate with us and assign us land.

Our path takes a long time, the sun is no longer that high in the sky and it has become a little cooler. Autumn is just around the corner when we finally reach Constantinople. It is a magnificent city with a port on a strait. But it is surrounded by high walls and we have no ships. We send out riders to explore the city walls and the surrounding area.

Gillis was also sent out, I stayed behind. But I am drawn to take a closer look at the city. I look around and see a hill that should give me a good view. The next morning I set off with my horse.

I am alone as a woman and I know this is a little careless, but I am armed and I feel safe. I find a path and drive my horse up. I pass houses and farms, but they are deserted. People have fled into the city and behind its walls. Sure there are things in these houses that are of interest to us, but I don't want to investigate that alone.

I get higher up the hill and again and again I give my horse a break and myself a view of the city. I finally made it to the top, the view is fantastic. I look at the city, at its port, over the narrow strait to Asia. I am overwhelmed. Again and again I look at a mighty church with a large, gleaming dome that towers above all other structures. I've heard of her before that it's the 'Hagia Sophia', the Holy Spirit, that's what it's called, even if I don't know exactly what that means. In any case, it is the place to worship a god.

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Outside the walls of Constantinople

I brought a water bottle and stay on the top of the hill for a long time to enjoy the view. But I also see the mighty walls of this city, which frighten me. Finally I notice my bladder and go down a little into a bush to relieve myself. I stay with the city in my mind and let mosquitoes and flies distract me. Finally I go back to my horse on the top of the hill.

As I step out of the forest, I meet four men who seem to be waiting for me. They are Goths from the Terwings tribe, like me.

“You shouldn't leave your horse alone,” someone tells me. I am surprised and a little confused. The men grin and I'm afraid that they watched me piss. "Do you also want to explore the city from up here?" I try to distract them from myself.

"Yes, Constantinople is a pearl, beautiful and impregnable," says someone in awe and at the same time frustrated. “As a girl, you shouldn't be alone here,” says another, who is probably their leader. I know he's right and I feel very uncomfortable. "Aren't you the girl on the Roman horse who found the emperor's standard?" I nod uncertainly.

Then suddenly the men quickly get down to business. "It seems that the girls will not come out of the walls of this great city to comfort us Gothic warriors ... But how about if you comfort us ... As a service to your people, so to speak!"

I know immediately what they want from me. I feel insecurity and fear when I see them stare at me ... but they are warriors of my people, not Romans.

"Come on, let me go," I say when I notice that they are blocking my way to my horse. "I already have a friend..."

"A girl like you can make many men happy..."

"No, I don't want to!"

“It's not always what you want, girl, you have to give in to other desires too,” their leader tells me, looking me in the eye. "Look around, we are four men, you are alone ... You give us some comfort and love ... and we are nice to you... Then we let you go and forget about it."

"Find other girls and let me go" I try to walk past them to my horse with determination. But they block my way and surround me on all sides.

"Stop it, I'm one of you ... I don't want to!"

“We like Gothic girls like you best,” says their leader. "Girls almost never want to be fucked, but they have to ... and with some persuasion it works ... with you too!"

I'm angry, but I'm scared ... I wish Gillis were here, but I'm all alone and surrounded by four warriors from my own tribe.

Now one is pointing a spear at me, another is drawing his sword. "We don't want to hurt you ... it's better if you submit!"

I'm shaking, I don't want this; I feel tears...

“Come on; take off your clothes, girl. It would be a shame to tear your beautiful clothes apart. And I'm sure you don't have to be ashamed of your body as a woman..."

One of them comes up to me and reaches into my jacket. "Get off this, show us your tits," he yells at me. "You weren't shy about the Greutungs riders either." He tears at my clothes.

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Teja is grabbed, she is surrounded, there is no escape

Suddenly the man wraps around me from behind, he wants to throw me to the ground, I screech.

Their leader interferes. "Let go of her, she does it voluntarily!"

There can be no question of voluntary ... But I realize that my situation is hopeless. Many thoughts run through my head. I have to get through that somehow, I think, I also got through the Romans, why not my own men...

"Are you getting undressed for us?" I nod angrily; I just want to get this over with quickly. "Come on, be a good and insightful girl, show us your treasures!"

I don't want to be a good girl, but I submit ... Slowly and with trembling hands I take off my clothes in front of the guys. I feel how their looks undress me too. Finally I stand naked in front of the four men who surround me. I cover my nakedness and my breasts; ashamed I look at the ground.

"Now don't be shy, show us your pussy and your tits!" Someone pulls my hands behind my back. "Oh, that's not bad ... it's fantastic! Great boobs ... and your warm, wet pussy is surely waiting impatiently for us... You don't have to be ashamed of that, you mustn't hide that... And now make us four warriors happy... I'm sure you can."

One of them knocks me on the ground. I stumble, fall on my ass and sit between grass and stones. My butt hurts. I look around, I'm surrounded by men, my heart is beating wildly, I'm scared. But I try to keep my head clear.

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Teja crouches naked on the floor, circled and stared at by four men

Somebody pulls me back and presses my shoulders on the floor; I stay lying on my back. One of the guys steps in front of me and pushes my legs apart with the words: "Now show us the hospitality of your pussy!"

He stares between my legs, then he opens his pants and his excited cock jumps towards me. The other three men stand around and watch expectantly. They want to watch me get fucked and raped, that's supposed to get them in the mood for fucking me too.

My back hurts; I'm lying naked on the hard floor between grass, dust and stones. I feel humiliated. They are Goths, our own warriors. "No, I don't want that ... Not like this and not with these guys", I suddenly think angrily. When the man in front wants to lie down on me and pushes between my thighs, I desperately kick him between the legs. I poke my right knee after ... into his stomach. The warrior groans and writhes in pain; he falls to one side and rolls on the ground.

Now or never, I guess. I turn to the side, get to my feet in a flash and start running. My horse is about 30 paces to run further at the edge of the forest; there I have my bow and arrows. My attack and my escape come as a complete surprise to the other men. One of them grabs my shoulder, but I'm sweaty, he can't find a grip, I can tear myself away and I'm gone. But after a moment of shock they run after me.

“Stop her,” someone calls out from behind me, but I run as fast as I can. I step on stones, my feet hurt, but I ignore it. One of the guys is hot on my heels, I also hear a second running behind me ... a third just curses, the fourth groans far behind me.

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Teja is running away – will she escape her pursuers?
 
After the Great Battle (3) – A narrow escape

I run, but I hear my pursuers. Finally I'm at the edge of the forest and see my horse in front of me, but the guy behind me has caught up with me now. I jump between the branches, which strike back and catch the man right behind me in the face. He curses and holds his hands in front of his eyes. Before the next one has caught up with me, I grab the bow and draw it with an arrow. I aim it at the pursuer's chest right in front of me.

"Go back! Get away from me!” I scream.

