Though it faced treachery, financial woes, and moral decay internally, barbarians toppled the destabilized empire and forged a new world from the ashes.

Here are the greatest barbarians to terrorize Rome.

Arminius (18 BC-21 AD)

A Latin education and Roman military service first marked him as a great ally of Rome. When Roman general and governor Varus requested his aid in the conquest of the tribes of Germania, Arminius mobilized his troops.

But whether for his own glory or for an affinity for the wider Germanic peoples, Arminius betrayed Varus and turned his forces abruptly against the Romans while deep in the Teutoburg Forest.

Arminius’ ambush against three legions was overwhelmingly successful, marking a turning point in Roman expansion into Germania.

He continued repelling subsequent Roman attacks, enshrining his legacy as a defender of the Germanic peoples.

Fritigern (~370 AD)

Fleeing the Huns, Fritigern and his Thervingi people entered the bosom of the Roman Empire by settling in Moesia across the Danube.

Relations with the Romans were good at first, until societal pressures took their relationship to a dark place.

Fighting famine, extortion, and murder of their leaders by the local Roman governors, Fritigern took to the field of battle at Marcianople in 376 A.D.

His success won them much of Thracia and put them on the doorstep of Constantinople.

Emperor Valens was forced to take the field himself, resulting in his defeat and death at the Battle of Adrianople in 378 A.D. Fritigern would go on to take the Balkans in a campaign that saw them conquer as far south as Greece.

The final fate of Fritigern is unknown.

Radagaisus (~400 AD)

Not all the barbarians fought for noble purposes.

Radagaisus is a little-known Gothic king who invaded northern Italy with about 20,000 fighters in 405/406 AD. An avowed pagan, he planned to burn Rome to the ground and sacrifice the Senators to the gods.

Though considered a major threat to the Western Empire, Radagaisus didn’t find the same success as his predecessors. His campaign was halted by his defeat at Florentia.

Attempting to flee his own men for fear of revolt, he was captured and executed by the Romans in 406 AD.

Alaric I (370-411 AD)

Some barbarians tried to climb the corporate ladder.

Spurned by little recognition from the Emperor for his achievements, Alaric took command of the Goths in the shadow of Fritigern.

Despite friction, the Eastern Emperor elevated Alaric in a sign of peace

But as new leadership took over the East, Alaric was humiliated by a demotion. He raised his sword again—this time toward Italy, threatening Stilicho's rule over the next few years.

In 408, after the death of Stilicho, Alaric etched his name into history by sacking Rome.

Alaric and his men stripped the city of its wealth; however, it’s believed Alaric respected the relics of the Church and those who sought safety within church walls.

One year later, Alaric died from fever. He was buried in the bottom of a riverbed, per Visigothic custom.

Attila the Hun (404-453 AD)

Attila inherited the Hunnic Empire and pushed as far as Constantinople, whose double walls forced him to look westward instead.

While successfully ruling with his brother Bleda for many years, Attila took sole command upon his brother’s death.

Already in possession of virtually all the Balkans, Attila pillaged his way through modern-day Germany until he reached the Catalaunian plains, where he was repelled by Theodoric and the Romans. In his last campaign, Attila invaded Italy as far as the River Po.

Even in his last days, he concocted plans to take the prize of all Europe—Constantinople. But his death came first.

Attila’s fame only grew with time. In the Medieval Age, Attila became known as the “Scourge of God”.

Genseric (389-477 AD)

A great opportunist and king of the Vandals for 5 decades in the mid-400s, Genseric left southern Spain to conquer Western North Africa, conquering parts of Morocco, Algeria, and Numidia.

St. Augustine famously died during Genseric’s siege of Hippo Regius

Carthage, the seat of the empire’s African wealth and naval power, also fell to his control in 439 AD, granting Genseric the means to fight Rome head-to-head across the Mediterranean.

He invaded by sea and sacked Rome—stripping it of all the wealth it had.

Recognizing the threatening power of Genseric, both halves of the Roman Empire united in a great fleet to defeat the Vandal King—but to no avail.

Genseric ruled supreme over the Western Mediterranean until his death in Carthage in 477 AD.

Odoacer (433-493 AD)

Though Odoacer’s early life is obscure, one account in "Life of Saint Severinus" by Eugippus records how a young Odoacer meets Severinus, who prophetically tells him:

"Go to Italy, go, now covered with mean hides; soon you will make rich gifts to many.”

Odoacer eventually became the leader of the Germanic foederati of Italy and led them in revolt against Orestes and the young Emperor Romulus - all because he and his people were denied a permanent settlement in Italy.

By his success in deposing the young Western Emperor at Ravenna, he was declared King of Italy and earned the acknowledgement of the Eastern Emperor.

His taking of Italy traditionally marks the end of the Roman Empire around 476 AD.

Barbarians were, above all, opportunists.

In our increasingly unstable Western world, one wonders who the opportunists will be that seize the reigns of power.

Like during Rome’s collapse, power will be given only to those who take it.