Battle of Mediolanum

The Battle of Mediolanum took place in 259, between the Allamanic Germans and the Roman legions under the command of Emperor Gallienus.

Background

As Emperor Valerian, Gallienus´ father, was unable to be present in the battlefield, he named his son Gallienus as Emperor. While Valerian was fighting against the Sassanid Empire and the Goths who by that time had sacked Asia Minor, Gallienus would be in charge of defending the Roman Empire's border.

In the Western half of the Empire the situation was difficult. The Danubian border resisted continuous barbarian attacks. Gallienus had to march with military reinforcements from Gaul, towards Dacia and Moesia to fight against the Barbarians. His victory was important as he received the title of Dacius. Even so the situation was so severe that the legions of Pannonia and Moesia rebelled and chose to make Ingenuus the emperor, in 259. Gallienus reunited the Rhine and Legio II Parthica defended and left to the battle.

Order of battle

Within the borders of the Rhine and the Alps, a Germanic confederation, the Alamanni, who occupied a good part of the Agri Decumates (the territory located between the mouth of the Rhine 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, as it was still not a walled city. The Senate of Rome in an attempt to restore its declining army to be able to protect the city armed a quick plebeian crowd for combat [cite web |url=http://www.roman-empire.net/decline/gallienus.html|title= Emperor Gallienus |accessdate=2008-01-14|format= html|work= ]

Gallienus had just defeated the pretender Ingenuus when the news arrived of the invasion by the Alamanni. Immediately he started off with the legions I Adiutrix, II Italica and II Parthica to intercept the barbarians in Italy. By then, according to the Byzantine historian Joannes Zonaras, the Alamanni had retreated before the unexpected resistance of the citizens of Rome and its Senate. When Gallienus arrived in the valley of the Po, he found the Alamanni in the vicinity of Mediolanum, present day Milan. The victory was total: according to Zonaras 300,000 Alamanni fell that day and in addition the emperor received the title Germanicus Maximus.

Aftermath

The deep penetration of the Roman Empire by the Alamanni once more revealed the weakness of the centuries-old tradition of posting Rome's legions near the borders without providing for defense in depth. The battle of Mediolanum demonstrated to the Romans the value of swift, flexible military units. Afterward, Gallienus enacted a major reform by introducing a highly mobile field army composed mainly of cavalry (vexillationes). The main units were under the control of his General Aureolus and headquartered in Mediolanum, with the mission to protect Italy.

The Roman Senate had tried to resurge as an institution by arming and commanding its own military forces to meet the Germanic threat. But, uncomfortable with this challenge to his power, Emperor Gallienus suppressed all of the Senate's military prerogatives.

Finally the invasion by the Alamanni demonstrated the vulnerability of Italy and especially Rome. This later caused Emperor Aurelian to have a strong wall built to defend the capital of the Empire.

References

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.