Views on the Germanics

[sonic]

Michael Grant devotes a good chapter to anti-Germanic sentiments in his 'Fall of the Roman Empire'. He discusses how the Romans believed that the Germans were a destructive, aggressive and smelly people. Many late Roman writers, especially Claudian, even consider the Germanic foederati serving in the Roman army to be expendable. The Germans could have been assimilated into the Empire, but the Romans often found it difficult to work among them, and the Germans themselves would often take advantages of Rome's weakness. Sidonius, Paulinus of Pella, Ammianus Marcellinus, Orosius and many others wrote very negatively of the Germans. Others like Synesius of Cyrene were very hostile. Prudentius wrote of them:

 

"As Beasts from men, as dumb as those who speak,

As from the good who God's commands seek

Differ the foolish heathen, so Rome stands,

alone in pride among the barbarian lands."

 

But these writers were all of the same class - the 'educated'. There is a little evidence to suggest that the situation was not as simple as this makes it appear. For example, the laws banning the wearing of Germanic-style clothes. This suggests that opinion was not necessarily as straightforward as Grant et al would like it to be.

 

Hatred of German settlers had grown so much by the time of Honorious, that around AD 408/9/10 there were pogroms launched against them.

 

This was not a straightforward 'hatred of Germans', but a reaction both to their masss employment by Stilicho and the previous revolt in Constantinople in AD 400. Although it confirms anti-Germanic feeling, other factors intervened to exacerbate the feelings of the population in Italy.

 

Later Church chroniclers of the fifth century write a little more positively about the Germans. Yet the main reason for this was that the Germans were being seen as God's avengers, punishing the wicked Romans for their sins. It was basically an attempt to make a bad situation look good. Afterall, many Pagans argued that since Christianity had become the Empire's official religion, the Empire was struck by invasion and disaster. The Christian answer to this was to claim that the coming of the Barbarians was all in God's plan. This one of the main ideas of Saint Augustine's 'City of God'.

 

I agree!!

 

Also by this time the Germans themselves had become Arian Christians, so could not really be looked on as uneducated Pagans. On the other hand, the hagiographers do tend to paint a picture of a slightly more complex situation than even this implies.

 

This is a real 'pig' to get a handle on!!

[caldrail]

But then arian christians were looked on as heretics surely?

[sonic]

But then arian christians were looked on as heretics surely?

 

True, but they were still seen as a stage further up the ladder than pagans who denied Jesus' authority.

[caldrail]

But since heretics are defying Jesus's authority and worse, pretending they have it, is that really a step up? Persecutions against christian sects that don't toe the line aren't so rare in history. Wars have been fought over which version of the bible should be read.