History - Decisive Battles Gothic Invasion Of Rome, The

378 AD. The crumbling Roman Empire, split in two, literally faces the barbarians at the gates. Ravaged by Hunnic invasions, the Visigoths beg Rome to let them cross the Danube. Corruption drives this hungry horde to rebellion, and pride drives Emperor Valens to take them on near Constantinople without waiting for support from Gratian, the Emperor in the West. On a blisteringly hot day, the Goths met Roman forces in a battle that St. Ambrose called "the end of all humanity, the end of the world."

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