Sack of Rome ( 410 ) The Sack of Rome occurred on August 24 , 410 . The city was attacked by the Visigoths , led by Alaric I . At that time , Rome was no longer the capital of the Western Roman Empire , replaced in this position initially by Mediolanum and then later Ravenna . Nevertheless , the city of Rome retained a paramount position as " the eternal city " and a spiritual center of the Empire . The sack was to prove a major shock to contemporaries , friends and foes of the Empire alike . This was the first time in almost 800 years that Rome had fallen to an enemy . The previous sack of Rome had been accomplished by the Gauls under their leader Brennus in 387 BC . The sacking of 410 is seen as a major landmark in the fall of the Western Roman Empire . St . Jerome , living in Bethlehem at the time , wrote that " The City which had taken the whole world was itself taken . " Prelude . Troubles . Barbarian tribes had grown stronger for some time , and united themselves to challenge Roman hegemony . In the late 4th century , however , the Huns began to overrun barbarian territories . In 376 , they forced many Thervings , led by Fritigern , to seek exile into the Eastern Roman Empire . Soon after , high taxes , Roman prejudice , and government corruption turned them against the Empire . The group began looting and pillaging throughout the Eastern Balkans . In the Battle of Adrianople in 378 , Fritigern decisively defeated the Eastern Emperor Valens , who died during , or soon after , the battle . Peace was eventually established in 382 , when the new Eastern Emperor , Theodosius I , signed a treaty with the aggressors , later known as the Visigoths . The Treaty of 382 made the Visigoths subjects of the empire . They were allotted the northern dioceses of Dacia and Thrace , and the land was to remain under Roman sovereignty , but the Visigoths were considered autonomous . Soon after , Alaric I , who would later become King of the Visigoths , began rising through the ranks . He accompanied Theodosius ' army invading the West in 394 , where , at the Battle of the Frigidus , around half the Visigoths present died fighting the Western Roman army led by Eugenius and his general Arbogast . Theodosius won the battle , but Alaric was likely convinced that the Romans sought to weaken the Goths by making them bear the brunt of warfare . Alaric was practically ruler of the Visigoths by the time Theodosius died in 395 ; Fritigern had died in 380 . Return to hostilities . Alaric soon resumed hostilities against the Eastern Empire after Theodosius died . Flavius Stilicho , the Eastern Empire ' s top general , soon chased him into , and through , Italy . In 402 , in fear of the Visigoths , the Western Roman Empire moved its capital from Mediolanum to Ravenna , which was more easily defended . In the meantime , Alaric had made several attempts at invading Italy , but was halted by Stilicho and decisively defeated at the Battle of Pollentia and later in the Battle of Verona . In time , Alaric became an ally of Stilicho , agreeing to help reclaim Illyricum for the Western Empire . When the Vandals and Sueves crossed the Rhine and invaded Gaul , however , the invasion was called off and Alaric was left with the expense of preparations for the campaign . Stilicho persuaded the Roman Senate to reimburse Alaric , but the fiasco had resulted in resentment amongst both the Romans and Alaric ' s Goths . In 408 Emperor Arcadius died after a short illness , and Honorius wanted to journey East to settle the succession of the Eastern Empire . Stilicho forbade it and suggested that he go instead . Rumor spread that Stilicho wanted to place his son on the Eastern throne . Soon after , a mutiny of the army was staged by Olympius , a Roman bureaucrat , wherein most of Stilicho ' s appointees were killed . After persuading Honorius that Stilicho was an " enemy of the state " , Olympius was appointed Magister Officium . Stilicho , who was taking refuge in a church , was arrested and executed . These events were followed by more violence on the part of the Roman army , aimed at the barbarian soldiers and slaves in Italy , many of whom were captured by Stilicho in his many wars . Around 30 , 000 escaped Italy and fled to Alaric ' s banner , giving him a massive army with which to force a deal out of the Romans . First siege . The Visigoths soon invaded Italy and followed suit with Rome , laying siege to the city in late 408 . Starvation and disease rapidly