Alarico el Godo

Born near the river that marked the border between the Empire and the territory of the Goths, whom the Romans considered violent and uncivilized 'barbarians', Alaric had a tough childhood: separated from the arms of his parents, he grew up without the privileges of the so-called Pax Romana in a fractured society where intolerance and prejudice against foreigners were the order of the day. Years later, Alaric sought glory by enlisting in the Imperial Army, but despite his military exploits, Rome repeatedly denied him becoming a full citizen. Disappointed at such injustice, his raging cry rallied the marginalized Goths and convinced them to march against the oppressor and end his unjust rule. The historian Douglas Boin reveals to us with narrative mastery an unknown face of the Roman world, consumed by civil wars, religious intolerance and discrimination towards outsiders, and recounts the rebellion of a man in search of respect and dignity. In Alaric the Godo, the complex, plural and open society of the Goths comes to life, totally removed from the stereotype of the "barbarians" and whose legacy has shaped our world.