General Notes

Alaric II (died 507), king of the Visigoths (484-507), succeeding his
father, Euric (died 484). He ruled all Gaul beyond the Loire and Rhone
rivers and most of Spain. Like most Visigoths, Alaric adhered to Arianism;
this gave the Frankish king Clovis I, an orthodox Christian, an excuse for
making war on him. Alaric's forces were completely routed at Vouillé, near
Poitiers (in present-day France), and he himself was overtaken and slain by
Clovis. This defeat brought to an end the rule of the Visigoths in Gaul.
Alaric is also known for the Breviary of Alaric, an abstract of Roman laws
and decrees prepared at his direction for use in his domains. This document
is a primary source of knowledge about the application of Roman law in
nations formed from the disintegrated Roman Empire.