spread throughout the city . The Roman Senate then decided to negotiate a deal with Alaric , giving him 5 , 000 pounds of gold , 30 , 000 pounds of silver , and an unspecified amount of silk and pepper in exchange for lifting the siege . Second siege . The Senate sent several envoys , including Pope Innocent I , to Ravenna to encourage the Emperor to make a deal with the Goths . Alaric went to Ariminum where he discussed the terms of such an agreement with Honorius ' diplomats . He wanted the provinces of Rhaetia and Noricum as a home for the Visigoths , and a generalship in the Roman army . However , Honorius refused to grant Alaric the title of Magister Militium , and insulted Alaric in a letter . In addition , Honorius tried to sneak a force of Illyrian soldiers into Rome . The army was intercepted by Alaric and , outraged by the insults , Alaric besieged Rome a second time , this time destroying the granaries at Portus . Faced with the return of starvation the Senate surrendered again . Under pressure from Alaric , they appointed Priscus Attalus as a rival Emperor . Alaric was made Magister Utriusque Militium and his brother - in - law Ataulf , who had arrived with reinforcements , was given the position Comes Domesticorum Equitum . They then marched toward Ravenna to depose Honorius and place Priscus in the Emperor ' s place . Honorius was ready to surrender when an army from the Eastern Empire arrived to defend Ravenna . In addition , Heraclian , who governed Africa , cut off Rome ' s grain supply , threatening the city with another famine . Alaric wanted to send Gothic soldiers to invade Africa and secure food for Rome , but Attalus refused , supposedly because he feared that the Goths would seize Africa for themselves . In response , Alaric had Attalus ceremonially deposed and reopened negotiations with Honorius . Third siege and sack . Alaric was on the verge of an agreement with Honorius when his forces were attacked by Sarus , a fellow Gothic commander who was allied to Honorius and who had a blood feud with Ataulf . In response , Alaric returned to Rome and laid siege to it a third time . On August 24 , 410 , slaves opened Rome ' s Salarian Gate and the Visigoths poured in and looted for three days . Many of the city ' s great buildings were ransacked , including the mausoleums of Augustus and Hadrian , in which many Roman Emperors of the past were buried ; the ashes of the urns in both tombs were scattered . The Goths also removed a huge silver ciborium from the Lateran Palace but left the liturgical vessels of St . Peter ' s in situ . The sack was nonetheless , by the standards of the age , restrained . The two main basilicas of St . Peter and St . Paul were nominated places of sanctuary . Structural damage was largely limited to the area of the Salarian Gate ( where the Gardens of Sallust sustained heavy damage ) , and the Basilica Aemilia / Basilica Julia . The city ' s citizens were devastated . Many Romans were taken captive , including the Emperor ' s sister , Galla Placidia , who subsequently married Ataulf . Tens of thousands of Romans subsequently fled the economically ruined city into the countryside , with many of them seeking refuge in Africa . The historian Procopius recorded the following satire : the feeble - minded Emperor Honorius was informed by a eunuch that " Rome was destroyed " and , thinking the reference was to his favorite hen named " Roma " , cried out in great consternation : " How could it be ? She just ate out of my hand . " Upon being informed of his mistake , the hapless emperor was greatly relieved . Aftermath . After the sack , Alaric and his forces journeyed south , where they expected to take ships to Africa . The ships were destroyed , however , in a storm and Alaric died around the same time . Ataulf took command of the Goths , leading them north into Gaul , where they settled in Aquitaine . This was the first time the city had been sacked in 800 years , and it had revealed the Western Roman Empire ' s increasing vulnerability and military weakness . It was shocking to people across both halves of the Empire who viewed Rome as the eternal city and the symbolic heart of their country . Jerome wrote , " If Rome can perish , what can be safe ? " Many Romans felt the sack was divine punishment for turning away from the traditional pagan gods to Christianity . This spurred Saint Augustine to write The City of God . A more severe sack of Rome by the Vandals followed in 455 .