Stilicho
Stilicho | |
|---|---|
Ivory diptych, possibly of Stilicho (right) with his wife Serena and son Eucherius, c. 395 (Monza Cathedral). It may instead depict Aetius. | |
| Born | c. 359 |
| Died | 22 August 408 (aged c. 49) |
| Resting place | Unknown, possibly the Sarcophagus of Stilicho |
| Office | Consul (400, 405) |
| Children | 3 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Western Roman Empire |
| Years of service | 382–408 |
| Rank | Comes et magister utriusque militiae |
| Battles | Battle of the Frigidus (394) Gothic War (395–398) Gildonic War (398) Pictish War (398) Siege of Asti (402) Battle of Pollentia (402) Battle of Verona (402) War of Radagaisus (405–406) |
Stilicho (/ˈstɪlɪkoʊ/; c. 359 – 22 August 408) was a military commander in the Roman army who, for a time, became the most powerful man in the Western Roman Empire. He was partly of Vandal origins and married to Serena, the niece of emperor Theodosius I. He became guardian for the underage Honorius. After years of struggle against barbarian and Roman enemies, political and military disasters finally allowed his enemies in the court of Honorius to remove him from power. His fall culminated in his arrest and execution in 408.