How a Roman general trapped Alaric the Goth in the mountains near Verona
In 402, the Roman Empire faced a dire threat from Alaric’s Visigoths. After a series of tense maneuvers and broken treaties, the Roman general Stilicho cornered the Gothic army in the mountain passes near Verona. The ensuing battle nearly ended Alaric’s career, forcing a retreat that reshaped Roman history.
The conflict began in late 401 when Alaric, King of the Visigoths, crossed the Alps into Italy. Stilicho, the Magister militum of the West, scrambled to defend the imperial court at Mediolanum. Following a likely defeat at the Battle of Pollentia in April 402, Alaric attempted to march on Rome. Stilicho intercepted him, opting to pay a subsidy for the Goths' departure rather than risking another engagement. However, the peace was short-lived. Stilicho, alerted by spies that Alaric was planning a new invasion of Gaul, considered the treaty void and prepared an ambush in the mountain passes leading from Gaul into Rhaetia.
The Goths were trapped in the valleys near Verona, surrounded by Roman forces. In the resulting battle, Alaric suffered heavy casualties, though he managed to break through the lines with his bravest soldiers to reach an adjacent hill. While critics of Stilicho argued that he could have easily exterminated the remaining Gothic army, Alaric escaped over the Alps into Illyricum. This defeat forced the Gothic king to return to Honorius' allegiance, accepting a subsidy and a military command in exchange for aiding the Western Empire against Arcadius' ministers.
Despite the celebration in Rome, the victory was a fleeting reprieve. Stilicho’s success in 402 was followed by years of instability, including the invasion of Radagaisus and the rise of the usurper Constantine III. By 408, the political climate in the court of Honorius turned against Stilicho, leading to his execution. With the general removed, Alaric returned to Italy in 409, eventually leading to the sack of Rome in 410. The Battle of Verona remains a pivotal moment where the Roman Empire narrowly avoided disaster, only to succumb to internal intrigue and shifting alliances shortly thereafter.
Source: Battle of Verona (402)
