- The Battle of the Frigidus River was between the western Roman Emperor Eugenius and the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I, whose victory resulted in Theodosius ruling both halves of the Empire.
- This was really a battle between the old Pagan Senators of Rome and the new Christian Roman Emperor.
Date and Location
- 5-6th September 394 CE on the River Frigidus, possibly the present day river Vipava in Slovenia.
The Reason for the Battle
- Theodosius I was also obliged to accept the settlement of the Goths south of the Danube, and use them as recruits in the Roman Army.
- However, they acted as Foederati under their own Commanders. As their loyalty varied in battles against other Germanic invasions, this ultimately weakened the Roman Empire’s ability to defend itself.
The Commanders
- Eugenius and Arbogast for the Western Empire
- versus:
- Theodosius I, Stilicho and Alaric for the Eastern Empire
The Strength of the Forces under Eugenius
- 35-50,000 Romans
- Losses: unknown but devastating
The Strength of the Forces under Theodosius I
- Total: c.50,000 soldiers
- 20-30,000 Romans
- 20,000 Goths
- Losses: 10,000 Goths
The Battle
- The two armies lined up in a river valley surrounded by mountains.
- Theodosius committed his 20,000 Goths in a frontal assault that cost him the lives of 10,000 Goths on the first day. The two sides withdrew for the night with Eugenius convinced that he had won.
- On the second day, the two sides lined up opposite each other again. However, a strong wind, probably the Bora, blew with great intensity from behind Theodosius’ army, deflecting the arrows from Eugenius’ army and blowing dust into their eyes.
- Eugenius’ army broke and was routed by the Theodosian army. Eugenius was executed and Arbogast committed suicide a few days later.
The Outcome
- It was the last battle between a Pagan Emperor and a Christian Emperor.
- The battle’s importance is rated on a par with the Battle of Milvian Bridge (312 CE) and represents the end of the influence of the Pagan Senatorial class.
- It also is seen as having undermined the military strength of the Western Empire, accelerating its decline.
The River Vipava, Slovenia