by James Hickman
Schiff Sovereign
When the barbarian king Rugila died in the year 434 AD, Roman Emperor Theodosius II likely rejoiced that his mortal enemy was no more.
Rugila (and his father Uldin) had been invading and terrorizing Roman territory for decades; but the Empire was so weak at that point that Theodosius was powerless to stop them.
By the early 400s, Rome was an almost unrecognizable shell of its former greatness. Nearly two centuries of civil war, plague, inflation, invasion, and economic malaise had sapped the empire of its strength and reputation… and foreign kingdoms didn’t hesitate to take advantage.
In the early 420s, Theodosius finally resorted to paying off King Rugila, essentially bribing him with an offer of 350 pounds of gold ANNUALLY.