04-16-2014, 12:45 AM
Quote:Justin wrote:
Whenever he did confront Alaric, Stilicho took an extremely cautious approach, trying to starve or blockade him rather than attack him directly, which seems to indicate he didn't have much confidence in his forces
If that was the case and Stilicho did not have much confidence in his forces, then why didn’t Alaric take advantage of this and attack Stilicho? Maybe there is some truth in Rutilius’ condemnation of Stilicho.
He did, twice, in 401 and 402, and was defeated both times, but Stilicho allowed him to retreat instead of finishing him off.
Also, I don't think Alaric's goal was to completely destroy the Western army. He just wanted some land to distribute to his followers to make them happy and keep them fed. Alaric played hardball in negotiations, and wasn't above plundering a few villas or sacking a city to get his point across. He thought that by marching into northern Italy, he could intimidate Ravenna into accepting his demands and backing off militarily.
