Background: In 387, Magnus Maximus used a barbarian invasion of Raetia to move troops past the armies of Valentinian II into northern Italy. Maximus's forces quickly turned on Valentinian's troops and seized the mountainous passes into the Italian peninsula, thus securing them for the main body of Maximus's army. The move was relatively bloodless and had accomplished in a month what Theodosius I and St. Ambrose had worked for four years to prevent; the complete domination of the Western Roman Empire by Magnus Maximus. Valentinian II and his court managed to escape the clutches of Magnus Maximus narrowly and fled to Thessalonika under the protection of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius I. Theodosius I, for his part, was probably as surprised by Maximus's quick advance as Valentinian II was. After taking the Western Roman Empire, Maximus sent envoys to Theodosius I arguing that he was the legitimate Orthodox Emperor of the West. Theodosius seems to have vacillated between inaction and mobilizing for war but was finally wooed into action by a marriage alliance to Valentinian II's sister, Galla. Magnus Maximus, for the most part, seemed to have wanted to avoid a major confrontation with Theodosius I, perhaps out of the memory of the disastrous civil war between Magnentius and Constantius II a few decades before. However, he nonetheless made ready to march east. After securing Italy and North Africa, Maximus finally moved east after 18 months of complete control of the Western Roman Empire. Gameplans: Maximus's plan for victory seemed rather conservative compared to his adversary: he would march into Illyria and besiege the local settlements until Theodosius's army arrived; then, he would defeat the latter in a pitched battle and move on from there. Theodosius I, however, was the more creative of the two Emperors and sent false signals that he was planning an invasion of Italy via the sea to distract Maximus. In addition, while the main body of the Eastern Roman army and allies would be under Theodosius's command, a smaller but still significant army would be led by the Romanized Frank, Arbogast, with the intention to flank Maximus's army and head to Trier(Maximus's capital). So Begins the Bloody Business of the Day: Both armies had the same approximate strength, and a large contingent of German foederati and vassal troops was also brought. Some estimates put the total troop numbers at around 80,000-90,000 soldiers. Magnus Maximus had with him large contingents of the field armies from Britannia, Gaul, and Hispania, along with large amounts of Alemanni allies. On the other hand, Theodosius I had the field armies of the Balkans and Orient at his disposal, along with many Hunnic and Alani mercenaries and a large contingent of Gothic foederati. Maximus marched his forces into Illyria and captured Siscia, while Theodosius marched west to meet him. Maximus's and Theodosius's armies met for battle on the Sava river. The action started when Theodosius's mounted mercenary units began crossing the river; Maximus's troops were taken by surprise by the crossing and were severely mauled in the initial skirmish. However, his forces managed to extract themselves from the river in one piece and set up camp away from the crossing. The next day both forces met for a pitched battle that lasted all day long. Eventually, Theodosius's horse archers made the difference, and Maximus's troops were beaten back. To prevent an all-out rout, Maximus ordered his brother, Marcellinus, to conduct a counterattack to allow the army's remnants to escape back to Italy. It is unknown how many Romans and their allies died during the battle. Still, the casualties suffered by the gothic contingents were enough for a revolt to break out against Theodosius I in 390, led by a certain Goth named Alaric. Maximus eventually made his way back to the city of Aquileia, where he received news that the Franks had taken advantage of his redeployment of the field armies on the Rhine and had conducted a series of raids near Cologne. From Bad to Worse: While Maximus was being pursued to Aquileia, the Franks, under a warlord named Marcomer, began a series of raids on the Rhine frontier. The raids were severe enough that there was a genuine fear that the Franks would sack the city of Colonia Agrippina(Cologne). To Maximus's credit, he didn't remove all military formations from the Rhine, as he had left the generals Nanninus and Quintinus with a small contingent of crack troops from the Ioviani legion. The generals caught a large contingent of the raiders on their way back across the Rhine river and massacred them. However, Quintinus, going against the advice of Nanninus, launched a punitive expedition against the Franks that ended in disaster and resulted in the deaths of many elite