The Patrimony of Goar: Extracts from the Universal Biographical Dictionary

GOAR (fl. 406-411) was a leader of the Alans. He entered Gaul as part of the great Rhine crossing of 406, promptly allying himself to the Romans. He and his followers settled in the vicinity of Aurelianum [1]. Goar was a supporter of JOVINUS's imperial reign of 411-413. After his death, or more likely his successor's, in 449, leadership of the group was contested between CHUDAN and CANDAC [2].

[1] Aurelianum is now known as Orléans.

[2] Chudan and Candac are fictitious characters. The POD is, essentially, their existence and emergence from the obscurity of federate Gaul.

CHUDAN (d. 451) was a claimant to the leadership of the Gallic Alans from 449 until his death, in opposition to CANDAC. After being driven from power by CANDAC and the Burgundian forces of GONDIOC, Chudan fled to the court of THEODORIC I of the Visigoths seeking aid. His restoration was the original goal of the Visigothic-Roman army that fought at the Battle of Augustoritum [1], but he died either during or shortly before the battle, rendering the point moot.

[1] Augustoritum is now known as Limoges.

ATTILA (c. 395-451) was the most powerful leader of the Huns, ruling from 434 to 451 (jointly with his brother BLEDA until the latter's death in 445). He was preceded by his uncle RUGILA. In 435, he concluded an agreement with the Eastern Roman Empire for a tribute of 700 pounds of gold per year. He subsequently prosecuted an unsuccessful campaign against Sassanid Persia. He then returned west and warred with the Eastern Romans, penetrating to the walls of Constantinople and ultimately, in 447, securing a tripling of the tribute. In 451 he invaded Gaul, where his forces were augmented by the Burgundians of GONDIOC and the Alans of CANDAC. He defeated an alliance of Romans, Visigoths, and other federates, commanded by AETIUS, near Augustoritum, but was injured in the battle and died soon afterwards. The bulk of Attila's army then followed ARDARIC and threatened Italy, while the Hunnic empire disintegrated, Attila's son ELLAK inheriting only the core.

ARDARIC (d. 451) was a leader of the Gepids and a prominent vassal of ATTILA. After the latter's death following the Battle of Augustoritum, Ardaric took command of the greater portion of the army and marched eastward toward Italy, but was defeated and killed by AETIUS at the Battle of Gratianopolis [1], after which his army scattered.

[1] Gratianopolis is now known as Grenoble.

CANDAC (fl. 449-456) was a leader of the Gallic Alans. In 451, he fought at the Battle of Augustoritum under ATTILA, as the Romans and Visigoths backed his rival CHUDAN as Alan leader. Candac is credited with leading the decisive assault that broke the morale of the Roman federates. His subsequent successes against the Visigoths established an independent Alan state centered at Aurelianum. He was probably directly succeeded by CASACUS.

VALENTINIAN III (419-458) was Western Roman Emperor from 425 until his death, reigning prior to 437 under the regency of his mother GALLA PLACIDIA. He was the son of CONSTANTIUS III and the half-nephew of HONORIUS, whom he succeeded after the usurpation of JOANNES. Bloody rivalries among his army commanders, from which AETIUS emerged as the dominant figure in the Western court, led to the conquest of Africa by the Vandals under GENSERIC between 430 and 440. Over the subsequent years, Valentinian also lost much of Spain to the Suebi and the Visigoths. In 451, Gaul was overrun by the Huns under ATTILA, but AETIUS achieved a costly success at the battle of Gratianopolis in keeping the invaders out of Italy, and they generally withdrew to their homelands. In 454, Italy was invaded by the Rugii under FLACCITHEUS, who were persuaded to accept land grants in Noricum. The episode nevertheless persuaded Valentinian to relocate his capital from Ravenna to Rome.

Valentinian married his cousin LICINIA EUDOXA in 437 and fathered two daughters, EUDOCIA, QUEEN OF THE VANDALS and PLACIDIA. The elder was betrothed to HUNERIC, then a Vandal prince, and the younger was married to GAUDENTIUS, son of AETIUS, in 458. Valentinian died mysteriously a short time later, in what is sometimes asserted to be murder by AETIUS.

I'm not sure what this is but I like it!

Flavius AETIUS (391-459) was a powerful general of the Western Roman Empire and the father of Emperor GAUDENTIUS. He served as a hostage at the court of the Huns in his youth. JOANNES, struggling for the Western Roman throne with Eastern-backed VALENTINIAN III, sent Aetius to the Huns to seek an alliance, but although Aetius's mission was successful he did not return until after JOANNES's death in 425. He dismissed the Hunnic army and in return received the magistrate militum for Gaul under VALENTINIAN. Aetius became the dominant figure in the Western Empire after killing his chief rivals in the military: he executed FLAVIUS CONSTANTIUS FELIX in 430 and fatally wounded BONIFACIUS at the Battle of Rimini in 432. He campaigned frequently in Gaul, defeating GUNDAHAR's Burgundians in 436 (and resettling them further south seven years later) and halting ATTILA's Hunnic invasion of 451 at the Battle of Gratianopolis.

In 458, Aetius's son GAUDENTIUS married VALENTINIAN III's daughter PLACIDIA. Upon VALENTINIAN's death and GAUDENTIUS's succession later that year, MAJORIAN rebelled, accusing Aetius of poisoning VALENTINIAN. Aetius was slain in battle against MAJORIAN in 459, leaving an opening for the latter to march on Rome.

Keep it up, I wonder what the Alans will be up to.

I find it difficult to believe Majorian revolting against Aetius since his family was allies of Aetius, himself served under Aetius command along Aegidius and Ricimer. In fact, Aetius commanded the loyalty of the army. *

But Ricimer is more someone that I would see revolting.

What has become Sangiban?
There is no much information on him excepted he was chief of Alans at Aurelianum at the time of Attila invasion.

I have myself worked on a TL where a surviving Alan state at Aurelianum leads to a Briton-Alan army being able to win Déols in 469, enabling the survival of Gallo-roman states.