Stilicho facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Stilicho
An old ivory carving, possibly showing Stilicho (right) with his wife Serena and son Eucherius, from around 395. It's kept in Monza Cathedral. Some think it might be Aetius instead.
Born	c. 359
Died	22 August 408 (aged c. 49) Ravenna
Resting place	Unknown, possibly the Sarcophagus of Stilicho
Office	Consul (400, 405)
Children	3

Military career
Allegiance	Western Roman Empire
Years of service	382–408
Rank	Comes et magister utriusque militiae
Battles	Battle of the Frigidus (394) Gothic War (395–398) Gildonic War (398) Pictish War (398) Siege of Asti (402) Battle of Pollentia (402) Battle of Verona (402) War of Radagaisus (405–406)

Stilicho (born around 359 – died August 22, 408) was a very important military leader in the Roman army. For a while, he was the most powerful person in the Western Roman Empire. He had some Vandal family background and was married to Serena, who was the niece of Emperor Theodosius I. Stilicho became the guardian for the young emperor Honorius. After many years of fighting against different groups and facing big problems, his enemies in Honorius's court managed to remove him from power. He was arrested and executed in 408.

Stilicho: A Powerful Roman General
Protecting the Western Roman Empire
- Facing Alaric and the Goths
- Stopping Radagaisus's Invasion
Challenges and Downfall
The Aftermath: Rome's Fate
See also

Stilicho: A Powerful Roman General

Stilicho's father was a Vandal cavalry officer, but Stilicho always saw himself as a Roman. He was a Christian, like Emperor Theodosius I, who made Christianity the official religion of the empire. Stilicho joined the Roman army and quickly moved up in rank during Theodosius I's rule. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule both the Eastern and Western parts of the Roman Empire at the same time.

In 383, Stilicho was sent on an important mission to the Persian King Shapur III to make a peace deal about Armenia. When he returned, he married Serena, Emperor Theodosius's niece. This marriage greatly helped his career. He was promoted to important military roles, including comes et magister utriusque militiae, which meant he was a supreme commander of the army.

After the Western emperor Valentinian II died in 392, Theodosius made Stilicho a co-commander of the army. Stilicho helped lead the army to victory at the Battle of the Frigidus. During this battle, he fought alongside Alaric, a Visigothic warlord who would later become his main opponent. Stilicho showed great skill in battle. Before he died in 395, Emperor Theodosius appointed Stilicho as the guardian of his young son, Honorius. This made Stilicho the most powerful general in the Western Roman Empire.

Protecting the Western Roman Empire

After Theodosius died, Honorius became emperor of the Western Roman Empire. His brother Arcadius ruled the Eastern Empire. Since both were too young to rule alone, Stilicho became Honorius's main advisor and military leader. He even claimed to have a similar role for Arcadius, though this is not fully confirmed.

Stilicho became the real commander of the Roman armies in the West. To make his position stronger, he married his daughter Maria to Honorius in 398. After Maria died, he married his other daughter, Thermantia, to Honorius in 408. Neither marriage resulted in children. Stilicho used his military power and Honorius's young age to control the empire. However, this also created many rivals and enemies for him.

Facing Alaric and the Goths

In 395, the Goths, led by their new king Alaric, broke their peace treaty with Rome and started raiding lands in the Balkans. Stilicho led the Western Roman army to stop them. He surrounded Alaric's forces, but Emperor Arcadius ordered him to send the Eastern Empire's troops back to Constantinople. Stilicho obeyed, even though he was close to defeating Alaric. When the Eastern troops arrived in Constantinople, Arcadius's powerful advisor, Rufinus, was killed. Many historians believe Stilicho was involved in Rufinus's death.

In 396, Stilicho fought against Germanic tribes in Gaul (modern-day France). This helped boost the Roman army's spirits and allowed him to recruit more soldiers. The next year, in 397, Stilicho defeated Alaric's forces in Macedonia. However, Alaric managed to escape into the mountains. Some historians say Stilicho was too confident, but others suggest he might have been ordered to leave the Eastern Empire, or his troops were not fully reliable.

Later in 397, a commander in Africa named Gildo rebelled. He wanted to put the African provinces, which supplied Rome with grain, under the control of the Eastern Empire. Stilicho sent Gildo's brother, Mascezel, with an army to Africa. The rebellion was quickly put down. However, when Mascezel returned to Italy, he died unexpectedly, possibly on Stilicho's orders. In 400, Stilicho received a great honor: he was appointed consul, one of the highest positions in the Roman state.

