The Battle of Verona was fought in 312 between the forces of the Roman emperors

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...

and

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

. Maxentius' forces were defeated, and

Ruricius Pompeianus Ruricius Pompeianus (died 312 in Verona) was Praetorian prefect and Commander of cavalry and infantry under Maxentius, Western Roman Emperor. While guarding the Adige and Po Rivers with the ample and well-directed forces of the province of Venet ...

, the most senior Maxentian commander, was killed in the fighting.

Background

In 312, Constantine saw his chance to invade Italy to end the usurpation of Maxentius. From Gaul he crossed the Alps into Italy. At the city of Segusium (

Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo- Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...

) he met some resistance when the defenders refused to open their gates for him. After a short siege the gates were fired and the city was taken; however, in order to gain the goodwill of the Italian population, Constantine directed his troops to extinguish the fires. The way to Italy lay open for him, and shortly afterwards he destroyed a Maxentian army, whose most prominent contingent was of heavy cavalry, at

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. After this victory large areas of northern Italy, including the city of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

, changed allegiance and Constantine was able to march further to the east where he routed an enemy cavalry force camped near

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and '' comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...

The battle

Following the defection of Milan to Constantine, the city of

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

became Maxentius' most important military strongpoint in the northern part of Italy. Verona was naturally strong as it sat in a loop of the River Adige, also its fortifications formed a formidable barrier to attack. Maxentius' most able general, the praetorian prefect Ruricius Pompeianus, had gathered a large army from the forces in the region of Venetia and concentrated it at Verona. Constantine arrayed his troops to begin a formal siege of Verona; however, Pompeianus led his army out to offer battle, whereupon Constantine's troops defeated them and forced them back into the city. Constantine then proceeded with his investment of Verona. Pompeianus managed to escape from the city before this was completed and rode east to gather reinforcements. He soon returned with a considerable army and placed Constantine in the difficult position of fighting on two fronts. Constantine responded by taking the offensive, he left a portion of his army to contain the garrison of the city, and with the remainder attacked Pompeianus' reinforcements. Constantine led this attack personally and his fearless example inspired a heroic effort from his soldiers. Pompeianus was killed in the resulting melee and his forces were swiftly routed. Maxentius' troops within the city were demoralised by the fate of the relieving army and soon capitulated.Odahl, pp. 103-104

Aftermath

After the surrender of Verona all opposition to Constantine in the north of Italy collapsed. Furthermore, the cities in

Etruria Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria. Etruscan Etruria The ancient people of Etruria are identified as Etruscans. Thei ...

and

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

declared for Constantine allowing him to march directly on Rome itself. At the

Battle of the Milvian Bridge The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and started on the pa ...

, immediately outside Rome, Constantine defeated Maxentius for the final time. Maxentius was killed during the battle and Constantine became ruler of the western half of the Roman Empire.

Notes

References

Primary * Zosimus, ''Historia Nova'' Secondary * Odahl, Charles Matson. ''Constantine and the Christian Empire''. New York: Routledge, 2004. Hardcover Paperback {{ISBN, 0-415-38655-1 312 Verona 312 Verona 312 Verona 312 History of Verona 310s in the Roman Empire

Background

The battle

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References