Roman civil war of 394 AD
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The Roman civil war of 394 AD was fought between political factions based in Rome and Constantinople. Because the Western Emperor Eugenius (though nominally Christian) had pagan sympathies, the war assumed religious overtones, with Christianity pitted against the last attempt at a pagan revival.
) employed in the Roman army
, who had managed to pacify the barbarians in Gaul
and along the Rhine frontier on behalf of the Empire in 389 AD. In a naked grab for power, he turned against the Western Roman emperor
, Valentinian II
, and instigated his murder, though he declared Valentinian's death to be a suicide. He then proclaimed his supporter, Eugenius, a former rhetoric teacher, as emperor in 392 AD. Eugenius then spent months attempting to gain legitimacy by winning over Theodosius.
as the Augustus
of the West, and thus his co-emperor. He marched with a large army to avenge Valentinian's death, travelling from Constantinople
to northeastern Italy
. Here, Theodosius confronted Arbogast, Eugenius and their forces at the Battle of the Frigidus
River, near Aquileia
. The first day of battle (September 5, 394 AD) ended in near defeat for Theodosius, and he was saved only by the coming of night. During that long night he prayed to his Christian God, where it was said that Theodosius was visited by two "heavenly riders all in white" who gave him courage. The next day, he reorganised his troops and as the battle began again and Theodosius' forces were aided by a natural phenomenon known as the Bora
, which produces cyclonic winds. The Bora blew directly against the forces of Eugenius and disrupted the line, allowing the tactical brilliance and masterful generalship of Theodosius' commander, Stilicho
, to win the day.
Eugenius was killed in his camp and Arbogast committed suicide, and with their deaths, the pagan counterrevolution in Rome also died. Theodosius once again reunited the empire under the authority of one emperor, but it would not last. By 395 AD he was dead, and his two sons re-divided the empire, permanently this time.
Background
Arbogast was a powerful Frankish general (magister militumMagister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
) employed in the Roman army
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
, who had managed to pacify the barbarians in Gaul
Roman Gaul
Roman Gaul consisted of an area of provincial rule in the Roman Empire, in modern day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany. Roman control of the area lasted for less than 500 years....
and along the Rhine frontier on behalf of the Empire in 389 AD. In a naked grab for power, he turned against the Western Roman emperor
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, Valentinian II
Valentinian II
Flavius Valentinianus , commonly known as Valentinian II, was Roman Emperor from 375 to 392.-Early Life and Accession :...
, and instigated his murder, though he declared Valentinian's death to be a suicide. He then proclaimed his supporter, Eugenius, a former rhetoric teacher, as emperor in 392 AD. Eugenius then spent months attempting to gain legitimacy by winning over Theodosius.
Civil War
Refusing to recognise the usurpers, in January 393 the Eastern emperor Theodosius I elevated his son HonoriusHonorius (emperor)
Honorius , was Western Roman Emperor from 395 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the eastern emperor Arcadius....
as the Augustus
Augustus (honorific)
Augustus , Latin for "majestic," "the increaser," or "venerable", was an Ancient Roman title, which was first held by Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus , and subsequently came to be considered one of the titles of what are now known as the Roman Emperors...
of the West, and thus his co-emperor. He marched with a large army to avenge Valentinian's death, travelling from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
to northeastern 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...
. Here, Theodosius confronted Arbogast, Eugenius and their forces at the Battle of the Frigidus
Battle of the Frigidus
The Battle of the Frigidus, also called the Battle of the Frigid River, was fought between September 5–6 394, between the army of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius I and the army of Western Roman ruler Eugenius....
River, near Aquileia
Aquileia
Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in what is now Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso , the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times...
. The first day of battle (September 5, 394 AD) ended in near defeat for Theodosius, and he was saved only by the coming of night. During that long night he prayed to his Christian God, where it was said that Theodosius was visited by two "heavenly riders all in white" who gave him courage. The next day, he reorganised his troops and as the battle began again and Theodosius' forces were aided by a natural phenomenon known as the Bora
Bora (wind)
Bora or Bura is a northern to north-eastern katabatic wind in the Adriatic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, and Turkey....
, which produces cyclonic winds. The Bora blew directly against the forces of Eugenius and disrupted the line, allowing the tactical brilliance and masterful generalship of Theodosius' commander, Stilicho
Stilicho
Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of Vandal birth. Despised by the Roman population for his Germanic ancestry and Arian beliefs, Stilicho was in 408 executed along with his wife and son...
, to win the day.
Eugenius was killed in his camp and Arbogast committed suicide, and with their deaths, the pagan counterrevolution in Rome also died. Theodosius once again reunited the empire under the authority of one emperor, but it would not last. By 395 AD he was dead, and his two sons re-divided the empire, permanently this time.