Stilicho also had to deal with problems in Britain around 398. He was said to have helped defend the British provinces from attacks by the Picts and Scots, possibly by sending troops or building forts.

Stopping Radagaisus's Invasion

In 401, Stilicho led his army to stop an invasion by Vandals and Alans in northern Italy. While he was away, Alaric invaded Italy and attacked Mediolanum (modern-day Milan), where Emperor Honorius was living. In 402, Stilicho rushed back to Italy with a small group of elite soldiers. He broke the siege of Mediolanum and saved the emperor. Stilicho then defeated Alaric at the Battle of Pollentia on Easter Sunday in 402, capturing Alaric's camp and his wife. Alaric escaped but lost many men. This victory was the last time a Roman triumph (a parade celebrating a victory) was held in Rome for a long time. Stilicho defeated Alaric again at Verona, and Alaric escaped with even fewer men. They made a truce, and Alaric and his Goths settled in border areas.

In 405, a Gothic king named Radagaisus led a huge army of Goths, Alans, and Vandals into Italy. This messed up Stilicho's plans to take back control of Illyricum (a region in the Balkans) with Alaric's help. Stilicho gathered about 20,000 soldiers, even recruiting slaves by promising them freedom. In 406, he led his army against Radagaisus. Luckily for Stilicho, Radagaisus had split his forces. Stilicho attacked Radagaisus's main group at Florentia (modern-day Florence), surprising them and capturing almost all of his army. Stilicho executed Radagaisus and made 12,000 of his warriors join the Roman army. The rest were sold as slaves.

Later in 406, Stilicho demanded that the Eastern Roman Empire return the eastern half of Illyricum to the West. He threatened war if they refused. He might have wanted Illyricum to recruit more soldiers, or to protect Italy from invasions, or to use Alaric and his experienced troops to defend the Western Empire.

Challenges and Downfall

To protect Italy from Alaric and Radagaisus, Stilicho had to move many Roman soldiers away from the Rhine River border. This left the border weakly defended. On December 31, 406, a large group of Vandals, Alans, and Suevi crossed the poorly defended Rhine River. These new groups caused a lot of damage in Gaul (France) and led to military rebellions in Gaul and Britain. Stilicho's reputation suffered greatly because of this disaster.

The destruction in Gaul and the lack of a strong response from the emperor's court in Ravenna supported the rebellion of Constantine III in Britain. Stilicho couldn't stop him. As Constantine moved his forces into Gaul, Stilicho sent his general Sarus to fight him. Sarus had some success, but a relief force pushed him back. Stilicho then decided to block the Alps to prevent Constantine from attacking Italy.

Meanwhile, Constantine's rebellion stopped the talks between Alaric and Stilicho. Alaric demanded a large payment he believed he was owed, threatening to attack Italy again if he didn't get it. The Roman Senate wanted to fight Alaric, but Stilicho convinced them to pay him. The senators were angry with Stilicho for this. One senator said, "This is not peace, but a pact of servitude."

Stilicho's failures against Constantine, and rumors that he had planned the death of Rufinus and wanted to put his own son on the throne after Emperor Arcadius died, caused a revolt. On August 13, 408, the Roman army at Ticinum mutinied, killing many important officers. Stilicho went to Ravenna, where he was captured. He did not fight back and was executed on August 22, 408. His son, Eucherius, was also killed shortly after.

The Aftermath: Rome's Fate

After Stilicho's death, the wives and children of many barbarian soldiers who served Rome were killed by local Romans. As a result, these soldiers, perhaps as many as 30,000, joined Alaric, wanting revenge. In September 408, Alaric and his Goths marched into Italy and surrounded the walls of Rome.

Without a strong general like Stilicho, Emperor Honorius could do little to break the siege. He tried to wait out Alaric, hoping to gather more forces. For two years, Alaric tried to make a peace treaty and get land for his people within Roman territory. He besieged Rome three times without attacking. But after a fourth failed attempt at a deal, Alaric's siege succeeded. After months of being surrounded, the people of Rome were starving. In August 410, the Gothic army broke through the gates and sacked the city.

Many historians believe that Stilicho's removal was the main reason for this huge event. It was the first time barbarians had captured Rome in almost 800 years, and it was a major step towards the fall of the Western Roman Empire.