The Regime of Stilicho

Abstract

Chapter 6 provides a detailed interrogation of the regime of the general Stilicho operating under the rule of the young emperor Honorius. It examines the difficulties Stilicho’s additional claims of guardianship over Honorius’ brother, the eastern emperor Arcadius, created in relations between the two halves of the Roman empire, and the way in which the general reinvented his own role of guardian as Honorius grew older, through marrying the emperor to his daughter. The extensive writings of the court poet Claudian provide a remarkable picture of the presentation of both Honorius and Stilicho up until 404, offering also an insight into the respectful relations between the general’s regime and the Roman senate. The increasingly grave military crises facing the west, particularly in the form Alaric’s Visigoths, the rebellion of Gildo, and the barbarian invasions of the early fifth century, are explored, as is the eventual downfall of Stilicho in 408.