The
Sack of Rome occurred on August 24, 410. The city was attacked by the
Visigoths led by
King Alaric. At that time,
Rome was no longer the capital of the
Western Roman Empire, having been replaced in that position by
Ravenna in 402. Nevertheless, the city of Rome retained a paramount position as "the eternal city" and a spiritual center of the Empire. The
sack was a major shock to contemporaries, friends and foes of the Empire alike.