Alemannic Invasion of Gaul (298)

Alemannic Invasion of Gaul (298)

PRINCIPAL COMBATANTS: Roman Gaul vs. the Alemannic
tribes

PRINCIPAL THEATER(S): Gaul (modern-day France)

DECLARATION: None

MAJOR ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES: The Alemanni sought
plunder and hegemony over Gaul; the Romans fought to
defend Gaul and expel the Alemanni beyond its frontier

OUTCOME: The Alemanni were routed and Gaul remained
free of barbarian incursions

APPROXIMATE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MEN UNDER ARMS:
Unknown

CASUALTIES: Unknown

TREATIES: Unknown

Gaul, a province of the Roman Empire for centuries, lay
undefended from time to time, depending on the strength
of the western emperor, and its occasional vulnerability
encouraged raids by neighboring marauding tribes. In
298 the barbarian Alemanni, a nomadic people from the
north, who first became known to history when the
Romans attacked them in 213 and who, by 260, occupied
the Agri Decumates, swept into Gaul and began ravaging
the countryside.
In response to the invasion, the Roman Senate dispatched
Flavius Valerius Constantius (c. 250–306), “Caesar”
of the Western Roman Empire and commander of its
armies. By the time Constantius was able to deploy his
legions in the field, the Alemanni already controlled much
of Gaul and had destroyed a good portion of the countryside.
Almost immediately Constantius met the Alemanni at
the battle of Lingones, a small town in northeastern Gaul,
which would prove a spectacular victory for the Romans.
Beaten back earlier in the day, then trapped by the invaders
against the walls of the city, Constantius called on his
reserve to lower ropes down the city walls. A good portion
of the army scrambled up to safety. That same day Constantius
was able to call for reinforcements, and when he led his
legions back into the field, he defeated and routed the Alemanni,
who scattered into the scorched countryside.
The Alemanni regrouped at the town of Vindonissa
and turned to meet Constantius’s pursuit. The Roman
general engaged in battle, without halting to rest his
troops, but Roman discipline held and the Alemanni were
totally defeated and driven from Gaul. Vindonissa brought
an end to the barbarian incursions for the time being, at
least while Constantius ruled Gaul with a firm hand.

Further reading: J. B. Bury, Invasion of Europe by the
Barbarians (New York: W. W. Norton, 2000); Anthony
King, Roman Gaul and Germany (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1990).