Battle of Lake Benacus
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lake Benacus was one of the decisive battles that marked the beginning of the Roman Empire
's emergence from the Crisis of the Third Century
. The battle was fought along the banks of Lake Garda
in northern Italy
, which was known to the Romans as Benacus.
The battle took place in November of 268 between approximately 35,000 men under the command of the Roman Emperor
Claudius II
and the Germanic tribe of the Alamanni
, whose invading army may have numbered upwards of 100,000.
The Alamanni, who had been making incursions into Roman territory since the reign of Marcus Aurelius, had broken through the Roman frontier at the Brenner Pass
earlier in the year, when internal rebellions and a large invasion by the Goths
forced the Romans to denude the frontier of troops. That autumn, when virtually the entire western Roman army was busy destroying the Goths at the Battle of Naissus
, the Alamanni occupied large areas of undefended northern Italy.
Claudius may well have tried to negotiate a withdrawal by the Alamanni, but when that failed, he chose to fight them instead. Details of the battle are sketchy, but it is known that Claudius won a crushing victory, killing or capturing more than half the force confronting him, and sending the rest fleeing back over the Alps
.
The Roman victory at Lake Benacus, coupled with that won by Claudius and Aurelian
at Naissus, provided evidence that the Roman Empire could still successfully resist its enemies. The people of the empire took heart from these triumphs, and over the next seven years, Claudius and his brilliant general and successor Aurelian recovered all the empire's lost territories, crushed all rebellions and ejected the barbarian invaders.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
's emergence from the Crisis of the Third Century
Crisis of the Third Century
The Crisis of the Third Century was a period in which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressures of invasion, civil war, plague, and economic depression...
. The battle was fought along the banks of Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
in northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, which was known to the Romans as Benacus.
The battle took place in November of 268 between approximately 35,000 men under the command of the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Claudius II
Claudius II
Claudius II , commonly known as Claudius Gothicus, was Roman Emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alamanni and scored a crushing victory against the Goths at the Battle of Naissus. He died after succumbing to a smallpox plague that ravaged the provinces of...
and the Germanic tribe of the Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
, whose invading army may have numbered upwards of 100,000.
The Alamanni, who had been making incursions into Roman territory since the reign of Marcus Aurelius, had broken through the Roman frontier at the Brenner Pass
Brenner Pass
- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
earlier in the year, when internal rebellions and a large invasion by the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
forced the Romans to denude the frontier of troops. That autumn, when virtually the entire western Roman army was busy destroying the Goths at the Battle of Naissus
Battle of Naissus
The Battle of Naissus was the defeat of a Gothic coalition by the Roman Empire under Emperor Gallienus near Naissus...
, the Alamanni occupied large areas of undefended northern Italy.
Claudius may well have tried to negotiate a withdrawal by the Alamanni, but when that failed, he chose to fight them instead. Details of the battle are sketchy, but it is known that Claudius won a crushing victory, killing or capturing more than half the force confronting him, and sending the rest fleeing back over the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
.
The Roman victory at Lake Benacus, coupled with that won by Claudius and Aurelian
Aurelian
Aurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
at Naissus, provided evidence that the Roman Empire could still successfully resist its enemies. The people of the empire took heart from these triumphs, and over the next seven years, Claudius and his brilliant general and successor Aurelian recovered all the empire's lost territories, crushed all rebellions and ejected the barbarian invaders.