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Battle of Turin (312)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Turin was fought in 312
between Roman emperor Constantine and the troops of his rival augustus, Maxentius
. Constantine won the battle, giving an impressive display of the tactical skill which was to characterise his whole military career. The campaign ended with his more famous victory at the Milvian Bridge
immediately outside Rome
.
with 100,000 soldiers, Constantine had moved from his portion of the Roman Empire
, and crossed the Alps
with less than 40,000 veterans at Mont Cenis
pass. Constantine faced a first resistance in Segusia (Susa, Italy
), but the city was taken and burned; in order to gain the support of the Italian population, Constantine ordered the fire to be extinguished.
At his approach, from the west, to the important city of Augusta Taurinorum (Turin
), Constantine encountered a Maxentian army which included an impressive force of heavily armoured cavalry, called clibanarii
or cataphract
i in the ancient sources. In the ensuing battle Constantine extended the frontage of his battle line, allowing Maxentius' cavalry to ride into the middle of his array. As his army outflanked that of the enemy, Constantine's more lightly armoured and mobile cavalry were able to charge in on the exposed flanks of the Maxentian cataphracts. Constantine's cavalry were equipped with iron-tipped clubs, ideal weapons for dealing with heavily armoured foes. Some Maxentian cavalrymen were unhorsed, while many others were variously incapacitated by the blows of clubs. Constantine then commanded his foot soldiers to advance against the surviving Maxentian infantry, cutting them down as they fled. Victory, the panegyrist who speaks of the events declares, came easily. The people of Turin refused to give refuge to the retreating forces of Maxentius, and closed the city gates against them. The citizens reportedly cheered Constantine's troops as they slaughtered those of Maxentius' soldiers trapped against the city walls. Following the battle Constantine entered the city to the acclamations of its populace. Other cities of the north Italian plain, recognising Constantine's military genius and his favourable treatment of the civil population, sent him embassies of congratulation for his victory.
, and later won a major battle at Verona
, where Maxentius' most senior general, Ruricius Pompeianus
, was killed. After Maxentian resistance in the northern Italy had been overcome, Constantine marched on Rome, where he defeated and killed Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.
312
Year 312 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus...
between Roman emperor Constantine and the troops of his rival augustus, Maxentius
Maxentius
Maxentius was a Roman Emperor from 306 to 312. He was the son of former Emperor Maximian, and the son-in-law of Emperor Galerius.-Birth and early life:Maxentius' exact date of birth is unknown; it was probably around 278...
. Constantine won the battle, giving an impressive display of the tactical skill which was to characterise his whole military career. The campaign ended with his more famous victory at the Milvian Bridge
Battle of Milvian Bridge
The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and started on the path that led him to end the Tetrarchy and become the...
immediately outside Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Prelude
While Maxentius had fortified in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
with 100,000 soldiers, Constantine had moved from his portion of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, and crossed the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
with less than 40,000 veterans at Mont Cenis
Mont Cenis
Mont Cenis is a massif and pass in Savoie in France which forms the limit between the Cottian and Graian Alps.A road over the pass was built between 1803 and 1810 by Napoleon...
pass. Constantine faced a first resistance in Segusia (Susa, Italy
Susa, Italy
Susa is a city and comune in Piedmont, Italy. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Riparia, a tributary of the Po River, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, 51 km west of Turin.-History:...
), but the city was taken and burned; in order to gain the support of the Italian population, Constantine ordered the fire to be extinguished.
The battle
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
), Constantine encountered a Maxentian army which included an impressive force of heavily armoured cavalry, called clibanarii
Clibanarii
The Clibanarii or Klibanophoroi were a Sassanid Persian, late Roman and Byzantine military unit of heavy armored horsemen. Similar to the cataphracti, the horsemen themselves and their horses were fully armoured...
or cataphract
Cataphract
A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalry utilised in ancient warfare by a number of peoples in Western Eurasia and the Eurasian Steppe....
i in the ancient sources. In the ensuing battle Constantine extended the frontage of his battle line, allowing Maxentius' cavalry to ride into the middle of his array. As his army outflanked that of the enemy, Constantine's more lightly armoured and mobile cavalry were able to charge in on the exposed flanks of the Maxentian cataphracts. Constantine's cavalry were equipped with iron-tipped clubs, ideal weapons for dealing with heavily armoured foes. Some Maxentian cavalrymen were unhorsed, while many others were variously incapacitated by the blows of clubs. Constantine then commanded his foot soldiers to advance against the surviving Maxentian infantry, cutting them down as they fled. Victory, the panegyrist who speaks of the events declares, came easily. The people of Turin refused to give refuge to the retreating forces of Maxentius, and closed the city gates against them. The citizens reportedly cheered Constantine's troops as they slaughtered those of Maxentius' soldiers trapped against the city walls. Following the battle Constantine entered the city to the acclamations of its populace. Other cities of the north Italian plain, recognising Constantine's military genius and his favourable treatment of the civil population, sent him embassies of congratulation for his victory.
Aftermath
The victory at Turin opened Italy to Constantine. He moved on to Milan, where he was met with open gates and jubilant rejoicing. He resided there until the middle of the summer of 312 before moving on. He routed an enemy cavalry force camped near BresciaBrescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
, and later won a major battle at Verona
Battle of Verona (312)
The Battle of Verona was fought in 312 between the forces of the Roman emperors Constantine I and Maxentius. Maxentius' forces were defeated, and Ruricius Pompeianus, the most senior Maxentian commander, was killed in the fighting.-Background:...
, where Maxentius' most senior general, Ruricius Pompeianus
Ruricius Pompeianus
Ruricius Pompeianus was Praetorian prefect and Commander of cavalry and infantry under Maxentius, Western Roman Emperor. While guarding the Adige and Po Rivers with the ample and well-directed forces of the province of Venetia, Pompeianus was killed by Constantine I's troops during the desperately...
, was killed. After Maxentian resistance in the northern Italy had been overcome, Constantine marched on Rome, where he defeated and killed Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.