Europe 458: Battle of Arelate

Immediately upon becoming emperor in late 457, Majorian set to work building an army and fleet to restore Roman rule in Gaul, Spain, and Africa. By the fall of 458 he was ready and in November/December he crossed the Alps to winter at Lugdunum (Lyon)—which had recently been retaken by his general Aegidius. Learning that Aegidius was now being besieged at Arelate (Arles) by the Visigoths, Majorian dispatched another general, Nepotianus, who defeated the Visigoths and relieved the siege.

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Main Events

Dec 457–Nov 458 Majorian’s mobilization ▲

Upon becoming Western Roman emperor in December 457, Majorian set his sights on recovering the provinces of Gaul, Spain, and Africa starting by appointing the competent generals Aegidius and Nepotianus as magister militum per Gallias and magister utriusque militiae respectively. He then ordered the construction of two fleets “for the upper and lower seas” (i.e. at Ravenna on the Adriatic and Misenum on the Tyrrhenian) before traveling to the Danube to recruit an army of numerous tribes, including Suebi, Pannonians, Huns, Alans, Rugii, Burgundians, Ostrogoths, and Sarmatians. With his preparations complete, Majorian marched out of Ravenna with his new army in early November, making to cross the Alps into Gaul. in wikipedia

458 Pacification of the Balkan Huns ▲

In the mid-450s, in the wake of the collapse of Attila’s empire, a number of Hunnic leaders established themselves in the Roman Empire south of the Danube. This situation persisted until 458, when the Western Roman emperor Majorian recruited an army from the Pannonian tribes—among them a force of Huns under Tuldila—and the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I successfully opened up the road to the West, allowing for the transfer of the body of St Anastasia of Sirmium to Constantinople. It is also probably at this point that Marcellinus in Dalmatia decided to recognize Majorian, ending his three-year rebellion. in wikipedia

458 Death of Framta ▲

Shortly after Easter (20 April) 458 the northern Suebian king Framta died and appears to have been succeeded by Rechimund, a man whose origins and relation to Framta are unclear. At about the same time, Framta’s southern rival Maldras led an army of his own Suebes north to pillage Gallaecia along the Douro river, although it’s again unclear whether or not this was connected to Framta’s death. in wikipedia

Jul 458 Visigothic march into Baetica ▲

In July 458 the Visigothic army in Spain, led by Theodoric II’s dux Cyrila, advanced into Baetica. Although the Visigoths were still enemies of Rome at this point, they seem to have restored stability to the region, as Sabinus, bishop of Hispalis (Seville), now felt safe enough to return to his church from Gaul after a twenty-year exile (perhaps since the Suebian victory at Singilis in 438). in wikipedia

458 Roman recapture of Lugdunum ▲

In the summer of 458 the Western Roman magister militum per Gallias Aegidius arrived outside Lugdunum (Lyon) with his army and, after a short siege, retook the city from its rebellious citizens and their Burgundian protectors. Learning of this victory, the emperor Majorian promptly dispatched his private secretary Petrus to impose terms on both the Burgundians and the Gallic senators involved. However, neither seems to have been treated harshly, with the Burgundian king Gundioc and his relatives being recognized as officers in the Roman military. in wikipedia

458 Exile of Childeric I ▲

In 457 or 458 Childeric I, King of the Salian Franks, was deposed by his own people, allegedly because he had been seducing some of his noble’s daughters. Fearing for his life, Childeric fled into exile in Thuringia, where he remained for many years. In the meantime, rather than appoint a new king, the Salian Franks acknowledged the Western Roman magister militum per Gallias Aegidius as their overlord. in wikipedia

??–Dec 458 Siege of Arelate ▲

After establishing peace with the Burgundians in the summer of 458, the Western Roman magister militum per Gallias Aegidius marched south to Arelate (Arles) to take up his post. There he was suddenly attacked and besieged by Theodoric II and his Visigoths, who had been at war with Rome since the overthrow of Avitus in October 456. Despite this, Aegidius held out until December, when relief forces under Nepotianus arrived and drove off the Visigoths. in wikipedia

Dec 458 Battle of Arelate ▲

In November 458 the Western Roman emperor Majorian led his newly recruited army across the Alps from Italy into Gaul to winter at Lugdunum (Lyon). Learning that the Visigoths were besieging the magister militum per Gallias Aegidius in Arelate (Arles), Majorian dispatched his magister utriusque militiae Nepotianus with a large detachment of troops to deal with the situation. Nepotianus arrived outside Arelate in December and, with the support of a sortie by Aegidius, broke through the Visigothic lines, compelling a defeated King Theodoric II to make peace with the Romans. in wikipedia

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Europe 458: Battle of Arelate

December 458

Fall of the Western Roman Empire

Europe

Battle of Arelate