Battle of Mediolanum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since November 2006. |
|
This article or section may need a complete rewrite. Please discuss this issue on the talk page. |
The battle of Mediolanum took place in year 259, between the Germanic forces of the Alamanni and the Roman legions directed by Gallienus emperor.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Valerian, father of Gallienus, before the impossibility to be present in all the battlefields, named to its Gallienus son emperor. Whereas it would be in charge to fight to sassanid Empire, directed by Shapur I (241-272), and to the goths that by those dates sacked Asia Minor. Gallienus on the other hand would be in charge in front of the defense of the Empire the Germans in the Rhin and the Danube.
In the West of the Empire the situation was quite difficult. The border danubian supported continuous Barbarian attacks. Thus Gallienus had to march in the 257, with military reinforcements of the Gaul, towards Dacia and Mesia to fight against the Barbarians. Its victory was important as it is let see by the title of Dacicus. Even so the situation was so that the legions of Pannonia and Mesia rebelled and chose to their Ingenuus legacy like emperor, was year 259. Gallienus reunited cash of the Rhin and II the Parthica (that from times of Septimius Severus, Rome defended) and left to the fight.
[edit] The Battle
Before the lack of cash in the borders of the Rhin and of the Alps, a Germanic confederation, The Alamanni, that by those times occupied good part of the Agri Decumates (territory located between the birth of the Rhin river and the Danube), crossed the alpine steps and fell on the fertile plain of the Po river. The sacking of the zone instilled terror in Rome, that was still not walled. But the Senate of Rome in an attempt to restitute its declining one to be able (from century II) armed to a quick plebian crowd for the combat.
Gallienus maintained one lasts war against Ingenuus when the news arrived to him from the invasion of the Alamanni. Immediately it started off with the legions I Adiutrix, II Italica and II Parthica to in front of do the Barbarians in same Italy. By then, according to the historian byzantine Zonaras, the Alamanni had retired before the unexpected resistance of the citizenship of Rome and its Senate. When Gallienus arrived at the valley of the Po, it found to the Barbarian rear in the neighborhoods of Mediolanum (today Milan). The victory was total, according to Zonaras 300,000 alamanni fell that day and and in addition the emperor was greeted like Germanicus Maximus.
[edit] Results
The battle of Mediolanum demonstrated the inefficiency of the position fixed military. Gallienus carried out a deep military remodeling, introducciendo movable units mainly of cavalry (vexillationes). The main units will be to the control of Aureolo (usurping in the 268) with seat in Mediolanum, with the mission to protect Italy. On the other hand the Senate, that had tried to resurge as institution arming and commanding an army before the Germanic threat. It saw suppressed all his military prerogatives by decree of the emperor. Finally this attack demonstrated the vulnerability of Italy and Rome, which it will take to Aurelian emperor to raise a strong wall that defended to the capital of the Empire, Rome.
[edit] Bibliography
Historia de Roma. Francesco Bertolini.
Gli Imperatori Romani. Michael Grant.
Historia de Roma, Tomo II El Imperio Romano. José M Roldán, José María Blázquez, Arcadio del Castillo.
Historia de Roma. José Manuel Roldán.
Historia Augusta. VVAA.
Compendium of History. Joannes Zonaras.
