The Sack of Rome in 410 AD: The Event, its Context, and its Impact

On 24 August 410, the Visigothic troops led by their king Alaric captured the city of Rome, looting the city for three days. This was the first time the city was captured in 800 years, igniting a debate with religious overtones over the causes for the fall of the city. Whereas pagan authors seem to have held the spread of Christianity and the abandonment of traditional cults responsible, Christian writers refused to accept this responsibility and minimized the horrors of the sack. Whatever ...