User:Jmullaly/Sarus (Goth)

Sarus (died 412 A. D.) was a Gothic chieftain and commander for the emperor Honorius. He was known for his hostility to the prominent Gothic brothers Alaric I and Ataulf, and was the brother of Sigeric, who ruled the Goths briefly in 415 A. D.

=Career= Nothing is known of his life before he comes to notice in 406 commanding a force of Gothic troops, along with other barbarian foederati, against the invasion of Italy by Radagaisus of 405-6.

In 407 A. D. he was sent against the British usurper Constantine III. He defeated two of Constantine’s generals, taking a large amount of booty, and laid siege to him in Valentia, but fled back to Italy at the approach of Constantine’s new generals Edobich and Gerontius, being forced to surrender all his booty to Bacaudae (late Roman bandits or rebels) for passage over the Alps. As he must have commanded an army, he may have been appointed magister militum (general) for this expedition ; elsewhere he is said to have had a following or warband of only about three hundred.

Early in 408 A.D. whilst commanding a force of barbarians at Ravenna, Stilicho induced him to mutiny in an attempt to prevent Honorius from travelling there. When Stilicho was recalled by the Emperor under suspicion of treachery, Sarus, apparently incensed that he continued to obey orders and refused to use the barbarian troops on hand to defend himself, fought his way through Stilicho’s Hun bodyguard to protest. Later in 408, after the fall of Stilicho, Sarus’ name was put forward as Stilicho’s successor as the most suitable candidate for the office of magister militum in praesenti, but the Emperor Honorius refused to promote him. It is possible his resentment of Honorius, as borne out by later actions, started here

We next hear of Sarus in 410, apparently subsisting independently in the region of Picenum. Ataulf, who was coming to join his brother Alaric, decided to attack him in passing and Sarus, thinking his force of three hundred would be no match for the Gothic army, fled to Honorius. Later that year, when Alaric was conducting negotiations with Honorius near Ravenna, Sarus with his warband attacked him, seemingly on his own initiative. This prompted Alaric to finally give up on negotiations and sack Rome on August 24.

Sarus seemingly stayed in the service of the Emperor for the next two years, but when in 412 another usurper, Jovinus, approached from Northern Gaul, supported at first by Ataulf, he went to join him because of a grudge against Honorius, who had failed to investigate or avenge the murder of his servant. Sarus had only twenty eight men with him, but Ataulf gathered a force of ten thousand to waylay him. Even so, Sarus fought with marvellous courage and was only with difficulty taken alive, to be soon killed.

Sarus' last contribution to the events of the time were posthumous. Ataulf had been foolish enough to take one of Sarus' followers into his own service; this man waited till Ataulf visited his stable alone and there killed him (September 415). Sarus' brother, Sigeric, then ruled for seven days before Wallia, Ataulf's brother and named successor, killed him and took over the kingship.

=Notes=

=References=

Ancient
Olympiodorus of Thebes, Histories (existing only in 10th century summary by Photius)

Orosius, Historiarum Adversum Paganos

Sozomen, Historia Ecclesiastica

Zosimus, Historia Nova

Modern
=External links=






 * Translation of Zosimus' Historia Nova (published in 1814), book 1, book 2, book 3, book 4, book 5, book 6