Goths
From Age of Empires Series Wiki
The Goths are a civilization available for play in Age of Empires II.
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[edit] Real Life
The Goths were a collection of Germanic Tribes that constantly warred with the Roman Empire during its later years. Following the fall of the Empire, the Goths divided into the Ostrogoths (East Goths) who settled in Italy, and the Visigoths (West Goths)who settled in the region that would later become Spain.
[edit] Age of Empires II Profile
The Goths are a member of the Eastern/Central/Northern European culture of civilisation (together with the Teutons, Vikings and Huns).
The Goths advantages predominantly focus on Infantry. Gothic infantry are cheaper than that of other civilisations. Their unique unit is the Huskarl, which is usually created from the Castle, however in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors expansion pack they can research their Unique Technology Anarchy, which allows Huskarls to be created from the Barracks. In the Imperial Age, they can research another unique technology called Perfusion, which allows all Barracks units to be created 50% faster. With both of these technologies, Huskarls can be created very quickly.
One major disadvantage of Goths is their inability to build Stone Wall (having to rely on Palisade Wall for defence) or get any tower above the basic Watch Tower. However they tend to make up with it with their strong and quick-to-create military.
[edit] Campaigns
The Goths are featured frequently during the Barbarossa campaign. Many of the enemy teams are of the Goth civilisation during the first part of the campaign, although during the later missions the enemy tend to be Saracens or Persian.
The Goths are also seen in the Attila the Hun campaign on the level Catalaunian Fields as the divided Ostrogoths and Visigoths. The Ostrogoths are allied to Atilla, however the Visigoths are on the opposing team, allied with the Western Roman Empire (blue/Byzantines).
[edit] See Also
Official history from the game:
[edit] The Goths (200 to 714)
The Goths were a Germanic tribe on the Danube River frontier known to the Romans from the first century AD. Pressured and then displaced when the Huns moved west out of Central Asia, the Goths moved west into Europe and over the Danube River to escape the oncoming hordes. After taking part in the fall of Rome, they vied with other barbarians for the leavings of the Western Roman Empire during the Early Middle Ages.
The Goths originated on the island of Gotland in the Baltic, to the best of our knowledge, and split into two groups as they migrated south across Central Europe. The Visigoths, or West Goths, settled in modern Romania during the second century. The Ostrogoths, or East Goths, settled farther to the east on the northwest coast of the Black Sea. In 376 AD the Visigoths were driven from modern Romania by the Huns and moved south across the Danube. Their strength was estimated at 60,000 men, women, and children. They defeated a Roman army from Constantinople, settled briefly south of the Danube, and then pushed into Italy. In 409 they sacked Rome under their king Alaric and then moved north into Gaul. The Romans gave them southwestern Gaul. From there they eventually extended their rule into all of modern Spain and Portugal.
The Ostrogoths broke away from Hunnish rule and followed their cousins into Italy late in the fifth century. They were encouraged to invade by the Eastern emperor, who wanted deposed the barbarian then ruling as viceroy. Under Theodric, king of modern Switzerland and the Balkans already, the Goths entered Italy in 488, completing its conquest in 493.
Theodric's kingdom did not last long following his death in 526. Using a struggle for succession as an excuse, the Byzantines sent an army to Italy in 536 led by their great general Belisarius. The Byzantines hoped to regain Italy and restore the old Roman Empire in the West. The war dragged on, devastating the countryside in conjunction with plague and famine. In 552 the Ostrogoths were finally defeated in Italy. They ceased to exist as a separate group by the late sixth century when northern Italy was invaded by a new group of barbarians called the Lombards.
The Visigoth kingdom lasted somewhat longer. In the late fifth century Clovis of the Franks pushed the Visigoths out of France and over the Pyrenees Mountains. Following the death of Clovis his kingdom fragmented and the Visigoths were temporarily left alone. In 711 a new threat appeared from the south. Islamic armies crossed over from North Africa and destroyed the last Gothic kingdom in four years.
The Goths are remembered for being the first to sack Rome and thereby beginning the final collapse of the ancient world order in Europe. Their admiration for Rome and attempts to preserve it, however, allowed much of the Roman culture to survive. For example, the modern languages of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Romania are derived from Latin influenced by later settlers. They are not variations of German, as was the case in England.