Roman soldiers. From Death to Founding a Nation: Theodosius I eventually tracked Maximus to the Italian city of Aquileia and began a siege of the city. Demoralized by the defeat on the Sava river and with news of the Frankish raids reaching the city, Maximus's soldiers gave him up to Theodosius I in chains. Maximus is said to have begged for mercy but received none. However, his death by beheading was relatively quick and painless, which counts for something. Shortly after the death of Magnus Maximus, Arbogast arrived at Trier to tie up the last loose end; he had Flavius Victor strangled and replaced Nanninus and Quintinus with the generals Charietto and Syrus. With the death of Magnus Maximus in 388, direct Imperial involvement in northern Europe came to an end. While the areas would be under nominal Roman authority until the Germanic crossing of the Rhine in 406/7, many areas north of Lugdunum began to devolve into local administration. Maximus, for his part, would later be considered something of a founding father to the Welsh people and would live on through their national mythos to the present day. No Winners: If it isn't apparent enough, there were no winners from the Roman civil war of 388. While Valentinian II ended up getting the Western Roman Empire back, he was confined to only a ceremonial role and murdered by Arborgast or committed suicide. Theodosius I, for his part, indirectly set himself up for another bloody civil war by not responding to Arborgast's requests for a new Emperor in the summer of A.D 392. In the end, the two Roman civil wars of 388 and 394 would have disastrous effects on the Western Roman army, with some estimates putting the total casualties at around 2/3rd of the professional army. Indeed, we see Flavius Stilicho having to impress slaves and strip the Rhine frontier of all troops, to scrape together a measly 20,000 soldiers to face the Vandal invasion of Italy in A.D 405. While it is hyperbole to suggest that the Western Roman Empire began its decline in A.D. 388, that year's disastrous civil war certainly sped up its demise. Below is a list of the significant persons listed from this period and what fate befell them: Magnus Maximus: Died via beheading in the autumn of 388. Flavius Victor: Died via strangulation in the autumn/winter of 388. Marcellinus: Unknown, likely killed in the counterattack, or executed by Theodosius I. Nanninus and Quintinus: Unknown, replaced by two of Arborgast's generals in late 388. Valentinian II: Died via suicide or murder in 392. Justina (Mother of Valentinian II): Died before Theodosius's victory over Magnus Maximus. Galla (Sister of Valentinian II): Died in childbirth in 394. Theodosius I: Died of edema shortly after defeating Eugenius and Arbogast, in 395. Arbogast: Died by falling on his sword after the defeat at the battle of the Frigidus river in 394. Marcomer: Captured by the Romans and sent into exile in Italy. The Coin: I recently picked up this lovely siliqua of Magnus Maximus, which inspired this post. If you think you have seen this coin before, you are right(to an extent), as it is the fourth obverse die match I have of the type. Magnus Maximus. AD 383-388. AR Siliqua (18mm, 2.22 g, 6h). Treveri (Trier) mint. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Roma enthroned facing, head left, holding globe and scepter; TRPS. RIC IX 84b.1 corr. (listed as spear); RSC 20†a corr. (same). Lightly toned. EF. And the coin in hand. Please post your coins of this period down below! Repost from Numisforums, as I thought CT needed more late Roman threads.
Beautiful coin. Great write up. You must have an amazing collection. How bout a gallery shot of some of your treasures.
An amazing collection. The state of preservation is remarkable. So many in one collection. WOW!! Most of the time when you see these treasures they are worn to a frazzle. You have a good eye for quality and patience to have this museum quality collection. Congratulations.
Excellent story and very nice siliqua of Magnus Maximus. I love siliqua & have managed to snag 3 of them but sadly, no M&M's. Not to forget but the disastrous battle of Adrianoplois happened just a few short years before in 378. I think 80,000 Roman legionares perished in that battle and the body of Western Roman Emperor Valens was never recovered- probably hacked to pieces. As I love the history of this period do you have any good books to recommend?
@tibor Thank you! It has been nearly seven years since I began collecting siliquae, and I am happy with my collection thus far.
Thank you! Adrianople was a disaster but only involved units from the Eastern Roman Army, as Gratian and the Western Roman units arrived too late to engage in the battle. The Western Roman field armies would remain relatively intact until the civil wars of 388 and 394.
