Theodosius and the Danube Civil War

Theodosius had not stopped working after successfully bringing an end to the Gothic war with a combination of attrition and diplomacy. Throughout the mid-380s he continued to focus his attention on winning over as many barbarians as he possibly could to his side. That meant factions of Huns and Alans from beyond the Danube frontier who were more than willing to sell their cavalry into imperial service, if the price was right. When looked at from a few miles up, this Roman Civil War resembles nothing so much as a giant squabble between rival barbarian tribes.