At the Gates of Rome : The Battle for a Dying Empire

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 centuries-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—rose to prominence on opposite sides of the great game of empire. Roman general Flavius Stilicho, the man behind the Roman throne, dedicated himself to restoring imperial glory, only to find himself struggling for his life against political foes. Alaric, king of the Goths, desired to be a friend of Rome, was betrayed by it and given no choice but to become its enemy. Battling each other to a standstill, these two warriors ultimately overcame their differences in order to save the empire from enemies on all sides. And when one of them fell, the other took such vengeance as had never been seen in history. Don Hollway, author of The Last Viking, combines ancient chroniclers’ accounts of Stilicho and Alaric into an unforgettable history of betrayal, politics, intrigue and war for the heart and soul of the Roman Empire...M.F 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. 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 centuries-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 – rose to prominence on opposite sides of the great game of empire. Roman general Flavius Stilicho, the man behind the Roman throne, dedicated himself to restoring imperial glory, only to find himself struggling for his life against political foes. Alaric, King of the Goths, desired to be a friend of Rome, was betrayed by it, and given no choice but to become its enemy. Battling each other to a standstill, these two warriors ultimately overcame their differences in order to save the empire from enemies on all sides. And when one of them fell, the other took such vengeance as had never been seen in history. Don Hollway, author of The Last Viking, combines ancient chroniclers' accounts of Stilicho and Alaric into an unforgettable history of betrayal, politics, intrigue and war for the heart and soul of the Roman Empire.