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Teja's determination and anger make her pursuers shrink back

The man in front of me freezes in horror, the other stops at the edge of the forest. "Go back, away from me," I call again.

"Don't be stupid, girl, you can't kill us all ... and by the time you're on your horse we have got you," says the second. "Take down your bow; then we'll be nice to you despite your bitchiness and your vicious kicks."

I see the guys ran after me without weapons to follow me quickly.

"But I'll kill this one right away ... and I'll hit you too!"

I see the fear in the eyes of the man who stands in front of me and slowly shrinks back. I quickly switch my aim between him and the other chaser nearby, who just yet wanted to intimidate me. He also realizes that I have an advantage now. Both withdraw.

I follow them very slowly out of the forest until I can see over the top of the hill and have all four men in view. Then I stop in front of my horse and feel the quiver with the arrows safely at my side.

Then their leader reports, who is a little behind. “You have my respect, girl. You're a damn fast and furious cat... And it looks like you've won,” he says calmly. “I would have loved fucking you well, but it's not worth dying for. Now I have to admire you from afar as a naked warrioress... I have to be satisfied with your jumping tits, which I saw when you ran away... But your pussy remains inaccessible and I would have preferred to feel your boobs soft in my hands."

He is clearly disappointed with the missed luck, but then he makes me a suggestion. "We'll take your clothes with us for our safety, but I'll tell you where to find them, because you shouldn't ride back naked... You keep your bow for your safety, but you let us go ... We won't harm each other, okay?" “I lower my bow and nod in agreement.

The leader drops his sword and comes a little towards me, raising his hands ... while the other two guys pull back further and I see how the fourth man, who I kicked, crawls further down with my clothes into the forest .

“You are a brave and proud warrioress … I like that and I respect it… Even if I wished that you had to surrender without any fight... But be a little more careful if you ride around alone again... Oh, and don't tell your friend about this little incident, we won't tell anyone anything either. In the interests of all Goths, we cannot use a bloody quarrel between Greutungs and Terwings."

“Wasn't that cowardly, with four men against a young woman?” So I ask him with a little pride; but I still feel my heart pounding violently.

“Well, you see, four men weren't even enough to catch a wild Goth girl like you, tame you and ride you well… But most girls are much more insightful than you towards a majority of men and they submit… Then everything is nice and peaceful, she lets herself be fucked well, we have fun and we don't hurt the girl."

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Teja can escape four men and she knows how to defend herself...

I'm angry about what he says and how he thinks... I suffered too much from the Romans... "Stay back!" I shout resolutely and aim my arrow at the man again. He appeases me with his hands.

"Don't worry; we respect you, warrioress of the Goths... You won; you were with your horse and your weapons before us... I respect that, we will not lie in wait for you anywhere... Somewhere below this knoll there is a large tree... Behind it you can find your clothes... But wait a while until you follow us, we have no horses... You can trust me; you have my word as a Goth."

Already the four guys are gone with my clothes, disappeared under me in the forest. I'm still standing naked by my horse and feel my whole body shaking. "That was very close, it just went well," I think. I cuddle my horse to calm myself down, but I always keep my bow close at hand.

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Teja calms down with her horse

I wait a long time, probably half an hour. Naked I feel the warmth of my horse and the sun. I calm down, enjoy the peace that has returned; I don't want to be around people at all. Finally I sit on my horse and carefully ride on my way.

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Teja gets on her horse and looks back worried...

I can quickly get to the big tree and really find my clothes. As if in greeting, there are four beautiful, large pine cones, certainly one from each of the men. I search all pockets, they didn't steal anything. They didn't want anything from what I possess; they wanted me as a woman, but they didn't get me. They underestimated me, just like the Romans the Goths... And yet, they wanted me, a girl from their tribe, as replacement booty for a city they cannot conquer ... that frightens me.

Fortunately, I don't have to worry about the four men as I continue to descend; now I'm sure they respect me and the word of a Goth applies. I get dressed again and take one last look at the beautiful, big city of Constantinople; then I ride down on my horse to our camp.


In the afternoon I meet Gillis and hug him. He asks me what I experienced. I tell him about the wonderful view of the city from the hill, nothing more. He sighs "The city is impregnable; there is nowhere a weak spot in its walls."

We lay siege to Constantinople for a few days, we loot the houses and farms outside the walls; then we move back west. We cannot conquer this mighty city and we cannot cross to Asia without boats.

We move on from Thrace to Dacia and on through Macedonia. My daughter will be born next spring. Now I am a mother myself and can no longer be a warrioress, maybe it is better that way. I have done what I can for my people and for my family. Our children are the future of our people, the Goths. But we are still moving around looking for a new home.

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Migration of the Goths and Huns between 375 and 382 AD
(Westgoten = Visigoths, Ostgoten = Ostrogoths)



Some of my thoughts on 'Teja and the Goths'

In another story, the young woman might have been fucked hard by the four warriors on the hill and, to her own shame, would have had one orgasm after another because her body 'betrays' her. (How could it be otherwise?) But that would not have been the story of Teja at all that I would like to tell... (Especially since something like this has already been described a hundred times somewhere without becoming more believable.)

For me, Teja is a mirror of her people in this story... She comes to the Roman Empire as a refugee and as a weak girl. Together with her people she has to starve, she is humiliated, abused, beaten... But she defends herself; she does not want to put up with this treatment any longer… She even gains strength when she is flogged to save her brother.

Suddenly it is the Goths who spread fear and terror. But Teja is still not respected, any more than her people. As a girl who had to serve the Romans as a whore, she is avoided by her own men ... and Emperor Valens refuses to negotiate with the Goths, he wants to punish and subjugate them in the Roman way. But the emperor is greatly mistaken.

In the Battle of Adrianople 378 AD the Goths rise above themselves, they not only defeat the Romans, they destroy their army and kill the Eastern Roman emperor. Teja also grows beyond herself … as a girl she makes a small but important contribution. She goes from being a girl to a strong woman and even a warrioress.

But before Constantinople the Goths have to recognize their limits despite their victory... They cannot conquer this city; they will not find a new home for a long time to found their own kingdom there. Teja too has to experience her limits. As a woman, she is exposed to special dangers and she is not a warrior who is equally accepted by her men. The men underestimate her, Teja can save herself… But she goes the path that was predetermined for women at the time. She becomes a mother and is also respected by her people. Because their children are the future of the Goths, who still have a great future ahead of them.

Teja always remains a strong combative woman from the proud people of the Goths, who defeat Rome three times within 100 years (378, 410 and 476 AD) and put an end to its power and glory. And not only this, the Goths also played a major role in stopping Attila and the Huns in Gaul and forcing them to retreat (451 AD).


These were excerpts from Teja's experiences as a young woman in the Roman Empire, described in 12 sections. A brief look at Teja's life and the fate of the Goths follows. Then we will turn to the fall of the Roman Empire in historical retrospect.
 
