Fritigerno

Fritigernos  (d. c. 380) was a military leader who led the Thervingians within the Roman Empire from 376 to 380.

Life

During Judge Athanaric's tenure, he may have threatened both the Thervingian aristocracy and the Romans. As a result, Fritigernos became his rival, and to gain the support of the Emperor Valens, he became an Arian Christian. Many Thervingians had converted to Arianism during the 3rd and 4th centuries, but Athanaric continued to uphold the ancient pagan religion of the Germans because he believed that Christianity would undermine Gothic traditions.

With the invasion of the Huns, the defensive measures taken by Athanaric proved ineffective against the Huns and the Tervingian judge was defeated in 376, which led to the devastation of the territory and ended with the institution of the Tervingian judge. Most of the Thervingians deserted from Athanaric and led by Fritigerno and Alavivo were admitted by Valens into the Empire and crossed the Danube, since Fritigerno had been supported by Valens in his fight against Athanaric. The Thervingians who remained loyal to Athanaric took refuge in the Carpathians.

It is estimated that some 200,000 Visigoths crossed the Danube. Alavivo is mentioned as the leader of the Tervingians ahead of Fritigernos, possibly because he would have the highest aristocratic position.

The migration of the Tervingian people exceeded the Roman administrative capacity. Taking advantage of this situation, groups of Greutungians fleeing from the Huns forced their way in: those of Farnobio, and those of the Greutungan confederation of the duces Alateus and Safrax.

When the Tervingians arrived in Marcianopolis, a conflict broke out that led to the Gothic War (376-382). Alavivo is last mentioned at this time and Fritigerno went on to lead all of the Tervingians.

Fritigerno allied with the Greutungi  and carried out the sack of Thrace. On August 9, 378, he defeated the Emperor Valens. Fritiger's victory did not allow the looting of the Balkans. Only small areas and cities, such as Athens and Constantinople, were spared from his plunder, partly due to the lack of proper siege tools in Fritigerno's army. Fritigerno continued to fight the Romans for years after his great victory.

In the year 382 the war ended not with a treaty of foedus, but with a series of treaties of unconditional surrender (deditio), which were not carried out a unified group of Tervingians but small groups. Since Fritiger is not mentioned, this may be because he would have already passed away or he was merely the head of some small group of Thervingians.