The Battle of Ticinum, or Battle of Pavia, was fought in 271 near Ticinum ( Pavia) in Italy, and resulted in the emperor

Aurelian Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...

destroying the retreating Juthungi army.

Background

In 271, the Juthungi invaded

Roman Italy Roman Italy (called in both the Latin and Italian languages referring to the Italian Peninsula) was the homeland of the ancient Romans and of the Roman empire. According to Roman mythology, Italy was the ancestral home promised by Jupiter to A ...

. They defeated Aurelian's army at the Battle of Placentia but, on their way to attack the defenseless city of Rome, they were repulsed by the imperial army at the Battle of Fano. The Juthungi then asked for peace but Aurelian rejected their demand for safe passage. Trying to force their way back to their homelands, they headed north using the Via Aemilia. Aurelian wanted a decisive victory in order to restore his damaged reputation after the loss at Placentia as well as to recover the

plunder Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

the Juthungi were carrying. Therefore, he went in pursuit of the invaders, waiting for the best moment to attack.

The battle

Aurelian attacked the Juthungi while they were entering the open plains near Ticinum (Pavia). He was able to destroy their entire force, except for a column that escaped through the Alps. However, this remnant force was later caught by Aurelian in Raetia and was eliminated.''The Cambridge Ancient History, vol 12, The Crisis of Empire, A.D. 193-337'' (ed. Alan K. Bowman, Peter Garnsey, Averil Cameron), Cambridge University Press, 2005, , p. 223.

Aftermath

For the victory, Aurelian assumed the title of honour ''Germanicus Maximus''. His victories ended the Juthungi invasion, but the Roman citizenry were shocked by the great threat that Rome itself had faced after the loss near Placentia. However, the menace of the Germanic people and a Germanic invasion was still perceived by the Romans as likely. In response, Aurelian resolved to build a new system of walls around Rome that became known as the Aurelian Walls around Rome. Portions of this wall can still be seen in Rome today.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Pavia (271) Pavia Pavia Pavia 271 Pavia Pavia 271 Pavia Pavia 271 Pavia Pavia Aurelian