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Teja's thoughts – If her 'narrow escape' had failed (Addendum)

Sometimes Teja thinks back to her encounter with the four warriors on the hill across from Constantinople with very mixed feelings. Of course she is proud of herself ... and she can be really proud of the fact that in what seemed like a hopeless situation she was able to turn the tide in her favor through courage and determination. But she also thinks with a shudder what would have happened if her narrow escape would just as closely have failed, because that would have had dire consequences for her…

The four men would probably not have treated her that friendly... They would certainly have tied up Teja well to protect themselves from further kicks and to deprive the girl of any possibility to escape... Worse still, the guy who she kicked between the legs, would certainly have punished Teja very viciously for her attack…

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Bad thoughts ... tied up and spread out ... if Teja's narrow escape had failed

Teja prefers not to think about what she would have suffered if she had failed. In any case, she is determined to avoid such situations forever by being a little more careful.
 
View of Teja's life and the fate of the Goths

I, Teja, a gothic girl from the Terwings tribe, came to the Roman Empire as a beggar across the Danube on the run from the Huns and as a 'barbarian' nobody respected us. For something to eat I had to serve the Romans with my body and as a thief in need I was displayed naked by them and brutally whipped for their amusement. I was 18 summers then, a young woman but still almost a girl [376 AD].

When we Goths showed anger and resistance, the Romans tried to kill our leaders, but their plan failed. We began to plunder and the first armed conflicts broke out, but the Romans could not defeat us, which gave us new courage and confidence.

Then, as a young woman, I fought like a warrior against Emperor Valens near Adrianople and won with my people. We even killed the emperor and destroyed his army [378 AD]. That's when I met Gillis, my future husband.

I stood at the gates of Constantinople, the new capital and the 'Rome of the East'... We couldn't conquer this city with its great walls. So we, the Goths, moved on. It was always very difficult to provide food for so many people. So the Greutungs separated from us and went their own way, but Gillis stayed with me and our leader Fritigern. We started our own family and I became a mother.

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Mothers and children on the great migration – the idyll in this picture is deceptive, because the migration was no adventure track for young families, whoever had no battle-hardened warriors for protection was quickly robbed, slain or enslaved.

We Goths have finally been able to come to an agreement with the new emperor Theodosius. He has assigned us land on the Danube between Thrace and Dacia. We have become the 'Foederati' of the mighty empire. We are not a subjugated or incorporated people, we keep our own leaders, we have rights and duties [382 AD] ... I am 24 summers old and we will be sedentary for the next 13 years. There will be quiet and beautiful years in my life as a respected woman at the side of Gillis, as a peasant woman and mother with my own family...

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Teja in peaceful years as a peasant woman on her settlement land on the Danube (382 – 394 AD)

But then we have to go to war again as allies of the new emperor Theodosius - Romans of the East against Romans of the West - who should understand that? There are an awful lot of deaths, even among the Goths, but my sons are still too young to go into battle, Gillis is already a veteran and the Emperor does not claim me as a woman to take up arms for him. Theodosius triumphs on the Frigidus River with our help and for a short time he becomes all-Roman emperor [394 AD].

We became Christians, we got a new god and we lost our old gods, we left them behind in the country we came from. But we remained Goths and will never become Romans. And even in the Christian faith we differ from the Romans, we only believe in one real God, not in a God in three appearances. [The Goths are followers of Arianism, they reject the Trinity of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit]

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Conversion of the Goths to Christianity

My children will also learn to fight and they will move on. When Emperor Theodosius died, our flight started 20 years ago and at the age of 37 I have a large family [395 AD] ... The emperor's sons struggle, they do not want to accept the promises made to us Goths hold, but they need our men and sons for their wars...

With Alaric we will get a new leader and we will leave the Danube again. With him we will even conquer the mighty Rome. There we will take what the young emperor Honorius in Ravenna does not want to give us [410 AD] ... I am 52 summers old and I will already have grandchildren.

Alaric dies in the south of Italy; we will not cross over to North Africa in order to conquer the granaries of the empire. But we Goths are used to the hardship, we move back north under Athaulf, our third leader. As far as our feet can carry us, we move from Eastern Europe deep into the South and finally far into the West, to Gaul and Hispania... This is the fate of our restless people.

I was 17 when the Huns drove us from our land at the Black Sea [375 AD], and at 60 I will be an old woman and have grown up grandchildren when we finally find a new, permanent home in what was once Roman's Hispania [418 AD]. Then, as a Gothic woman, I roamed around the Roman Empire for 30 years, half of my life, looking for a place to live. But for the last 12 years of my life I will be able to live in peace with my large family again, even if Gillis has already died by then. [Teja's assumed life span 358 to 430 AD]

My grandchildren will fight against the Huns again, who once drove us out, and finally we will be victorious [451 AD Battle of the Catalaunian Fields] ... Then I would be 93 years old, which I will not see anymore, but maybe my children, definitely my grandchildren. But only my great-grandchildren will create their own independent kingdom for themselves, the Visigoth Empire.

[475 AD the Western Roman Empire recognized the independent Visigothic empire, one year before the Ostrogoth general Odoacer deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, and raised himself to be king. Previously, both Visigoths and Ostrogoths were contractually bound to the Roman Empire as 'Foederati', but the Visigoths already had their own kings.]

My ancestors have already moved south from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, the journey of our people was even longer ... [The Goths left the Baltic Sea around 150 AD, they reached around 200 AD the Black Sea.]

Map overview: The Visigoths' long track

FoRI-43_Visigoths long Track.jpg
The long track ... Migration of the Visigoths from 375 to 418 AD – The complicated way in the east and the 13 years of settling down on the Danube are not recognizable on this map


This was the 'true fate of a Gothic girl' in the 'Century of the Goths' (376 AD to 476 AD). Of course, Teja is just a fantasy, but all the backgrounds are real history.

This story with defeated Romans and a strong heroine who wins in the end swims a bit against the current of the usual stories here; I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

It would certainly be interesting to tell a second story from a Roman perspective, such as how the Romans experienced the sacking of their city by the Goths in 410 AD… or, even worse, by the Vandals in 455 AD.

Note: The Visigoths under their self-proclaimed King Alaric were 'rather disciplined looters' for the time. Christian chroniclers reported that he had 'spared virgins and did not set fires' – the Vandals did not know such reluctance.
One can only hope that during their three-day plundering the Goths carefully examined every Roman girl they wanted to desecrate to see whether she was still a virgin…
 
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The 'Century of the Goths'

After the story, some history...

I begin with important events that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire, but which made the period from 376 to 476 AD in the same way to a 'century of the Goths' (although I will look forward to 50 years further up to the year 526 AD).

