A dramatic retelling of the story of the final years of the Western Roman Empire and the downfall of Rome itself from the perspective of the Roman general Stilicho and Alaric, king of the Visigoths.
It took little more than a single generation for the 800-year-old Roman Empire to fall. In those critical decades, while Christians and pagans, legions and barbarians, generals and politicians squabbled over dwindling scraps of power, two men – former comrades on the battlefield – eventually found themselves on opposite sides in the great game of empire: Roman general Stilicho and Alaric, king of the Visigoths.
Master storyteller Don Hollway introduces us to these titans of the Ancient World. Stilicho was the man charged with the defending the Western Roman Empire against repeated invasions. No one represented a more potent threat than Alaric. At the Gates of Rome reveals how Stilicho and Alaric faced off in a series of hard-fought battles. Stilicho bested his rival in battle but failed to capture the wily Alaric and eventually a truce was declared. Alaric and his men would then serve honorably in the Roman Army as foederati. But it was a tentative peace ultimately undone by the corruption at the heart of Rome. Stilicho was executed by his political rivals and the families of Alaric’s men slaughtered. Chaos reigned and the foederati renounced their loyalty to Rome and flocked to Alaric’s banner. Betrayed by the empire he had fought to protect, Alaric would wreak a terrible vengeance, eventually sacking Rome itself.
At the Gates of Rome tells this story through the eyes of the two men who both fought valiantly to prevent Rome’s downfall before one was ultimately forced to abandon its cause. Weaving Ancient Roman, Greek and Byzantine accounts of Stilicho and Alaric into a single compelling historic epic, this is a sweeping saga of the dying days of Rome.
By:
Don Hollway
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 153mm,
Weight: 698g
ISBN: 9781472849984
ISBN 10: 1472849981
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 02 August 2022
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Subject to Confirmation Introduction Prologue: The Sack of Rome Part 1: 378-397 AD Chapter 1: Stilicho and Alaric Chapter 2: Stilicho and Alaric first meet Chapter 3: Stilicho and Alaric as allies Chapter 4: Stilicho and Alaric rise to power Chapter 5: Stilicho saves Greece Chapter 6: Stilicho and Alaric both enemies of the East Chapter 7: Only Stilicho can control Alaric and the Goths Chapter 8: Alaric gets what he wants Part 2: 317-408 AD Chapter 9: In Africa Stilicho fights a proxy war against the east Chapter 10: The East in turmoil again Chapter 11: Stilicho and the West triumphant Chapter 12: Anarchy in the East Chapter 13: Alaric invades Italy Chapter 14: Stilicho triumphant Chapter 15: Stilicho without Alaric Chapter 16: Alaric denied again, the West rises up Chapter 17: The West in chaos, but Stilicho looks east Chapter 18: Enemies within Chapter 19: Stilicho betrayed Chapter 20: Stilicho receives his reward Part 3: 408-410 AD Chapter 21: Alaric besieges Rome Chapter 22: Alaric attempts to bargain Chapter 23: Alaric betrayed for the last time Chapter 24: The fall of Rome Part 4: After 410 Epilogue
Don Hollway is an author, illustrator, and historian. His first book, The Last Viking, is a gripping history of King Harald Hardrada which was acclaimed by bestselling author Stephen Harding and by Carl Gnam, editor of Military Heritage magazine. He is also a classical rapier fencer. He has published articles in History Magazine, Military Heritage, Military History, and Renaissance Magazine. His work is also available at www.donhollway.com. He lives in Dallastown, PA, USA.
Reviews for At the Gates of Rome: The Fall of the Eternal City, AD 410
Fans of Hollway's short work already know his outstanding narrative style is matched by his impressive range. Coming on the heels of his medieval masterpiece The Last Viking, At the Gates of Rome brings Hollway's marriage of thrilling storytelling and historical rigor to Late Antiquity. In this illuminating page-turner, Hollway walks us through the fate of one of the most significant civilizations in human history. There are works of history we return to as reference, and those we return to as inspiration. In At the Gates of Rome, Hollway has given us both. -- Myke Cole, author of 'Legion versus Phalanx' Don Hollway's At the Gates of Rome is a masterful blending of solid scholarship and excellent storytelling that brings the Eternal City's turbulent early history to vibrant life. Patricians and barbarians, slaves and saints, victors and vanquished leap from the pages fully formed, making the book an enthralling read from the first page to the last. -- Stephen Harding, 'New York Times' bestselling author of 'The Last Battle'
