Xenos, (notice the word "xenophobic"); foreigner

Barbarian, those who don't speak our language (notice the word "babble")

Barbarians

1. Spoke Germanic language (not biological but linguistic groups of people)
2. Thousands of encounters with Romans
3. The people who entered the late Roman world were polyethnic confederations.
4. We can only assign a coherent history to the barbarian people after they entered the Roman world.
5. Settled agriculturalists rather than nomads(!)

Visigoths; Romans made treaties with them to assign them to defend frontier.

Then Visigoths asked for permission to cross the Danube and to enter the Roman Empire because Huns were pressing on them.

The Romans were just defeated in Macedonia and wavered over whether to allow Visigoths to enter as a block.

In 376, Visigoths crossed the Danube without permission. They immediately contact Roman authorities to request official recognition of their status inside the empire and also land to settle on.

The Roman government panicked and sent armies to attacked Visigoths.

Visigoths met the Emperor on the battlefield and defeated him in Adrianople, which was the only time barbarians defeated Romans. Romans sent Theodosius (ruled 379-395) to deal with the situation and signed a deal.

They tried to forge into the military hierarchy and constantly asked for land and accommodations. And finally they sacked Rome in order to put pressure on Roman government.

Then they went to Gaul and got a new treaty with Romes to settle down and protect against pirates and enemies.

It was an unfolding relationship rather than an abrupt invasion.

Burgundians

Roman military commender in Gaul used Huns as mercenaries to attack Burgundians.

Visigoths and Franks formed a coalition and defeated Huns.

Romulus Augustulus, Western Emperor, 475-476

August, 476; A barbarian general enters Italy, chases out Romulus Augustulus, and sends his imperial insignia to Constantinople.

Around 500, the Western Empire has changed from provinces into a series of kingdoms.

Roman's experience of accommodating the barbarians was an imaginative experiment or the last creative act that got a little out of hand and went south.