FoRI-44_Gothic architecture.jpg
Gothic architecture

A few data and facts, this time from the perspective of the Goths, not the Romans:

376 AD about 200,000 Goths cross the Danube to seek protection from the Huns in the Roman Empire (about 70 million inhabitants).

378 AD in the Battle of Adrianople, the Goths win against the numerically slightly superior Romans; they kill the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens and destroy his army.

380 / 382 AD under Emperor Theodosius, first the Ostrogoths and then the Visigoths became 'Foederati', they received settlement land on the Danube, they submitted to the empire and provided troops, but they retained their leadership and were entitled to wages and benefits.

394 AD in the battle on the Frigidus River, the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius triumphs over his Western Roman rivals with substantial support from the Visigoths; he becomes the last all-Roman Emperor for a few months. But the elite of the Roman armies is bleeding to death on the battlefield.

395 AD after the death of Theodosius, the Visigoths again plundered through Roman provinces, there is no longer a strong Roman army that could oppose them. The Ostrogoths remained settled on the Danube.

407 AD at the turn of the year 406/07 AD, large Germanic associations of the Vandals, Suebi and Alans cross the Rhine and invade Gaul. The Vandals move on almost unhindered to Hispania (409 AD) and cross over to North Africa in 429 AD – the catastrophe looms.

410 AD under Alaric, the Visigoths plunder Rome for three days, a center of power that was impregnable for 800 years. The Roman emperor Honorius hides in the fortress of Ravenna, which becomes the new residence of the emperors.

410 AD Alaric dies in southern Italy, the transfer of the Goths to Africa fails.

418 AD under Athaulf the Visigoths move on through southern Gaul and to Hispania, where they settle down and establish their own kingdom.

422 to 429 AD the Visigoths, now as allies of Rome, displace the Vandals from southern Hispania / Spain and expand their sphere of influence.

451 AD Battle of the Catalaunian Fields, with the essential help of the Visigoths, the Huns invading Gaul under their king Attila are stopped and forced to retreat.

475 AD the Western Roman leadership in Ravenna recognizes the Visigoth Empire as independent.

476 AD the Ostrogoth general Odoacer deposed the last Western Roman emperor 'Romulus Augustulus'. The Ostrogoths found their kingdom in Italy.

476 AD the Western Roman Empire is wiped out, its former territory has been completely divided among Germanic tribes, they have founded independent kingdoms.

The 'heyday of the Goths' continued for another 50 years until Theodoric the Great died in 526 AD. Theodoric defeated Odoacer in three battles and became Ostrogothic king in 493 AD. For 12 years (511 to 523 AD) he was even king of two Gothic kingdoms, he was an all-Gothic king.

FoRI-45_Empire of Theodoric the Great 520 AD.jpg
The kingdom of Theodoric the Great as all-Gothic king (around 520 AD)

FoRI-46_Theodoric the Great, King of the Goths (493-526).jpg
Theodoric the Great, King of the Goths (around 451 to 526 AD,
Ostrogothic king 493 to 526, all-Gothic king 511 to 523 AD)


After Theodoric's death, the Ostrogoth Empire disintegrated quickly, but the Visigoth Empire in Spain lasted 300 years.

FoRI-47_Gothic eagle brooch, Madrid.jpg
Gothic art in Hispania / Spain
 
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And now a few more remarks about my people, the Thoringi or Thuringi in the years of the decline of the Roman Empire
And here some information about my home Thuringia around the years 50v.C to 400. From the book Geschichte Thüringens by Steffen Raßloff. Published by the publishing house C.H.Beck, Munich
The Iron Age as the last of the three great prehistoric and protohistoric epochs is
and early historical epochs is classified according to important sites in the Hall
(800 -500 B.C.) and the Latène period (500 B.C. - turn of the century).
turn of the century). As carriers of these cultures
two large "barbarian" tribes, the Celts and the Latins.
the Celts and the Germanic tribes. They have apparently time
lived together in the area of Thuringia for a time, whereby the ethic
ethic demarcation is difficult in view of the close cultural contact.
is difficult. The Celts are mainly assigned to the south between Werra,
Saale and Orla. The stone castle on the Kleiner Gleichberg near
Römhild, a fortified Celtic hilltop settlement (oppidum, 6th - 1st century B.C.).
1st century BC), is considered the largest archaeological monument in Thuringia.
in Thuringia. Numerous finds are on display in Weimar and in the Steins
burgmuseum (1929) at the foot of the Gleichberge. There you can find
the highly developed culture, the fibulae, which are considered to be art
which were used as artistic garment clasps.
The finds also prove the Europe-wide trade, especially with the large
with the large Celtic cultural area from western to eastern Europe, at the
Europe, on whose northern border with the Germanic tribes was Thuringia.
was located. This border situation made Thuringia to a central
between the Celts and the Germanic tribes. The valuable
iron, which made tools and weapons even more powerful, was
were traded in the form of ingots. The
The best known evidence of this are the "sword swords" from the Wartburg
Wartburg, which are iron ingots from the Latène period.
iron ingots. With the advance of Elbe-Germanic tribes and the
Germanic tribes and the disappearance of the Celtic oppida culture
the disappearance of the Celtic oppida culture in the 1st century BC.
the formation of the Thuringian tribe and thus to the beginning of the
the beginning of the history of the country in the narrower sense.

It is true that as a result of the battle
in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D. did not lead to the subjugation of the
of the territories of Central Germany. The war campaigns of the
Romans in the years around the turn of the century, which also touched the area of
Thuringia, remained the only direct military contacts.
military contacts. Nevertheless, especially the Hermundu
connections to the Romans. The Roman author Tacitus
Germania' (98 A.D.), that the tribe of the Hermunduri
Hermunduri were "loyal to the Romans". With this he meant
mutual support in the fight against other Germanic tribes.
other Germanic tribes.

For a long time it was assumed that the tribe of the Thuringians had emerged
directly from the Hermundurians, supplemented by parts of the northern
by parts of the northern Germanic tribes of the Angles and the
Warns. More recent researches have questioned this, but without further
further elucidate the ethnic origin. 395
the "Toringi" are mentioned for the first time by the Roman author Vegetius Renatus in a
handbook on horses. The horse breeder
and military writer classifies their horses as particularly hard-wearing
particularly hard-wearing and suitable for war.
Whereupon the name in its initially numerous variants
variants such as "Toringi", "Thoringi", "Thuringi", "Duringi", etc., can be traced back to is also
is also disputed. Older interpretations derived
the name from the Hermunduri, the Latin adjective durus (= hard).
the Latin adjective durus (= hard) or the thunder god Thor; today, in addition to the eastern
the East Germanic Terwingi, a derivation from the Germanic thurian
from the Germanic thur (= strong, powerful, great,
rich), which emphasizes the strength and size of the tribe members.
of the tribe. Even the French city of Tours or the
Gallic Turons are mentioned as possible namesakes.
If the formation of the tribe and its name continue to be a riddle
puzzles, the Thuringians, thanks to their horses, which were in
export article, the Thuringians appear on the historical stage at the end of the 4th century.
the historical stage. In the decades before, they had distinguished themselves
from other Germanic tribes (Gentes) of the early migration period.
of the early migration period and thus belong to the
the neighboring Franks, the Alamanni and the Saxons.
Alamanni and Saxons, they were among the oldest tribes that later formed a German
formed. Their original settlement area stretched from the Werra
from the Werra to the lower Mulde, from the Altmark to the Thuringian
Forest and the Ore Mountains. In addition, their
later extended over neighboring tribes to the rivers
Main, Danube, Elbe and perhaps even to the Lower Rhine.

