Some features of the rebellion under the leadership of Gainas in the context of the main rebel's attempt to establish a tyrannical rule in the roman empire

Yartsev Sergey Vladimirovich

The article looks into the complex topic of the Gainas' rebellion on the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire at the end of the 4th century. The author considers the events of this period in the context of an attempt of the main rebel to establish a tyrannical rule in the state. Based on the evidence from the sources that have come down to us, the author concludes that it is necessary to divide the events of the Gothic rebellion into two stages. According to the author, the characteristic feature of the first stage is the coordination of the actions of Stilicho and Gainas in organizing the Gothic conspiracy. At the same time, the latter, at the peak of the Gothic rebellion, was supposed to invite the western commander, along with his army, to Constantinople. However, instead of being invited, the de facto ruler of the Western part of the state was forced to observe the phenomenal rise of Gainas, who very quickly became in the East what Stilicho himself was in the West. From this moment, when from an ally Stilicho turns into an enemy of the Goths, the second stage of Gainas' rebellion begins. Sources indicate that at this stage Stilicho focused his efforts on two areas of his political activity: in relations with the ruling elite of Constantinople, and in relations with the barbarian world. In the first direction, ignoring the government of Aurelius, Stilicho demanded to recognize his power in the East, offering help against the Goths for this. In the second direction, he stepped up the army reforms, among which he began to conduct a wide recruitment of the Sarmatians and Alans into the army. Perhaps, at the same time, Stilicho established friendly relations with the Huns, which in turn may indirectly testify in favor of the existence of plans for a Gothic invasion of the territory of the Roman Empire. The realization that only the Huns and the Alans could effectively oppose the Goths, both inside the empire and outside it, apparently became the main determining factor in many of Stilicho's actions towards the barbarians during this period. Ultimately, Gainas decided not to wait for the start of the mass migration of his fellow tribesmen to Roman territory, which was delayed, apparently, due to their defeat from the Huns. According to the author, it is this circumstance that explains the mysterious features of subsequent events, when the Goths who remained in the city tried to secretly set fire to the imperial palace, and other participants in the conspiracy made an attempt to blame the opposition for this, seeking to destroy people from the circle of Aurelian’s anti-Gothic party. Gainas' mistakes and the haste with which he acted at the final stage of the rebellion did not allow him to rely solely on his own forces to establish a tyrannical form of government in the Empire.

Keywords:The Roman Empire, Stilicho, Gainas, Tribigild, Alaric, the Goths, the Huns, the Alans.