How did the barbarian invasions end?

Roman soldiers were loyal to their military leaders, not necessarily the emperor; A failing economy; High taxes; Romans became lazy and comfortable; Romans hired barbarian mercenaries to guard the borders. The fall of the city of Rome and the Western Empire did not put an end to the entire Roman Empire. read more

Many barbarian tribes invaded by the thousands of people, often bringing in later their extended families, and not all warriors were elite, of course. There is no post-agricultural society (much less a clearly stratified one like that of most Germans and Alans) where the majority of the population of the tribe belongs to the elite. read more