Gothic War Aftermath: The Romans won the war but at what cost?

🔴 YOU WANT TO SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL? 🔴

In this video, we are going to explore the disastrous consequences of the Gothic War for Italy and for Rome.

🤗 One-Time Donation?
- Bitcoin: bc1qv4lsfsplvfecrrgvmfclhga28we7mvh9563xdj
🔗 Share the video with anyone who might be interested (it helps a ton!)

📚 BEST BOOKS ON ROMAN HISTORY: 📚
These are all excellent books if you are like me, absolutely fascinated by the transition of Rome from late antiquity to the early medieval period.

🎦 FILMING EQUIPMENT WE USE: 🎦

Disclosures: Some links in the description are affiliate links which means that if you purchase something by clicking on one of them, your host Sebastian will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. In this way you will be supporting the channel to improve the video production quality at no extra cost to you.

#Maiorianus

[GK]

I think the Eastern Roman Empire was too busy with holding the city against the Goths rather than rebuilding it. They had no money to rebuild

[praetorianguard]

The gothic war marks the real end of late antiquity and the beginning of the Dark Ages, at least for Italy.
They tried to restore the glory of Rome, but the only thing they achieved was the ultimate destruction or Rome, even if the plague and the climate anomaly were not there, the war itself was enough to destroy everything good there was at the time.
And that divide North/South that you can see on the map, with these two divided at the center by the Byzantine possession (later Papal State) still haunts Italy today, economically and culturally.
It's like Italy got hit so bad that she never fully recovered, as a person with an injury so bad it keeps him/her from walking straight ever again.
Luckly the roman ideas never disappeared as you can see reading the german scholar Otto von Freising in the 12th century "even in the art of building and governing they still imitate the skills of the ancient romans. They love freedom so much that in order to flee the abuses of the imperial power, they are governed by consuls." Thus keeping that fertile cultural soil that later would be the ground for the Renaissance.

[commonwealthrealm]

This is truly amazing. The art, maps, so on. The ancient city of Rome much like a few other historic capitals did not collapse due to one barbaric sack, but depopulation caused by continuous warfare and plague in and outside the city. Combined causing a collapse in the population that could have preserved the ancient metropolis to our day. Ancient Rome's last hope was to avoid any form of conquest after 500 (after the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy was firmly established), but with the Gothic wars, what remained of the city in 536 was doomed. Since 10 to 30 thousands inhabitants from 560, (and it kept struggling with only 25 000 by the beginning of the 1400s) even the 50 000 at the height of the Roman renaissance in the late 1400s were unable to maintain a city built for 1 Million.

The only reason we still have anything left of Ancient Rome 1500 years later is that Rome has always been the capital of the Catholic Church (which at the same time was also the greatest destructive and pillaging force of Ancient Rome's buildings). But credit is due where they turned Roman temples and buildings to churches and fortresses which stand to this day. (Curia Julia, Colosseum, Pantheon, Hadrian's Mausoleum, Baths of Diocletian, Aurelian's walls to name a few). Rome did not share the fate of so many Imperial capitals (Babylon, Persepolis etc.) that fell before it as Italy after over 1300 years was reunited with Rome as the final grand addition to the new Kingdom. It is still a capital of a major European power The Republic of Italy and has through it been able to surpass its ancient million inhabitants and secure its status as one of Europe's leading cities and as the Eternal City, where it all began Italy. Even then if Rome remained as part of a united Italian Ostrogothic-Roman Kingdom from 493 and onwards, then today Italy would have been even more magnificent than it already is!

[josephdent]

Really nice exploration of an underappreciated era in late antiquity. I find particularly interesting how depopulated Rome was before the Gothic Wars and then further depopulated by the wars themselves, famine, plague etc. It raises the question whether it was already too late to restore Rome. Once sophisticated trade networks break down and civil society fragments, just taking back Italy doesn't make them suddenly re-appear, plague or no. Also, it seems a bit unfair to blame Justinian for not restoring monumental Roman buildings in a city with only 30k inhabitants left.

