Roman Strategy Against Barbarians Essay, Research Paper

STRATEGY AGAINST BARBARIANS Ideal system that kept all Barbarians out ? thus stationing

of large armies on the Rhine and Danube frontiers.? Any Roman defensive system faced three major problems: Never

permanently eliminate all enemies Wars

partly dependent n factors outside the defensive system: leadership

abilities Barbarian kings, disruption following civil war, famine in

barbaricuim. Limited

manpower and resources available. Weaknesses ? most troops on frontier so moving them to an

area of trouble necessarily weakened another area, made the Emperor militarily

weak as only possessed military power when with his army, 3rd and 4th

century 3 field armies, or non-border armies developed. Border troops had three main roles: policingm gathering

intelligence and stopping raids. OPERATIONS Developments strategy seem to have been limited in our

period ? little change in the Barbarian?s military ability, no external factors

that would have forced chamge ? operationally little change needed or occurred. CONCLUSION Conventional Argument increasing barbarian pressure, army

barbarised loses effectiveness, barbarian settlements collapse of the West. Barbarization is doubtful in both extent and impact,

effectiveness sof the army did not decline 350 ? 425 so collapse army after

this period or not in the army at all. ? something wrong with the Late Roman

Army Loss of Adrianople ? allowed settlement of Goths in Balkans,

not new or worrying but when used against usurpers allowed creation if an

identity never possessed by Barbarian groups ? Stilicho?s failure to beat the

Goths ? not until 450 Goths a real pain in Gaul. Political and military events for the collapse of the

Western Empire ? ot barbarisation of inefficiency ? events had military and

financial consequences. Only in decades after 450 was collapse inevitable ? connect

this with loss of Africs reservoir of manpower and money ? not enough to bring

empire down, and Armies still relatively strong. 461 Severus faced with hostile Goths and Vandals, political

instability ? could not conciliate with commanders in Gaul and Dalmatia ? no

Roman leader could now deal with existing frontier Rhine and Danube, Goths in

Gaul and Vandals in Spain Military failure may not have been a major cause of the

West?s collapse, not military structural weakness ? too much pressure on the

frontiers, defeat at Adrianople, too many civil wars, not enough soldiers ? all

contributed to the fall of the West? -

do NOT need to add structural failure of the army to the list.