Fritigern

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Frithugairns (Gothic for "desiring peace") or Fritigern (died ca. 380) ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, King ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} of the Visigoths (369-380) ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, was one of the prominent Germanic warrior-kings ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} whose military victories in the Gothic War (377–382) contributed to the eventual fall of the western half of the Roman Empire about 100 years later.

The earliest sources that mention Fritigern originate from the period in which Valens, emperor of the Roman Empire, fought the Tervingi (Visigoths) (367-369) and from the period in which the Huns invaded the Roman Empire (375). In this period a civil war broke out between Fritigern and Athanaric, a prominent Visigoth ruler #redirect . In order to gain more power than Athanaric, Fritigern was willing to be converted to Arianism ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} (a now extinct branch of Christianity) in order to become an ally of Valens, as the latter sympathized with this particular form of Christianity ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}. Nevertheless, Athanaric seems to have won this war. This is deducted by historians from the fact that Athanaric would lead later on the Visigoths in battle against the Huns in 376.

The Visigoths however were not able to keep the Huns on bay, and were under increasing pressure from the Huns who had already conquered their kinsmen, the Ostrogoths. While Fritigern asked Valens to allow the Visigoths to cross the Danube River, the nothern Roman border and settle in Thracia, which the Huns could not then reach due to their inability to cross the Danube in force (thus this was a form of asylum), Athanaric and many of his followers retreated to Transylvania. Valens agreed to permit Fritigern's followers to enter the empire. In return, they would be subject to military service, but would be treated the same as other Roman subjects. As it turned out, neither happened.

During the fall of 376 ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, the Romans helped Alavivus and Fritigern's people cross the Danube and settle in the province of Moesia. However, many followers of Athanaric also slipped across the river, which increased Fritigern's problems in governing his people. In 377 ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, a famine hit the areas settled by the Visigoths, and their appeals for help went unanswered. In fact, the Roman governors of the area, Lupicinus and Maximus, treated them badly. They sold them food only on extremely high prices, which forced many Goths to sell their children as slaves. Also they invited several Visigothic leaders to a feast, in which they killed and took some Visigoth leaders hostage. Alavivus most likely remained an hostage, but Fritigern was able to escape and he became leader of the Visigoths. Soon he declared war on the Roman Empire #redirect .

Fritigern led his people into battle (the Gothic War (377–382)). After a battle in 377 Lupicinus' troops were completely defeated, which meant that the total Roman territorial defense in the region vanished. As a consequence the Visigoths soon held sway over much of the neighboring, richer province of Thracia. The crisis continued into 378, and on August 9 of that year, Fritigern avenged his kinsmen's defeat of 109 years before at the Battle of Naissus by handing Rome its worst military defeat in centuries, at the Battle of Adrianople. Fritigern's victory soon led to the Visigoths gaining control of nearly the entire Balkan peninsula. Although his army lacked the siege instruments needed to take the Roman capital of Constantinople, they did raid Greece, leaving only small areas of the country unravaged, including the city of Athens #redirect .

Fritigern continued to battle the Romans with mixed success for two years ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} after his great victory, ultimately winning recognition as king ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} by most of the Visigoths ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} within the empire. When he died, Athanaric became king of the entire Visigothic peoples and finally made peace with the Romans.

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