The Barbarian Invasions - A Mildly Interactive AAR

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Chapter 0: The Burgundian Ethnogenesis

The Migration Period (circa 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman kingdoms.

The term refers to the important role played by the migration, invasion, and settlement of various tribes, notably the Franks, Goths, Alamanni, Alans, Huns, early Slavs, Pannonian Avars, Bulgars and Magyars within or into the territories of the Roman Empire and Europe as a whole.

The Burgundians were an early Germanic tribe or group of tribes.

The Burgundians are first mentioned together with the Alamanni as early as the 11th panegyric to emperor Maximian given in Trier in 291 AD, referring to events that must have happened between 248 and 291, and they apparently remained neighbours for centuries.

The origins of the Burgundians, before they reached the area near the Roman-controlled Rhine, are a subject of various old proposals, but these are doubted by some modern historians.

Early Roman sources, such as Tacitus and Pliny The Elder who wrote in the first century AD, knew little concerning the Germanic peoples east of the Elbe River, or on the Baltic Sea. Pliny (IV.28) however mentions a group with the specific Latin name as it would be used in France, Burgundiones, among the Vandalic or Eastern Germanic Germani peoples, including the Gutones. Claudius Ptolomy, writing in the 2nd century, listed the Burguntes (a more unusual form) as living between the Suevus (probably the Oder) and Vistula rivers, north of the Lugian tribe the Omani and Diduni, and south of the Aelvanoenes. It has been proposed that there several important Germanic tribes later found settled near Roman frontiers originally had their origins around the Baltic sea, including the Rugii, Goths, Gepidae, Vandals, and others. According to such proposals, their ,movement south created turmoil along the entire Roman frontier. Such migrations are believed to have triggered the Marcomanic Wars, which resulted in widespread destruction and the first invasion of Italy in the Roman Empire period.

In the late 3rd century AD, the Burgundians appeared on the east bank of the Rhine, apparently confronting Roman Gaul. Zosimus (1.68) reports them being defeated by the emperor Probus in 278 near a river, together with the Silingi and Vandals. A few years later, Claudius Mamertinus mentions them along with the Alamanni, a Suebic people. These two peoples had moved into the Agri Decumates on the eastern side of the Rhine, an area still referred to today as Swabia, at times attacking Roman Gaul together and sometimes fighting each other. He also mentions that the Goths had previously defeated the Burgundians.

In 369/370 AD, the Emperor Velentinian I enlisted the aid of the Burgundians in his war against the Alamanni.

Illustration of a Burgandian king.

One group of the Burgundians are now led by the Arian Burgundian king Gebicca.

Source:
This is heavily copypasted from Wikipedia.

 

[CaesarOfCK]

Chapter 1 : The Beginnings (395-398)
Years after he began leading one group of migrating Burgundians, Gebicca began to suffer from stress due to all the responsibilities he had to bear as a leader of a group of people, trying to find a new home for them. He would talk to his eldest son Gundemar:
“My boy, having an entire people lives depend on you is a huge responsibility, their fates rest entirely in my hands and each decision that I make feels like a rock that rests upon my shoulders, each rock adding to the already big weight that I have to carry. I almost have no time for myself and for you and your brothers. I hope one day, when you will rule our people, that you will feel less stress than I do.”

Gebicca would sigh; once Gundemar left the room, Gebicca would ask a slave to fetch him some wine.
“Only beverage would help quench my thirst and re-balance my humours.”

It was this day that the leader of the Burgundians became an infamous drunkard, another trait added to his already incredible list of bad ones. Indeed, Gebicca was already known to have multiple bad traits, he was seen by many as a lazy man, unwilling to work or use his energy for his people or for himself. Gebicca would often refuse to do actions that he deemed unnecessary, he preferred to rest in his castle and even if some proper matter had to be dealt with, he would prefer to delegate it to his council, his commanders, his spouse or his sons. Gebicca’s laziness always added stress to his health, for every important action or decision he would take in his entire life.
His people though would have been happy if it was the only other bad trait that their leader had; adding to laziness, the Burgundian leader was also a callous one, he was a cruel leader, not repressing his thirst for blood, he would deal, for every offence directed against him, with ruthlessness to the unfortunate man who was stupid enough to do it.
Changing Gebicca was something almost impossible to make, and even the most beautiful wench, the hardiest man or the dearest son couldn’t hope of ever doing. Gebicca was a stubborn man, as stubborn as a mule, an old one at that; the Burgundian leader was always someone that you could hardly convince to change his opinion, his convictions or his stance on any subject.
Gebicca wasn’t the leader that his people hoped they would have but he was the one they got and had to live with it.

Ruling this group of Burgundians entailed ruling many tribes of many faiths. Gebicca directly controlled more tribes than he could and he had to set a proper administration to rule his lands.

To honour the men who had served him for a long time and to have an efficient tribal administration, the Burgundian leader would invite three men to his main chiefdom holding, Wolkenstein, where they would be directed to his large wooden longhouse. All three men were Burgundians and Blotan* believers. He would address them there:
“Brave Burgundians, our territory is vast, our people strong, our tribes are numerous. The three of you have served me well during all those years. A leader must know when and how he should reward his loyal subjects.
Gundebald, come forward and embrace Arian Christianity**; may God guide you and forgive your past sins.
Chrodomar, come forward and embrace Arianism, may God guide you and forgive your past sins.
Faramund, come forward and embrace Arianism, may God guide you and forgive your past sins.”
The three men would convert to Arianism, Gundebald and Chrodomar without hesitation, unlike Faramund who was a zealous Blotan believer who would wait a moment before advancing joining the Arian priest and receive baptism.
Once they had been baptized, the three men would put ceremonial clothes on and advance towards the seat of the Burgundian leader. Gebicca would address them again:
“Brave champions, each one of you will receive a tribe to command. In exchange for receiving this tribe to rule, you must make an oath to be forever loyal to your leader and to assist him during the times of war and peace.
Gundebald, you will receive the Chiefdom of Schmalkalden.
Chrodomar, you will receive the Chiefdom of Orlamunde.
Faramund, you will receive the Chiefdom of Lobdaburg.”
The three men would swear their oath and then ride towards their newly given chiefdoms.