As an important power factor of late ancient Germanic Europe, the Thuringians were
allied with the Ostrogothic empire of Theoderic the Great, who
dominated the core of the Roman Empire with Italy. This
was brought to an end in 507/510 by the marriage of Theoderic's niece Amalaberga
with the Thuringian King Herminafrid, son of the first
king Bisin(us) known by name, confirmed. Close dynastic
connections also existed with the southeastern bordering
Lombards, who were also integrated into the alliance system.


Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
 
376 AD about 200,000 Goths cross the Danube to seek protection from the Huns in the Roman Empire (about 70 million inhabitants).

380 / 382 AD under Emperor Theodosius, first the Ostrogoths and then the Visigoths became 'Foederati', they received settlement land on the Danube, they submitted to the empire and provided troops, but they retained their leadership and were entitled to wages and benefits.

395 AD after the death of Theodosius, the Visigoths again plundered through Roman provinces, there is no longer a strong Roman army that could oppose them. The Ostrogoths remained settled on the Danube.
Here's where the problems really began.
The Roman's allowed the Goths (and other Germanic tribes) to settle in their territory in exchange for protecting them from other barbarians. However, the Romans reneged on their promises, giving the Germans poor quality land, under paying or not paying at all for military service and selling goods to them at grossly inflated prices. It was this mistreatment that led the Goths (and other Germans) to attack the Empire.
 
Yes, as always the Romans only wanted to take advantage of other peoples, that worked for many centuries but ... "The jug goes to water until it breaks" (answer to Naraku)


The Fall of the Roman Empire – causes and background

So much has been written about the fall of the Roman Empire that there is hardly anything new to report. And yet the causes are seldom really clearly stated. There is a report of a period of weakness in the empire that met unfortunate external circumstances such as the great migration... But the reasons for the "period of weakness" can also be clearly described.

For me there are quite clearly recognizable reasons which, together, brought about the fall of Rome, even if they are partly interwoven. In the following I will introduce four areas of cause.

FoRI-48_migration era and the fall of rome_by gambargin.jpg
Many peoples get on their way – Rome weakens and falls

FoRI-49_the Huns move west.jpg
A steppe people are moving west, the Huns


1. Great Migration and the Huns Storm

There is agreement that the great migration was a major factor in the fall of the Roman Empire and that the Huns advancing from the east into Europe pushed Germanic tribes into the empire. On both the Rhine and the Danube, they exceeded the otherwise well-secured borders. The Limes in Germania was simply overrun. But the migration of peoples dragged on over two centuries - mostly one reckons from the Huns invasion of 375 in Eastern Europe to the invasion of the Lombards in Italy in 568 AD. The Huns themselves only seriously harassed the Roman Empire for a few years. Before that, too, there were repeated 'barbarian incursions' on the Rhine and Danube and there was a serious period of weakness in the empire in the 3rd century, but in the 5th century Rome perished in just one human lifetime.

FoRI-50_Great Migration-2.jpg
The Great Migration – Overview


2. Theodosius I – Fateful decisions

There is agreement about the unfortunate work of weak Roman emperors. This story has already reported about the defeat and death of Emperor Valens. But Valerius Valens was the Eastern Roman emperor and he could hardly be held responsible for the fall of Rome. Because Constantinople remained impregnable for the Goths. However, an important person in charge is rarely named: Theodosius I, also known as 'the great'. But his 'great achievements' are quite controversial. Rather, the Christians gave him this title because he declared Christianity the state religion in the Roman Empire and because he waged a war against pagans in his own country. But since when have a civil war against those of different faiths and the abolition of religious freedom, which has existed since Emperor Constantine, been great achievements?

It is controversial whether he can also be blamed for unfavorable contracts with the Goths, which became 'Foerderati' under his rule. Integrated into the empire, they retained their independent leadership. But that's how he got her military support. The fateful mistakes of this emperor lie elsewhere.

Theodosius I was actually an Eastern Roman emperor and there successor to Valens. He wanted to avoid another war against the Goths. As a baptized Christian, he instead went to war against Rome to prevent the restoration of the ancient religions by the influential circles there. In the extremely bloody battle on the Frigidus River, he was victorious in AD 394 and was the last all-Roman emperor for a few months until his death on January 395 AD.

The price for his victory in the religiously motivated inner-Roman war was very high, the elites of two Roman armies bled to death senselessly on the battlefield. Christians fought like pagans on both sides. Even so, Christians celebrated this as their victory over paganism (with God's help, of course). The Goths also fought on the side of Theodosius and this was not without consequences.

Instead of maintaining the re-established unity, Theodosius decreed in his will the division of the empire between his two sons Arcadius and Honorius into an eastern empire with Constantinople as the capital and a western empire with Rome in the center. In addition, it is usually said that he only created realities that actually existed before. And yet, this division was fateful and final; to promote and cement it instead of counteracting it was a grave historical mistake. In the specific case, this also led to a disastrous quarrel between his two sons.

The fact is: Theodisius I leaves behind an internally (Christians / pagans) and externally torn empire (western and eastern empires) with an army that has been severely weakened by internal wars. Only 12 years after the division of the empire, in AD 407 the Rhine border collapsed against the onslaught of Germanic peoples and in AD 410 Visigoths plundered Rome, their new ruler Alaric had risen to become king... Soon there were Germanic empires everywhere on formerly Roman soil. You have to close both eyes if you don't want to see any connection.

FoRI-51_Battle on the Frigidus.jpg
The Battle on the Frigidus River in AD 394, artist impression


3. Incapable emperors – brotherly strife instead of brotherly help

The division of the empire by Theodosius did not lead, as hoped, to a better presence of the armies on the spot to intervene quickly and effectively where it 'burns', but it led to a constant rivalry between his two sons Arcadius and Honorius for supremacy, instead of working together against internal and external threats. Several times the halves of the empire were armed against each other for war, but the strongest remaining military power in the empire was the Goths!

The disaster was looming, but Honorius ignored it. There were numerous revolts and intrigues in the west, the Rhine border to the Germanic tribes collapsed at times. All of this has greatly weakened the western empire. Honorius never really ruled there, even if he had his guardian, Stilicho, who was appointed by his father, murdered in 408 AD. But it was the military leader Stilicho who had gained trust among the Goths, not the emperor.

