Gregory Aldrete

Next year comes, he heads down into Italy, he's heading straight for Rome, and the Pope goes and meets Attila, and they have lunch together at this river. And at the end of the lunch, Attila goes back and says, eh, I changed my mind. We're going to go back up to France, hang around for another year. We'll finish off the Romans later.

Next year comes, he heads down into Italy, he's heading straight for Rome, and the Pope goes and meets Attila, and they have lunch together at this river. And at the end of the lunch, Attila goes back and says, eh, I changed my mind. We're going to go back up to France, hang around for another year. We'll finish off the Romans later.

And Christian sources say saints appeared in the sky with flaming swords and scared away Attila. Some other sources say, well, the pope gave Attila a huge bribe to go away for a while. Believe whichever you like. But then Attila ends up dying on his wedding night before he comes back under mysterious circumstances. And so that never materializes. And the Huns kind of fragment after his death.

And Christian sources say saints appeared in the sky with flaming swords and scared away Attila. Some other sources say, well, the pope gave Attila a huge bribe to go away for a while. Believe whichever you like. But then Attila ends up dying on his wedding night before he comes back under mysterious circumstances. And so that never materializes. And the Huns kind of fragment after his death.

And Christian sources say saints appeared in the sky with flaming swords and scared away Attila. Some other sources say, well, the pope gave Attila a huge bribe to go away for a while. Believe whichever you like. But then Attila ends up dying on his wedding night before he comes back under mysterious circumstances. And so that never materializes. And the Huns kind of fragment after his death.

So what was the definitive blow by the barbarians, by the Visigoths? The barbarians are so many different groups. And weirdly, I think an important one that sometimes people tend to focus on the Huns and the Goths, the Vandals end up going to Spain. Right. conquering Spain and then crossing over into North Africa and kind of conquering North Africa as well.

So what was the definitive blow by the barbarians, by the Visigoths? The barbarians are so many different groups. And weirdly, I think an important one that sometimes people tend to focus on the Huns and the Goths, the Vandals end up going to Spain. Right. conquering Spain and then crossing over into North Africa and kind of conquering North Africa as well.

So what was the definitive blow by the barbarians, by the Visigoths? The barbarians are so many different groups. And weirdly, I think an important one that sometimes people tend to focus on the Huns and the Goths, the Vandals end up going to Spain. Right. conquering Spain and then crossing over into North Africa and kind of conquering North Africa as well.

And Spain and North Africa were some of the main areas that food surpluses were collected from and sent to Rome to feed the city of Rome. And it's after those Vandal invasions and the takeover of those areas that the population of Rome plummets. So I think that's an interesting moment where the city of Rome had always been this symbol, and already it was no longer the capital.

And Spain and North Africa were some of the main areas that food surpluses were collected from and sent to Rome to feed the city of Rome. And it's after those Vandal invasions and the takeover of those areas that the population of Rome plummets. So I think that's an interesting moment where the city of Rome had always been this symbol, and already it was no longer the capital.

And Spain and North Africa were some of the main areas that food surpluses were collected from and sent to Rome to feed the city of Rome. And it's after those Vandal invasions and the takeover of those areas that the population of Rome plummets. So I think that's an interesting moment where the city of Rome had always been this symbol, and already it was no longer the capital.

The emperors had moved to Ravenna a little bit north because it was surrounded by swamps, so it was more defensible. But there is something important about that old symbolic capital now just collapsing in terms of population, numbers, really no longer having importance because literally its food supply is cut off by losing those areas of the empire.

The emperors had moved to Ravenna a little bit north because it was surrounded by swamps, so it was more defensible. But there is something important about that old symbolic capital now just collapsing in terms of population, numbers, really no longer having importance because literally its food supply is cut off by losing those areas of the empire.

The emperors had moved to Ravenna a little bit north because it was surrounded by swamps, so it was more defensible. But there is something important about that old symbolic capital now just collapsing in terms of population, numbers, really no longer having importance because literally its food supply is cut off by losing those areas of the empire.

And of course, the capital, Constantine had founded a new second capital at what used to be Byzantium, a Greek city on the Bosphorus, which becomes Constantinople. He names it not very modestly after himself. And that now is really the dominant city for any of the Roman empires, Eastern or Western.

And of course, the capital, Constantine had founded a new second capital at what used to be Byzantium, a Greek city on the Bosphorus, which becomes Constantinople. He names it not very modestly after himself. And that now is really the dominant city for any of the Roman empires, Eastern or Western.

And of course, the capital, Constantine had founded a new second capital at what used to be Byzantium, a Greek city on the Bosphorus, which becomes Constantinople. He names it not very modestly after himself. And that now is really the dominant city for any of the Roman empires, Eastern or Western.

There's a lot of moments you can pick. There's an earlier one in the 300s when the Roman Empire – the Romans lose a big battle to some barbarians that symbolically is important. But yeah, I don't think there's one clear-cut moment. And again, I don't know that it is the barbarians that cause, quote, the fall of the Roman Empire. I mean this is the other game.

There's a lot of moments you can pick. There's an earlier one in the 300s when the Roman Empire – the Romans lose a big battle to some barbarians that symbolically is important. But yeah, I don't think there's one clear-cut moment. And again, I don't know that it is the barbarians that cause, quote, the fall of the Roman Empire. I mean this is the other game.

There's a lot of moments you can pick. There's an earlier one in the 300s when the Roman Empire – the Romans lose a big battle to some barbarians that symbolically is important. But yeah, I don't think there's one clear-cut moment. And again, I don't know that it is the barbarians that cause, quote, the fall of the Roman Empire. I mean this is the other game.