View source for Battle of Lake Benacus

{{Short description|Battle during the Imperial Crisis and the Roman–Germanic wars (268/269)}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Lake Benacus
| partof            = the [[Crisis of the Third Century]]<br>Roman–Alamanni conflict<br>and [[Germanic Wars|Roman–Germanic Wars]]
| image             = 
{{Location map many |Italy
| width = 300px
| float = center
| label = Lake Garda
| pos = right
| marksize = 8
| lat_deg = 45.633333
| lon_deg = 10.666667
}}
| caption           = 
| date              = 268 or early 269
| place             = Lake Benacus, [[Roman Italy|Italy]], [[Roman Empire]] (present-day [[Lake Garda]], Italy)
| result            = Roman victory<ref name=Watson43>Watson, Alaric (1999). ''Aurelian and the Third Century'', Routledge, 1999, {{ISBN|0-415-30187-4}}. p. 43</ref>
| combatant1        = [[Roman Empire]]
| combatant2        = [[Alamanni]]
| commander1        = [[Claudius II]]<br>[[Aurelian]]
| commander2        = Unknown
| strength1         = Unknown
| strength2         = Unknown
| casualties1       = Unknown
| casualties2       = Heavy<ref name=universal/>
}}
{{Campaignbox Battles of Aurelian}}
{{Campaignbox Rome against the Alamanni}}
{{Campaignbox Crisis of the Third Century}}
[[File:2017-04-10 04-14 Gardasee 168 Sirmione (33539881314).jpg|300px|thumb|right|Lake Garda, the site of the battle]]

The '''Battle of Lake Benacus''' was fought along the banks of [[Lake Garda]] in northern Italy, which was known to the Romans as Benacus, in 268<ref name=jacques/> or early 269,<ref name=Watson43/> between the army under the command of the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Claudius II]] and the [[Germanic tribes|Germanic]] tribes of the [[Alamanni]] and [[Juthungi]].<ref name=Watson43/>

==Background==
Ιn 268, the Alamanni, who had been making incursions into Roman territory since the reign of [[Marcus Aurelius]], had broken through the Roman frontier at the [[Danube]] and crossed the [[Alps]]. The power struggles in [[Mediolanum]] due to [[Aureolus]]' revolt, the murder of Emperor [[Gallienus]] and the resulting confrontation between Aureolus and [[Claudius Gothicus|Claudius]], who had been nominated as emperor by Gallienus on his death bed, forced the Romans to denude the frontier of troops.<ref name=Watson43/> Having defeated and killed Aureolus in a siege on Mediolanum, Claudius led his army, together with the remnants of Aureolus' force, north to confront the Germans.<ref name=Watson43/><ref name=beckett>{{cite book|last=A'Beckett|first=William|title=A Universal Biography|year=1836|publisher=Isaac, Tuckey, and Company|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_eLo5AAAAcAAJ/page/n833 825]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_eLo5AAAAcAAJ}}</ref><ref name=universal>{{cite book|last=Bathurst|first=C.|title=An Universal History: From the Earliest Accounts to the Present Time, Part 1, Volume 14|year=1780|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k8I-AAAAYAAJ}}</ref>

==Battle==
Details of the battle are unknown, but future Emperor [[Aurelian]] was present at the battle.<ref name=Watson43/> After what was described as a decisive victory, Claudius assumed the title Germanicus Maximus.<ref name=Watson43/><ref name=beckett/> Much of the German force was slaughtered on the field with the remainder retreating beyond the bounds of the Empire.<ref name=universal/>

==Aftermath==
Claudius returned to Rome after the battle to attend to affairs of state.<ref name=beckett/> The Alemanni returned to Italy in 271 and won a victory against Emperor [[Aurelian]] at the [[Battle of Placentia (271)|Battle of Placentia]]<ref name="jacques">{{cite book|last=Jacques|first=Tony|title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood|page=562| isbn=9780313335389 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dh6jydKXikoC}}</ref> before their ultimate defeat in the [[Battle of Fano]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Coord|45.58060|10.62053|display=title}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:260s conflicts|Lake Benacus]]
[[Category:Crisis of the Third Century]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Roman Empire|Lake Benacus]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Alemanni|Lake Benacus]]
[[Category:268]]
[[Category:Aurelian]]
[[Category:Invasions of Italy]]