The Goths now made up an important contingent of Roman troops in the east and west. Nevertheless Honorius refused them wages and benefits. The Visigoths only settled down from 382 to 395, after which they moved again, initially plundering through Eastern Roman provinces. Eventually the Visigoths came to an understanding with Constantinople and turned to Italy.

Constantinople remained impregnable and it would last for a thousand years. But Rome only perished during the lifetime of one person ... The high losses suffered in the battles he had endured, the constant threat to the imperial borders, supplemented by the senseless conflict over supremacy with Rome, finally moved the Eastern Roman rulers to stay out of the fate of the western empire . But very soon Rome should urgently need help from the East, but no longer receive any help.

An arrogant, youthful emperor Flavius Honorius tried to keep Constantinople and his older brother Arcadius in 'second place' behind 'Rome'. In 407 AD, Germanic tribes invaded at the Rhine, among them the Vandals, who passed through Gaul and Hispania to North Africa. The borders of the western empire wavered. Nevertheless Honorius prepared for battle against his brother and relied on the Goths. When Arcadius died in 408 AD the fratricidal war was superfluous. After that, the young emperor Honorius believed that he could send the Goths back to the province and deny their leader Alaric a fair share of power. A wishful thinking far from reality.

The Visigoth Alaric made himself a king, moved to Italy and took what he believed the Goths owed. Rome was sacked (410 AD). This was an event that shook the Roman world and all of Europe. For 800 years this city was considered impregnable and it was the center of a colossal power. Now Rome had to bow to the roving Goths.

FoRI-52a_Alaric entering Rome.jpg FoRI-52b_Alaric plundering Rome.jpg
Alaric and the Goths in Rome - sometimes painted triumphant, sometimes gloomy

There was no serious resistance, Honorius hid in the fortress of Ravenna and remained emperor, but there was no longer an empire that he could have ruled without the Goths. He still didn't want to accept the realities. Instead of negotiating with Alaric on an equal footing, Honorius tried to hinder the supply of the Goths with interrupted grain deliveries from North Africa, even if his own people were starving.

Alaric died in Consenza, southern Italy, in 410 AD, from where he wanted to ship to Africa. But Athaulf was his successor and the Visigoths knew supply problems. They moved north again and on to southern Gaul and to Hispania, where they eventually founded their own kingdom (from AD 418)

Flavius Honorius was certainly the most incompetent emperor imaginable, but at the same time he directed the fortunes of the Roman Empire at a very inopportune time. But the Western Roman emperors who followed Honorius (died 423 AD) also remained weak and insignificant. The empire was to remain in existence until AD 476, but without the Gothic 'Foerderati' it was practically ungovernable from then on ... and in AD 455 the Vandals were supposed to plunder Rome again.

FoRI-53_Great Migration-3.jpg
The migration of peoples: many peoples set out to invade the Roman Empire – Huns, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, Longobards, Saxons, Angles and Jutes


4. Christianity

It can hardly be denied that Christianity also played a role as an essential factor in the decay of the Roman Empire, but this cause is mostly kept secret. Hardly was Christianity the state religion than the Roman Empire collapsed; here, too, there is obviously a connection. I have already written about the unfortunate influence of religious thoughts on the actions of Emperor Theodosius I.

It wasn't just the civil war. Other religions were suddenly threatened with persecution, just as Christians were once threatened. It is often said that the old religions were no longer attractive, that people defected to Christianity in droves. But quite as readily, as often described, people have not given up their existing religion ... That has never happened anywhere! See the unfortunate fate of Hypatia of Alexandria and her particularly cruel murder by fanatical Christians:

https://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/agora.6947/

FoRI-54_Hypatia of Alexandria murdered.jpg
The murder of Hypatia of Alexandria by Christian fanatics, drawing and painting

The fact is: The Christians saw the enemy inside the empire, with the pagans who did not want to be converted. The Goths, on the other hand, hardly seemed to pose a threat to them because they quickly converted to Christianity. And something else seems important to me: The early Christian teaching in particular promised people happiness in the hereafter, not in earthly life. The 'Last Judgment' and the end of the world were also seen in a temporal proximity. So they didn't have to worry about defending the land ... God would take care of that ... or the converted Goths would take care of it. Really? Even as Christians, the Goths had their own interests and those who could not defend themselves, God has never taken care of!
 
Brief historical overview up to the end of the 5th century

The Ostrogoths pushed into the power vacuum in Italy, under their military leader Odoacer they deposed the last of the Western Roman emperor 'Romulus Augustulus' (AD 476) and founded their own kingdom in Italy with the capital Ravenna, not Rome. But Ostrom sent the Ostrogoth Theodoric to Italy to wrest power from Odoacer. Theodoric had trained in Constantinople and was promoted to Magister Militium. There were several bloody battles that Theodoric could win. He is said to have killed his opponent with his own hands (493 AD after the battle of the raven). The new Ostrogothic king was to go down in history as Theodoric the Great, he was at times also a Visigoth king, i.e. all-Gothic ruler, at the same time he was the Eastern Roman governor in the Western Roman Empire, which now was a Gothic Empire.

Other Germanic tribes also made their way, but no one had traveled as far and as long as the Visigoths. The Vandals emulated them, they moved as far as North Africa to found their vandal kingdom there. From there they crossed to Sicily and sailed as far as Rome in order to plunder the city again under their king Geiseric (455 AD). The Franks pushed their way into northern Gaul, and the Burgundians also founded their kingdom on what was once Roman soil. Angles, Jutes and Saxons moved across the North Sea to Britain, which was abandoned by the Romans. The Goths had wiped out the Western Roman Empire and Germanic tribes had soon completely divided it up among themselves.

FoRI-55_Germanic Empires 480 AD.jpg
Germanic empires on Roman soil around 480 AD

But one had to rely on each other, the native population in the former Roman provinces, the existing Roman administration and the immigrant invaders, who now claimed leadership. There were also conflicts between the Germanic tribes, but alliances were forged when necessary. This was shown quite well in the successful defense against the Huns under their king Attila, who was considered invincible until then.

Coming from the east, the Huns threatened the Germanic tribes, partially subjugating them and obliging them to form alliances. They also forced the Eastern Roman Empire to pay high tributes in return for peace. When these funds failed to materialize, Attila decided to invade Gaul. The Roman defense was weak, and Attila plundered the cities on the Rhine and through Gaul. There he threatened the Visigoths and their new kingdom. But they weren't ready to flee from the Huns again. And it was the century of the Goths, not the Huns.

