Battle of Verona (312)

In 286, Emperor Diocletian created a tetrarchy regime under which the state is ruled on two August, after 20 years, abdicating in favor of their chosen Caesars. On May 1, 305, he and Maximian resigned, but by 308 there were already four “legitimate” August in the empire - Galerius , Constantine, Licinius (controlled by Illyric ) and Maximin Daza , as well as Maxentius proclaimed emperor in Rome and usurper in Africa Domitius Alexander ^[1] .

In 312, Maxentius defeated Lucius Domitius, after which he joined forces with Maximinom Daza against Licinius and Constantine (Galerius died in 311). Constantine began to prepare in advance for military operations, gathering barbarians into his troops ^[1] , the reason for the outbreak of war was a delegation of senators who asked to punish Maxentius, whose commander committed violence against the daughter of a merchant ^[2] .

While Maxentius was in Rome with an army of 100 thousand soldiers, Constantine moved out of the Roman Empire controlled by him (Gaul and Britain ^[3] ), crossed the Alps with 40 thousand veterans and entered Italy through the Mont Senis pass . Faced with resistance near the city of Seguzius (present-day Susa ), Constantine ordered to set fire to the gates and storm the walls. The city was quickly captured and saved from robbery, after which Constantine went to northern Italy ^[4] . In the Battle of Turin, the numerically superior forces of Maxentius were defeated, after which most of the region, including Milan , came under the rule of Constantine ^[5] . After that, he attacked the cavalry camp at Brescia ^[6] .

After the transition of Milan to the side of Constantine, the city of Verona became the main stronghold of Maxentius in northern Italy. The place was well protected by both the fortifications and the Adige River ^[6] . Prefect of Pretoria and the commander of the cavalry and infantry, Maxentius Rurius Pompeyan, gathered here a large army from the forces available in the Veneto region. Constantine decided to start a siege of the city, but the commander Maxentius withdrew his forces for the battle, in which he was defeated and went inside the city walls ^[7] . After this, the siege was continued.

Ruritz managed to leave the city and return from the east with reinforcements, forcing the enemy to fight on two fronts. Leaving part of the army to deter the garrison, Constantine personally attacked the troops with the remainder of the army. During the battle, Pompeian was killed, and his army was quickly defeated. The incident negatively affected the morale of the troops in Verona, which soon surrendered ^[8] .

With the surrender of Verona, resistance to the troops of Constantine in northern Italy ceased. Speaking in his support of the cities of Etruria and Umbria allowed him to advance directly to Rome. In the battle near the Mulvian bridge , Maxentius’s troops were defeated, and he himself was killed. After this, Constantine began to rule the western part of the Roman Empire.

Episodes of the battle (in particular, the participation of corns in it) are depicted on the arch of Constantine .

• Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine and Eusebius . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981. ISBN 978-0-674-16531-1

• Odahl, Charles Matson. Constantine and the Christian Empire . New York: Routledge, 2004. Hardcover ISBN 0-415-17485-6 Paperback ISBN 0-415-38655-1
• Zosim . New story. About Constantine and the foundation of Constantinople. Book II. 8-39
• S. I. Kovalev . History of Rome.
• The history of ancient Rome. Edited by V.I. Kuzishchin. The fourth edition, revised and supplemented. Moscow, Higher School, 2000.