Western Civilization I / Unit 8 WC1 0721 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Federati, Germanic Soldiers, and the Fiscal Spiral
Captions available
The idea
Rome relied on federati, treaty tribes paying in kind and sending troops, and by the late fourth century many western soldiers were Germanic. Treaties died with the emperor who made them. Lost land meant lost revenue, underfunded armies, more loss: the spiral.
In practice
Stilicho, half-Vandal, among the greatest late generals.
Where people slip
The East's intact taxes paid for its defense. The West's did not.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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