FoRI-56_Battle of the Catalaunian Fields 451 AD.jpg
Migration of the Huns under Attila 451 through south-west Germania and north-east Gaul

The Roman Flavius Aëtius, a Magister Militium, managed to forge an alliance of Visigoths, Franks and Burgundians, which was opposed to Attila and his forcibly allied Germanic tribes. In June 451 AD the battle of the Catalaunian fields broke out. It is generally said that the battle ended without a clear winner. Perhaps there was no clear winner, but there was a clear loser: Attila. He had to withdraw from Gaul, the aura of his invincibility was gone, his Huns were demoralized and the Germanic allies fell away from him. In 452 AD Attila plundered through northern Italy again. But Eastern Roman troops attacked Hunnic territory; Attila got into distress and withdrew again. In 453 he married the Gothic princess Ildico as a concubine and died on their wedding night. The Huns' Empire quickly decayed under his sons.

FoRI-57_Battle of the Catalaunian Fields.jpg
Battle of the Catalaunian Fields in AD 451


By the end of the 5th century, two Gothic empires had formed. Visigoth kings ruled in southern Gaul and what is now Spain, the centers being Toluose and Toledo. The Ostrogoths had established their empire in Italy and the Roman provinces of Dalmatia, Illyria and Pannonia with the capital Ravenna. There was also the Vandal Empire in North Africa, the Suebi Empire in present-day Portugal, and further north, empires of the Burgundians, Franks and Alemanni. Saxons, Angles and Jutes had invaded Britain at that time, and later a Longobard Empire was added in northern Italy...

FoRI-58_Gothic Empires 500 AD.jpg
Gothic Empires around 500 AD

The former ancient city of millions and metropolis of Rome was plundered several times and shrank to a city of around 100,000 inhabitants in the early Middle Ages after the Ostrogoths destroyed its aqueducts in the Gothic War with the Eastern Roman Empire (see below). The city was thus deprived of its livelihood. For centuries Rome fell back to almost insignificance.


A brief outlook on the upcoming developments

It should not be concealed that the Gothic Empires, like most of the other Germanic empires, did not have a lasting existence... The Ostrogoths collapsed after the death of Theodoric the Great between 526 and 556 AD. The rapid fall of this empire awakens memories of the collapse of the Roman Empire itself.

FoRI-59_Mausoleum of Theodoric the Great in Ravenna.jpg
Mausoleum of Theodoric the Great in Ravenna


Instead of consolidating the young empire and securing it against external enemies, the Ostrogoth Empire was weakened by disputes over the throne between Theodoric's daughter Amalasuntha, who like her father had good relations with Constantinople, and his nephew Theodahad, who wanted to shake off the mixture of the Eastern Roman emperor. When Theodahad captured and murdered his rival Amalasuntha, this led to the so-called Gothic War.

The Eastern Roman emperor Justinian (born around 482, emperor from 527 until his death in 565 AD) used the pretext to attack the Ostrogothic Empire. But his quick success over the Vandals (see below) should not be repeated in this way. This was followed by a tough twenty-year war, which finally ended with the complete smashing of the Ostrogothic Empire, but did not lead to the desired restoration of the entire Roman Empire in the long term and, from the point of view of Constantinople and Justinian, is now classified more as a 'Pyrrhic victory'.

The Visigoth Empire came under pressure in Gaul due to the advance of the Franks, but in Spain it remained as the 'Toledan Empire' for 300 years. The Visigoth Empire fell surprisingly quickly between 711 and 725 AD due to the invasion of Muslim Arabs and Berbers (later Moors).

As early as 533/534, the Vandal Empire in North Africa had been smashed by Eastern Roman troops, without Constantinople retaining control over North Africa in the long term. The beneficiaries were other tribes, such as the Lombards, who invaded northern Italy, and later the Moors, who were able to penetrate westward unhindered into North Africa and conquered the Visigoth Empire from the south (see above).

The most successful was the Franconian Empire, which expanded south, east and north. Under Karl Martell, the Franks stopped the Moors' advance in the south of the empire (732 AD). Under his grandson Charlemagne, the Frankish empire was to reach its greatest extent, and at the same time the empire was revived through his coronation as emperor in 800 AD in Rome (Charlemagne was a Frankish king and at the same times a Roman emperor).

FoRI-60_Franconian Empire.jpg
Expansion of the Frankish empire from 481 AD until the death of Charlemagne in 814 AD


This concludes my historical review of the fall of the Roman Empire.
 
The Fall of the Roman Empire

Here is the compilation of the story with cover sheet and all the images in PDF format. In order to make the files leaner and the reading more clearly arranged, the matter is divided in 'Story' and 'History',

Rupert

The Fall of the Roman Empire 1 - Teja the Gothic Girl.jpg The Fall of the Roman Empire 2 - Historic Background.jpg
 

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

Here is the compilation of the story with cover sheet and all the images in PDF format. In order to make the files leaner and the reading more clearly arranged, the matter is divided in 'Story' and 'History',

Rupert

View attachment 1042412 View attachment 1042413
Both now in the archive:

Thank you @Rupert_137 !
 
Where does this story belong?

Now my story from the time of the fall of the Roman Empire has been moved here to fantasy stories and poems...
Of course, these are all fantasy stories that we write...
But this story in particular is based on very concrete, historical events, far from free imagination...
It's been on my mind for a while where this story belongs. When I wrote it, there was still the rubric 'once in Rome' and that's where it belonged.
Then 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' was moved to the Crucifixion stories, but a Crucifixion doesn't actually take place... And it's not really a BDSM story either...
The story doesn't really fit anywhere, but actually it doesn't really matter where it's placed.

I hope much more, I still find a suitable idea for another episode from the time of the fall of the Roman Empire!

Here are three events that shook the world at the time:

On August 24, 410 AD, the Visigoths, led by their leader Aleric, invaded Rome and for three days plundered the city that had been impregnable for 800 years...

Alarich storms Rome 410 AD_colour woodcut.jpg

"The brightest light of all countries is extinguished"
At the time, Church Father Jerome wrote from the Roman province of Palestine: “While I was happily staying in Jerusalem, terrible news came from the West. Sobs mix in my voice as I dictate. The city of Rome, which has subjugated the whole world, is conquered. The brightest light of all countries has been extinguished and with this city the entire world has perished.”

Just 46 years later, the city of Rome is sacked again, this time by the Vandals led by Genseric, 456 AD:

Genseric sacking Rome 456 AD.jpg

And another 20 years later, the last Western Roman emperor 'Romulus Augustulus' is deposed by the Ostrogothic general Odoacer, 476 AD. An eventful, very successful and glorious story has come to a sad end...

History_September-06-09-476_Odoacer-Romulus Augustulus.jpg

This is stuff for many stories, no matter where they are classified...
 
The Fall of the Roman Empire

We read so many stories of invincible Romans, of their arrogance, their brutal conquests and their cruel punishments, we hear about their luxurious life, supported by the enslavement of other peoples ... But no fame, no empire lasts forever. This is the story of the fall and decay of the Western Roman Empire over a period of 100 years from 375 to 476 AD, told in individual episodes (story) and supplemented with historical reviews (history).

