In 383, a young man named Stilicho stood before the court of King Shapur III in Ctesiphon. He carried no sword but an embassy mission from Emperor Theodosius I. His father had been a Vandal cavalry officer, yet Stilicho considered himself fully Roman. He was not Arian like many Germanic Christians; he followed Nicene Christianity, the official faith declared by Theodosius. This diplomatic journey to Persia marked his first major appearance on the historical stage.
The peace talks concluded successfully, and Stilicho returned to Constantinople. There, he married Serena, the niece of Emperor Theodosius I. Claudian later claimed Theodosius awarded him this marriage for outstanding achievements, but historians note Stilicho was merely a junior member of that embassy. Perhaps they met within the imperial residence, or perhaps Theodosius saw value in tying a half-barbarian general to the household. Their union produced three children: Eucherius, Maria, and Thermantia.
Promotions followed rapidly. In 385, he became comes sacri stabuli and then comes domesticorum. By 392 or 393, Theodosius elevated him to comes et magister utriusque militiae with command over soldiers in Thrace. When Valentinian II died in 392, Theodosius appointed Stilicho co-commander alongside Timasius. They defeated the Western army at the Battle of the Frigidus. Alaric, who commanded Gothic auxiliaries during that campaign, would become Stilicho's chief adversary years later.
Balkans Campaign And Gothic Wars
In 395, King Alaric led Goths back to Lower Moesia only to raid the countryside instead of honoring their treaty. Rufinus, Praetorian Prefect of the East, attempted negotiations while Eastern armies fought Hunnic incursions elsewhere. Stilicho marched his victorious troops from Italy into the Balkans, surrounding Alaric somewhere in Thessaly. Claudian claimed Stilicho could have destroyed them but obeyed orders from Arcadius to return Eastern forces and leave Illyricum.
Stilicho resented these commands yet complied anyway. When Eastern forces reached Constantinople, Rufinus was murdered by the very troops he had sent to meet them. Many historians suspect Stilicho orchestrated this assassination to remove a rival. In 396, he campaigned against Franks and other Germanic tribes in Gaul to boost morale after three consecutive defeats in civil wars.
The next year, 397, Stilicho defeated Alaric's forces in Macedonia. Alaric escaped into surrounding mountains. Edward Gibbon criticized Stilicho for overconfidence and indulgence allowing the escape, though modern scholarship offers alternative explanations including orders from Arcadius or unreliable barbarian troops. Meanwhile, Gildo revolted in Africa, declaring African provinces under Eastern control. Stilicho sent Mascezel, Gildo's brother, to suppress the rebellion quickly.