After some days, Gebicca would deal with another matter. Even if he was 55 years old, Gebicca still wanted to marry, not necessarily to have more children but to show that he is proper ruler, recognized by the Romans. The Burgundian leader would travel towards Milan; there he would meet Honorius, the infant ruler of the Western Roman Empire. The Burgundian would bow to the infant emperor before getting to know numerous Roman nobles. One discussion with a prestigious Roman aristocrat led to the negotiation of an alliance between the two men and the marriage of Gebicca with the aristocrat’s 39 years old sister. This marriage, while unlikely being able to produce more heirs, gave the Burgundian leader much prestige in the Barbarian and Roman worlds.
After he was married, the Burgundian would marry his eldest son to a Nicene Roman commoner, named Salvianella.

The Burgundian leader had enough prestige to begin the recruitment of 300 pikemen, which would add to his 200 pikemen and give him a small yet important retinue to deal with his future foes.
Once the retinue was completely available, Gebicca sent his army composed of 500 pikemen and 1500 levies to launch terrific raids on the neighbouring tribes: Dresden, Meissen, Cottbus and Gorlitz would all be raided by the Burgundian force, led by Chief Gundebald, bringing loot and prestige back home, just few days before Gebicca’s second son, Gislahar, came of age. Gislahar became a misguided warrior, his mentors said privately to his father that he would be only able to hurt himself in battle and nots his enemy. Burgundians would celebrate this raid and Gislahar would still become a champion of the Burgundians.

The joy of the Burgundians wouldn’t last though since they too would be raided by a neighbouring foe: The Marcommani who wanted to raid the Burgundian capital, Wolkenstein; even if the Burgundians were numerically superior to their enemy, the important size of the Marcommani retinue would be crucial in this battle. The Burgundians would lose many men and the battle. The high number of casualties on both sides made the Marcommani retreat just after raiding the Burgundian capital and the Burgundians not responding to their raid, at least for this time.

This battle made Gebicca take a decision: His private retinue would be expanded adding 250 war dogs to it.

Gebicca would marry Gislahar to a Nicene Roman commoner named Silvia. He would then look at the improvements he made to his lands’ administrations. He would make all the three of his vassals, members of the council with his eldest son being the steward of the realm.
Unfortunately, Faramund would die few days after his appointment as the realm’s chancellor, from an illness. Gebicca would then appoint his second son as the new chancellor.
Few days would pass before a stranger would visit the Burgundian leader’s large wooden longhouse, the stranger’s name was Anila, he came from the Kingdom of the Quadis, a Suebi land, and offered his service to the Burgundian leader. Gebicca would order him to convert from Irminsul*** to Arianism in order to being admitted to his lands, which Anila would do.
After a few days, Gebicca would summon the new convert and repeat the process that he had done with Faramund in order to receive the Chiefdom of Lobdaburg, this time without the baptism since Anila had already converted.
The new chief would show his abilities and impress Gebicca, enough to make him marshal of his troops. The council would see the departure of some faces and the arrival of new ones.

Wanting to have the spiritual and religious authorities by his side, Gebicca would start swaying Bishop Lothar.

Time would pass before the Burgundian leader would assemble yet again a raiding party. The Romans were having a civil war and even if Gebicca had married into one of their families, he considered this an opportunity that he cannot miss. The Burgundian would seize this opportunity and launch a raid on the northern frontier of the Western Roman Empire, in Rhaetia.
The raiding party, led by Anila, would raid in a lightning speed the estates, cities and temples of the empire: Regensburg, Rothenburg, Ilmmunster, Freising, Geisenhausen, Frontenhausen and Passau would all be raided. In the meantime, Burgundian land was also raided with the Alamanis raiding Schmalkalden.

Important loot would return home.

Having enough resources now, Gebicca set his eyes upon foreign lands he wished to control and leaders he wished to subjugate. The Burgundian leader would tell his courtiers:
“It is time for us to show our might and expand our realm. As my courtiers, you will get to choose which people you want me to subjugate but I will have the final decision.”
The stubborn leader would then show a map of the world to his courtiers.

Notes:
*Blotan: A native faith of Scandinavia and Germania. Germanic and Norse paganism revolve around the reverence of Gods known as the Aesir. Adherents are expected to live and die in an honourable fashion. Blotan’s main tenets are ancestor worship, human sacrifice and sanctity of nature.

**Arian Christianity: Arianism is a Christological doctrine first attributed to the Alexandrian presbyter, Arius, who preached that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God the Father, and is distinct from the Father (therefore subordinate to him). Because his ideas contradicted with traditional Trinitarianism, Arianism remains opposed to the forms of Christianity that cling to the old doctrines. Arianism’s main tenets are literalism, monasticism and mendicant preachers (missionaries traveling far and wide to share their knowledge of the true faith).

***Irminsul: A native faith of Scandinavia and Germania. Germanic and Norse paganism revolve around the reverence of Gods known as the Aesir. Adherents are expected to live and die in an honourable fashion. Irminsul’s main tenets are ancestor worship, war monger and aniconism (casting icons and idols out of praying places).



Here is the poll to vote for which people should the Burgundians subjugate. The poll will close Tuesday when I wake up (probably at 8:00 AM).
We are stronger than all our neigbours.