In 375 AD, Gothic tribes crossed the Danube by mutual agreement with the Romans in order to become new settlers in the Roman Empire. In AD 476, the Gothic military leader and later King Odoacer deposed the last Western Roman emperor 'Romulus', whom they contemptuously nicknamed 'Augustulus' (little Augustus).

I invite those interested to add their own contributions to this epoch of the Romans, who are no longer used to victory ... where the Romans have to recognize that their power is not unlimited or lasts forever and that their leadership role is not determined by God.


(1) The Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD.

I begin my stories with one of the most momentous battles of late antiquity on Roman soil between the Goths under their leader Fritigern and the Romans under the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens. The Goths had come across the Danube to the Roman Empire three years earlier (375) fleeing from the Huns advancing from the east. They were accepted as new settlers, in return they were supposed to set up soldiers and secure the border to the north, and so they also kept their weapons. The Visigothic tribes were also followed – unplanned - by the equally oppressed Ostrogoths and the Alanian horsemen associations.

In the end there were around 200,000 people to be supplied, twice as many as expected. The supply did not work, the Goths were starving, corrupt provincial officials tried to enrich themselves with the already scarce aid supplies. Gothic families had to pay high prices for food, if they couldn't they had to redeem jewelry and weapons, or their daughters had to prostitute themselves for the locals, and boys should even be sold as slaves. In return, they were often only given dog food.

Riots soon broke out among the Goths. But instead of assigning them the promised settlement land and providing them with sufficient food, the provincial government resorted to a malicious trick to calm the situation in a 'Roman way'. They invited the Gothic leaders to talk over dinner. However, the Romans planned to assassinate the leaders in order to make the new settlers weak and leaderless. The project failed, Fritigern, one of the Goths leaders, escaped the attack and the anger of the Goths grew uncontrollably. For the next two years they marched raiding the Roman provinces of the Balkans in search of food and booty. This time it was the Goths who abducted local young women as living prey and who took able-bodied young men with them to reinforce their warriors.

Two attempts to stop them with the Roman forces from the region failed; Fritigern won, or the opponents parted in a draw after a bloody battle. Thereafter, the Goths had large amounts of captured Roman weapons. They moved to the gates of Constantinople, capital of the eastern part of the empire. However, they lacked the siege equipment and the necessary experience to attack this powerful city. Submissive refugees and supplicants had suddenly become dangerous invaders ... Not without the fault of the responsible Romans!

The leadership of the Roman Empire was shared by Emperor Valens for the eastern half of the empire and Emperor Gratian for the western part. But both were already involved in fighting, they had other worries. The Huns' storm had also pushed Germanic tribes to the west, where the Alemanni crossed the Rhine and invaded Roman Gaul. This tied Gratian to the Rhine border. In the far east of the empire Valerian was on a campaign against the Persians, who threatened the Roman border there. And so much time passed before the Roman rulers could intervene.

By the summer of 378 AD, Emperor Valens was able to make peace with the Persians and lead his troops back to Constantinople. Gratian advanced from the west against the Goths in the Balkans. Valens waited two weeks, but Gratian's approach was delayed. Then Emperor Valens decided to attack the Goths even without support from the West. Valens turned down offers of negotiation from her guide Fritigern. The leader of the Goths did not seek war, but rather land and peace for his people. The Eastern Roman ruler, however, wanted to discipline and punish the Goths - entirely according to Roman legal understanding - and he wanted to claim the glory for the suppression of the Goths for himself alone. He assessed the offers to negotiate as his opponent's weakness.

On August 9, 378 AD, there was a Roman attack on the Goths, who had holed up in their wagon castle. This fight would go down in history as the 'Battle of Adrianople '. Emperor Valens led around 25,000 legionnaires of his infantry into battle, reinforced on both wings by around 6,000 horsemen. Fritigern had around 20,000 men under arms to defend the Gothic wagon castle, and 4,500 riders, made up of allied Ostrogoths and Alans, hid in the woods. The Visigoth peasant tribes did not have their own cavalry.

Numerically, the Romans had a small advantage, and they also believed in their superior discipline and war experience ... but they had the disadvantage that they had to march 18 km to the slaughter site in the morning, where they arrived in the midday heat and where Fritigern awaited them well prepared. The Romans only counted on 10,000 armed defenders, they knew nothing about a Gothic cavalry and they were confident of victory ... Thirsty and tired from the march, they rushed to attack the Goths' wagon castle. A whole people had holed up behind thousands of wagons set up across and staggered and forming a large circle ... and the Goths were determined to defend their lives and their freedom against the attacking Romans.


It follows ... 'The Great Battle' a tale from the perspective of a young Gothic woman inside the wagon castle, who observed the battle but also intervened in the fight with a bow and arrows... Later, in retrospect, we learn about her humiliations and sufferings among the Romans before ... and we can also learn about her hatred...

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Well told, very detailed.
 
A late Addendum to the history behind this story:

Volcanic eruptions, Justinian's plague and the climate anomaly from 536 to 550 AD

It has been pointed out in various sources lately that the fall of the Roman Empire was hastened by extreme climate anomalies and by diseases. Historical sources tell of a sun that lost its pure splendour and lost its power even in North Africa (AD 536), just as the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian was about to reconquer Italy and crush the Ostrogoth Empire. Instead a quick victory, his troops did not advance as expected and the war dragged on for two decades. Finally, emperor Justinian lost the desire and the opportunity to further reconquest – the Visigoth kingdom in Spain and the Frankish kingdom in former Gaul.

And it was to get much worse, since 542 the 'Justinian plague' was raging, which penetrated as far as Britain and in many regions killed half of the population. Finally, the emperor remained involved in protracted military conflicts with the Persian Empire in the east.

In fact, ice cores from Greenland point to massive volcanic eruptions in Iceland that began in 535/36 and possibly lasted until 547 AD. In 539 there was another severe volcanic eruption in today's El Salvador and tree rings of that time show an extreme cold period from 536 to 550 AD (Late Antique Little Ice Age), which caused severe famine and the spread of epidemics.

There is no doubt that summer cold, famine and plagues severely hampered Justinian's plans to reconquer former Roman territories and at times severely weakened the fighting power of his armies. But the Western Roman Empire had already been wiped out in 476 AD! So it was not the Roman Empire that perished due to plague and volcanic eruptions, but the restoration of an empire that had already collapsed failed...

mass grave - time of the Justinian plague.jpg
Mass grave from the time of the Justinian plague

Not just the sky is darkening in 536 AD.jpg
Not just the sky is darkening in 536 AD... (artistic representation)

late antique ice age.jpg
Temperatures and events... The drop in temperature in AD 636 is striking.
The effects range from Europe to Persia to China...
 
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