In an age where political pundits clutch their pearls over the “unprecedented” nature of modern political betrayals, it is time to take a long, calming breath. To suggest that turning on your own allies is some new, shocking development is to ignore the stained Axminster carpet of history.
Long before think-tanks and Twitter – sorry , X, my bad – there was the Late Roman Empire—and they perfected the art of stabbing allies in the back.
While modern politicians might merely threaten to abandon their partners, the Romans understood that if you are going to betray someone, you should really commit to it. Exhibit A: The Massacre of the Gothic Families in 409 AD.
Here is the setup. The Roman general Stilicho (himself of Vandal descent) had successfully used Gothic mercenaries to defend Italy. To secure the loyalty of these 30,000 soldiers, their families—wives and children—were housed safely in various cities throughout Northern Italy. It was a standard hostage arrangement, but it worked: the Goths fought for Rome.
Then came the irony. After Stilicho fell from grace and was executed, the Emperor Honorius—a man not known for strategic foresight—listened to advisors who suggested securing the realm by… murdering the families of their own troops.
Because nothing says “loyalty” like slaughtering your soldier’s loved ones while they are out fighting for you.
The Romans turned on the “guests” in their midst. On a single, coordinated day, the Gothic women and children were butchered in the cities where they resided. It was efficient. It was brutal. And it was phenomenally stupid.
The 30,000 Gothic mercenaries, upon hearing the news, did not shrug and return to their barracks. They were profoundly pissed and immediately defected to Alaric, the very man they had been fighting against. United in grief and rage, they marched on Rome and sacked the city. And by sack , read murder, rape, loot, pillage, destroy exterminate
Fast forward to 2026: at least we aren’t feeding our allies’ children to the mob and then acting surprised when the survivors burn the capital to the ground. Of course, these are different times, and we don’t do it like that anymore—but the principle is the same: we don’t like foreigners in our midst.
