Battle of Pollentia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Pollentia |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Western Roman Empire |
Visigoths | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Stilicho Honorius |
Alaric I | ||||||
The Battle of Pollentia was a big fight on April 6, 402 CE. It happened on Easter Sunday. The battle was between the Romans and the Visigoths. The Roman army was led by a general named Stilicho. The Visigoths were led by their king, Alaric I.
This battle was part of the first Gothic invasion of Italy. The Romans won this battle. They made Alaric and his army leave. But Alaric came back to fight again the next year. He was defeated again at the Battle of Verona. After that, Alaric left Italy. The area was peaceful for a while.
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Roman Empire and Its Leaders
Theodosius I was the last emperor to rule both the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire. He died in 395 CE. After his death, his sons became emperors. Arcadius ruled the Eastern Roman Empire. Honorius ruled the Western Roman Empire.
Both brothers were very young when they became emperors. They were also not very strong leaders. This allowed powerful ministers to take control. These ministers effectively ran the empire.
Stilicho: A Powerful General
In the West, a very skilled general named Stilicho took charge. Stilicho was married to Theodosius's niece, Serena. This made him part of the imperial family. Theodosius trusted Stilicho a lot. He asked Stilicho to guide his sons while they were young.
However, there was a lot of disagreement between the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. A minister named Rufinus took control in the East. He did not get along with Honorius. This led to a permanent split between the two parts of the empire.
A historian from that time, Zosimus, said that Arcadius and Honorius were emperors "in name only." Stilicho controlled the West. Rufinus controlled the East. Even when Honorius grew older, he was still not a strong leader.
The Visigoths and Alaric's Rise
Around the time Rufinus lost power, the Visigoths rebelled. They were led by Alaric I. The Visigoths were a Germanic people. They had been allies of the Romans. But they stopped being allies. They said the Roman Empire had not paid them what they promised.
The Visigoths started causing trouble near Constantinople. This was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The city had to pay the Visigoths to make them leave. This was a short-sighted plan. Alaric soon ran out of resources in that area.
So, Alaric moved his army south to invade Greece. Stilicho marched his army to help Greece. He managed to trap Alaric in the mountains. Stilicho was close to defeating the Visigoths for good. But Alaric managed to escape. He crossed the sea to another region called Epirus.
There, Alaric made a deal with the Eastern Roman Empire. He became a military commander for them. He was given control of a region called Illyricum. Meanwhile, Stilicho was told to leave Greece. He did not want to start a civil war. So, Stilicho went back to Italy.
Alaric Invades Italy
Alaric was now in charge of Illyricum. He was also crowned king by his troops. He used the Roman weapons and armor from the region. Then, he decided to invade the Western Roman Empire. This happened in late 401 or early 402 CE.
The Roman capital at Milan was in danger. But Stilicho convinced Emperor Honorius to stay. Stilicho then went north across the Alps. He gathered more soldiers from Gaul (modern France) and Germany. Italy did not have enough soldiers to fight the Goths. Stilicho even convinced some Germanic tribes, like the Alemanni, to join him.
Stilicho had hoped that the rivers in northern Italy would slow down the Visigoths. But the weather was very dry. The rivers were shallow. They were not a good barrier. By the time Stilicho returned to Italy, Honorius had already left Milan. He had taken shelter in a city called Hasta. Alaric's army was besieging Honorius there. Stilicho's arrival forced Alaric to leave.
The Battle of Pollentia
Alaric's army retreated west to Pollentia. Some of his soldiers wanted to keep retreating. But Alaric decided to fight. He prepared his army for a big battle with the Romans.
Stilicho decided to attack on Easter Sunday, April 6, 402 CE. He hoped to surprise Alaric. The Visigoths were Arian Christians. They would be busy with religious celebrations.
What Happened in the Battle
What exactly happened in the battle is debated. Roman writers said it was a clear Roman victory. Gothic writers said the opposite.
Alaric was surprised, but he quickly got his army ready. He fought bravely. The Visigoths even managed to defeat some of the Roman cavalry. The king of the Alani, a Roman ally, died in this part of the battle.
However, most reliable accounts say the Romans won. The Visigoths were driven from the battlefield. Many were killed. The Romans also attacked and looted the Visigoth camp. They got back all the treasures that Alaric had taken from Greece and northern Italy. This alone showed it was a big victory for Stilicho.
A Roman poet named Claudian wrote about the battle. He said, "Your glory, Pollentia, shall live forever... Fate chose you to be the place of our victory and the burial-place of the barbarians."
After the battle, Stilicho offered to return the Visigoth prisoners. In return, the Visigoths had to go back to Illyricum. But when Alaric reached Verona, he stopped. He tried to capture the city. Stilicho and local forces surrounded the Visigoths. They defeated them in the Battle of Verona. Many of Alaric's generals left him. They swore loyalty to Stilicho. Alaric was then forced to leave Italy.
Aftermath of the Battle
By 403 CE, Alaric and the Visigoths were pushed back to the Balkans. They remained a small threat there.
Later, around 405 or 407 CE, Stilicho and Alaric made a deal. Alaric would get a title and 4,000 pounds of gold for his troops. In return, he would be completely loyal to Stilicho.
Many Roman senators were already unhappy with Stilicho. They thought he had too much power over Emperor Honorius. They also knew he wanted to control the Eastern Empire. When the senators heard about this deal with Alaric, they were very angry. Stilicho was accused of being a public enemy and a traitor in 408 CE. He was executed shortly after.
Some modern historians believe this was a mistake. They suggest that the Romans' refusal to work with the Visigoths led to the sack of Rome in 410 CE. During that event, the Romans had to pay three times more than Alaric had originally asked for to save their city.
Sources
- Claudian. The Gothic War. Trans. Maurice Platnauer. London: W. Heinemann, 1922. Print. Loeb Classical Library. p. 173.
- Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Book IV, pp. 15–17.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Pollentia para niños
