Germania: Divided and United

Understanding the relationship between the city of man and the city of God requires going back to the genesis of the human race

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In 393, the Christian Theodosius defeated the pagan Arbogastiz, cementing Christianity as the dominant faith in the Roman World and proving it as the true faith. Less than 20 years later, Rome was sacked by Alaric and the Goths for the first time in more than 800 years.
In the aftermath, St. Augustine wrote his magnum opus, City of God, showing that the point of faith was not to win rewards on earth, but to secure entry to the heavenly city of God.

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Book Club! This episode follows the life of St. Augustine from his baptism on Easter 387 to the end of the 4th century. We then review his groundbreaking memoir "Confessions" and his relationship with God, his relationships with his fellow man, and his relationship with sins of the flesh.

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Time to confess my feelings about St. Augustine's Confessions

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Between 374 and 394, the actions of St. Ambrose of Milan and Emperor Theodosius the Great had a major impact on the integration of the Christian Church with State policy that reverberated through history for 1500 years.

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The story of Wulfias (c.310-380), the bishop of the Christians to the Getic people and the creator of the Gothic alphabet.

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In May 325, Emperor Constantine called a council of bishops together outside of Nicomedia to settle doctrinal disputes and align the followers of Christ under a universal catholic church. This was to end the ongoing conflict between Arius and Athanasius. While history remembers this ecumenical council as a unifying moment for Christians, it did not really play out that way in the immediate aftermath.

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The decentralized nature of the early Christian communities meant that a lot of different beliefs about the nature of God and Jesus were proposed and preached. The name that is now associated with the heresies more than any other was Arius, a presbyter from Libya. 

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After the death of Jesus, most assumed that he and his followers would never be heard from again. Well, you know what happens when you assume...

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What kind of world was Jesus born into? And what message to he have to deliver to it?

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Herod the Great ruled Judea for 33 years and had a large role in creating the world that Jesus of Nazareth was born into.   That was a world going through religious transformation, social upheaval, government-sponsored violence, and high taxes.

Select Sources:

Gelb, Norman. “Herod the Great: Statesman. Visionary. Tyrant.” Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-Judaea

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A quick run through 3,000 years of the Jewish faith. 

Sources:

www.biblegateway.com 

Gelb, Norman. “Herod the Great: Statesman. Visionary. Tyrant.” Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013.

Ilan, Tal. “Shelamziyyon Alexandra.” The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/shelamziyyon-alexandra#:~:text=Queen%20Shelamziyyon%20Alexandra%20ruled%20Judea,that%20had%20supported%20her%20husband.

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In the late 4th century, the Germans finally toppled the Roman Empire - no one was more surprised than the Germans.

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Flavius Ricimer continued the tradition of Germanic generals serving as de facto rules for Roman emperors.  If only he knew how to share.

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In the mid 5th century, the Germanic peoples were clients of either the Romans or Huns. I wonder what will happen if both collapse within a few decades of each others?
Check out the maps for this episode at Germania: United and Divided (@germaniapod) • Instagram photos and videos

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I spoke with Ian Hughes, author of 9 books about the late Roman empire, about Gaiseric and his importance in shaping the political landscape of the western Roman world in the 5th century.  You can find his work on Amazon Amazon.com: Ian Hughes MA: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle.

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Gaiseric became king of the Vandals in 428, and took them to new heights as the conquerors of Roman North Africa.

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From 406-412, the coalition that became the Vandals migrated from the Upper Danube to Hispania.  This was...contentious.

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From 412-415, Athaulf's primary focus was reviving the Roman name with Gothic vigor.  By 418, the Visigoths had established a separate kingdom that could ally with but would not restore Rome to greatness.

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Following the death of Stilicho, Alaric and the Visigoths opened negotiations with the western court to peacefully integrate into the Roman power structure.  The imperial negotiators talked themselves into the first sack of Rome in 800 years.

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From 395 to 408, Stilicho was the first Germanic general to become de facto ruler of Italy and the western Roman Empire. He would not be the last.

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Theodosius the Great ruled a united Roman Empire for less than 150 days.  Following his death, the western Roman world was dominated by two barbarian generals, Alaric and Stilicho.  If only they could get along.

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Following the Battle of Adrianople, it was up to Theodosius the Great to pacify the central empire and make a treaty with the Goths.  

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In 376, the Goths appealed to the Romans for entry into their empire to escape the Huns.  On 9 August, 378, two years of cruelty and mistakes by the Romans finally came to an end at the Battle of Adrianople.

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In 364 Valentinian brought a new personality to the leadership of the western Roman Empire. He might have benefited from a few more readings of Meditations...

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In the mid-4th century, Frankish and Roman-Frankish generals began to exert control over the Western Roman Empire.  Could they be the next great rulers of Rome? No.

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Previously, Roman and Germanic rulers drew their power from the support of their people or acclamation of an assembly or martial prowess. Now rules look to...other, more reliable sources for their power.

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Diocletian hoped that his abdication would be the first in a long line of planned retirements, as his Tetrarchy became the established political structure for generations. Constantine had...other ideas.

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The years 260-300 were transformative for the western Roman empire, particularly in the region surrounding Gaul. Postumus and Carausius led successful breakaway kingdoms that relied on forming stronger relationships with the Rhine tribes, especially the Franks.  Everything was finally put back together thanks to the leadership of Constantius Chlorus, the Father of Constantine the Great (he will be on the test).

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With the Franks, Alemanni, and Juthungi constantly raiding into Roman Gaul, the citizens decided to turn to more local administration to get the response they needed.

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The Goths had killed a Roman Emperor in battle. They celebrated by treating themselves to some boats.

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In 251 the Romans fought their first major battle against the Goths at Abritus. The result was not what the Romans were hoping for.

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While the Germanic tribes had been Romanized over the previous 3 centuries, starting in the mid 3rd century the Romans were about to undergo a period of Germanization. This episode introduces the major confederations that left their mark, metaphorically and literally, on Rome.

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Throughout the 170s, Marcus Aurelius continued to wage war on the German and Sarmatian tribe. The war featured a surprising amount of deus ex machina that would be rejected as unrealistic if it wasn't actually history.

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Over the winter of 166-67, Germanic tribes crossed into Roman territory to engage in some light skirmishing. This kicked of a decade and a half of warfare that did not go according to Roman expectations.

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The German Tribes were impressed by the high quality of Roman medical care. So...what did high quality medical care mean in 2nd century Europe?

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In the early 2nd century, Rome and Germania enjoyed an extended period of peace due to mutual respect and massive bribes. What could possibly go wrong?

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It is the end of the line for Decebalus and the Dacians. Consider this my pitch for a Trajan biopic staring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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We move east along the Danube to spend time in an independent kingdom located between along the Black Sea and in the Carpathian Mountains; Dacia. This episode focuses on the years 60 BC to 90 AD, and the apex of Dacian power under their most famous ruler, Decebalus.

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A survey of some of the more prominent Germanic tribes of the first century AD, their unique cultural practices, and the differing relationships with Rome. Including a deeper look at the Batavian Revolt of 69-70 AD.

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