[nemiatarot]

I grew up with Felix Dahn's epic and highly ideological Kampf um Rom, and I still retain the memories of the Ostrogoths as presented there. Thank you for adding some real history. Great videos!

[ourshelties]

In my reading of the Gothic wars, there were a few reasons for this. The Roman army at this time did not have the discipline of the Roman's of old, and Belisarius didn't have the cooperation of some of his generals. This caused a back and forth with the Goths who looked at the local people who supported Belisarius as traitors and thus would wipe out thousands in cities they recaptured. Possibly the reason things didn't get restored around Rome is the war cost so much money and Italy continued to be a financial drain on Constantinople. They just didn't have the funds to restore anything. Whenever I read about plagues and such hitting the population of Rome hard, I wonder why it's never mentioned how the barbarian populations are affected? By this time they occupied large cities as well. Wouldn't they be hit by the same plagues?

[CaptainGrimes]

I do regret the fall of Rome but at the same time having Europe develop into competing kingdoms did lead to technological advances, the enlightenment and the modern world. If Rome had survived I think Europe would be like China was in the 19th century an ancient civilisation that didn't innovate or develop

[danumbert]

This level of research and granular detail, on such a misunderstood period of history, deserves so much praise and credit.

I hope the algorithm rewards you dearly. Salve.

[BFDT-]

Gracious, you're moving along!

I will pour another cuppa coffee and watch this. Thanks!

[serek_heterogenizowany]

People forget that empires are not just colors on the map but the people who populate these lands.

[andrewberrocal]

Justinian : We did it Belisarius we saved the city!

[anthonymaduska]

A thought-provoking analysis. Great work.

[iDeathMaximuMII]

I've got an Idea for you if someone hasn't already said it

But what if Belisarius followed orders in 540 & made Peace with the Goths? Only northern Italy was devastated at that point, while everything south of it was rather fine. Justinian actually appoints an Able Commander to defend the Po-River from any attacks in case

And then after the Sassanid's are (maybe) beaten back with Belisarius at the helm. Italy has some breathing room to recover

Say the Ostrogoths don't break the Peace until maybe 545 or 550 at the latest. That would pass over the initial Plague Outbreak & while still weakened by it, the Armies in Italy manage to hold it together

Justinian thinking everything on all fronts is once again fine, takes advantage of the Assassination of the Visigothic King Theudis in June 548 & the Gothic Civil War. Sending Belisarius again to work his magic in a Hearts & Minds Campaign

But once the Ostrogoths attack in 550, he's recalled to Italy for its defense & he is victorious, gaining the Po-Valley for Italy while Liberius or Narses takes over in Hispania. Reconquering Southern Spain from Olisipo to Toletum to Saguntum by either 555 or 556

Would this be how it could've gone if Belisarius listened to his orders?

[gabrielalexanderkhoury]

536 AD was the worst date in human history when volcanic dust engulfed the Earth for 18 months plunging it into winter like darkness, and may have triggered the Justinian Plague 541-549 AD.

[nicholasphelps]

This is extremely well done, Theodoric took great care and was fair toward his kingdom and the power hungry invaders of the Eastern Roman government were willing to go to any lengths for expanding their power again.

[marccarva]

Incredible how these are the events that actually ended Rome’s glory and all we learn in school is AD476

[SolidRollin]

You're doing great with these. Cheers.

[D_d_t_d_D]

Will we ever see videos on the Lombard settlement of Italy after the Gothic Wars? Nice video by the way!

[SweetChicagoGator]

Ridiculous to think about restoration when constantly getting invaded ! What happened to the great legions & defense of Rome? Where did they go?? 😡🙄

[kriskris]

I’m curious what do you guys think would happened in Justinian never turn his eyes into the west? For me at least keeping the Roman army close to the heart of the empire, he would never loose the Balkan provinces which are his home place and the home place also of the most emperors before himself