Professor Peter Heather

where the Goths are too powerful to be excluded from deal-making. So to construct a regime that's got any kind of chance of working, you have to get the Goths on side because you can no longer use hunting outside threat to keep them on the reservation, as it were.

where the Goths are too powerful to be excluded from deal-making. So to construct a regime that's got any kind of chance of working, you have to get the Goths on side because you can no longer use hunting outside threat to keep them on the reservation, as it were.

And the moment that the Vandals are sacking Rome, that then Western Emperor's representative, Avetus, has gone to the Goths to concoct a deal with them when Petronius Maximus is killed. And lo and behold, the Goths, or Avetus has himself declared emperor at the Gothic court. The Goths have become kingmakers. I was going to say emperor makers or kingmakers, isn't it?

And the moment that the Vandals are sacking Rome, that then Western Emperor's representative, Avetus, has gone to the Goths to concoct a deal with them when Petronius Maximus is killed. And lo and behold, the Goths, or Avetus has himself declared emperor at the Gothic court. The Goths have become kingmakers. I was going to say emperor makers or kingmakers, isn't it?

And the moment that the Vandals are sacking Rome, that then Western Emperor's representative, Avetus, has gone to the Goths to concoct a deal with them when Petronius Maximus is killed. And lo and behold, the Goths, or Avetus has himself declared emperor at the Gothic court. The Goths have become kingmakers. I was going to say emperor makers or kingmakers, isn't it?

Absolutely. And that is really pointing to the strategic shift, which is with the decline in tax revenues, the Western army is no longer strong enough to operate completely independently of Gothic military supports. Well, you have to include the Goths in this.

Absolutely. And that is really pointing to the strategic shift, which is with the decline in tax revenues, the Western army is no longer strong enough to operate completely independently of Gothic military supports. Well, you have to include the Goths in this.

Absolutely. And that is really pointing to the strategic shift, which is with the decline in tax revenues, the Western army is no longer strong enough to operate completely independently of Gothic military supports. Well, you have to include the Goths in this.

Exactly like Stilicho. Again, you've got a dominant figure with what was originally a child emperor. This type of relationship is never pretty, and it's never easy to resolve. The only way for someone who comes to power as a ruler to assert their independent control is by violence. You've got to eliminate the person who's been dominating you.

Exactly like Stilicho. Again, you've got a dominant figure with what was originally a child emperor. This type of relationship is never pretty, and it's never easy to resolve. The only way for someone who comes to power as a ruler to assert their independent control is by violence. You've got to eliminate the person who's been dominating you.

Exactly like Stilicho. Again, you've got a dominant figure with what was originally a child emperor. This type of relationship is never pretty, and it's never easy to resolve. The only way for someone who comes to power as a ruler to assert their independent control is by violence. You've got to eliminate the person who's been dominating you.

Edward III does it successfully in England, gets rid of his mother and her lover with a kind of extraordinary coup d'etat. to take power. It has to be something like that. Valentinian III, with the threat of the Huns now removed, thinks that he can be his own man. The scene is actually very indicative. Aetius is listing out all the remaining tax revenues that there are.

Edward III does it successfully in England, gets rid of his mother and her lover with a kind of extraordinary coup d'etat. to take power. It has to be something like that. Valentinian III, with the threat of the Huns now removed, thinks that he can be his own man. The scene is actually very indicative. Aetius is listing out all the remaining tax revenues that there are.

Edward III does it successfully in England, gets rid of his mother and her lover with a kind of extraordinary coup d'etat. to take power. It has to be something like that. Valentinian III, with the threat of the Huns now removed, thinks that he can be his own man. The scene is actually very indicative. Aetius is listing out all the remaining tax revenues that there are.

And, you know, Valentin's had enough of that knife in the midst of this.

And, you know, Valentin's had enough of that knife in the midst of this.

And, you know, Valentin's had enough of that knife in the midst of this.

No, they don't. I don't think he was willing to be told, as again, you know, modern parallels might suggest, those with God complexes don't like to be told hard truths. Yeah.

No, they don't. I don't think he was willing to be told, as again, you know, modern parallels might suggest, those with God complexes don't like to be told hard truths. Yeah.

No, they don't. I don't think he was willing to be told, as again, you know, modern parallels might suggest, those with God complexes don't like to be told hard truths. Yeah.