The siege of Autun was a conflict fought between the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

and the invading barbarian Alemanni tribe, who were ravaging

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only durin ...

, in 356 AD. The Romans successfully defended the city, and the barbarians retreated on the approach of reinforcements.

Background

During the

Roman civil war of 350–353 The Roman civil war of 350–353 AD was a war fought between the Roman emperor Constantius II and the usurper Magnentius. Background With the death of Constantine I in 337 AD, the empire was divided between his three sons from his marriage t ...

, Emperor

Constantius II Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic ...

sought to increase pressure on his rival

Magnentius Magnus Magnentius ( 303 – 11 August 353) was a Roman general and usurper against Constantius II from 350 to 353. Of Germanic descent, Magnentius served with distinction in Gaul under the Western emperor Constans. On 18 January 350 Magnentiu ...

by urging the Alemannic confederation to cross the

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

and invade Magnentius' dominions in

. The scheme was successful; the tribes under the command of Chnodomar and his allies invaded Gaul, defeating ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

Decentius Magnus Decentius (died 18 August 353) was ''caesar'' of the Western Roman Empire from 350 to 353, under his brother Magnentius. History Nothing is known of Decentius prior to 350. Magnentius usurped power from Constans on 18 January 350, an ...

(Magnentius' brother) in the field, and besieging him in

Sens Sens () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km from Paris. Sens is a sub-prefecture and the second city of the department, the sixth in the region. It is crossed by the Yonne and t ...

. At the conclusion of the civil war, however, the Alemani declined to yield their conquests to the emperor, though he had granted them a commission to attack exclusively the rebels. Constantius entrusted Silvanus with driving the barbarians from Gaul and restoring Roman authority there. After the latter's revolt in early 355 AD, Constantitus elevated his cousin

Julian Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (give ...

to the title of Caesar of the Western Roman Empire on 6 November, 355. On the first day of December, Julian was sent from

Mediolanum Mediolanum, the ancient city where Milan now stands, was originally an Insubrian city, but afterwards became an important Roman city in northern Italy. The city was settled by the Insubres around 600 BC, conquered by the Romans in 222 BC, an ...

to assume his command. He resided in

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

river, during the winter of 355–356.

Autun

In 356, as soon as the campaign season had begun, Julian received a report that the city of

Autun Autun () is a subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the early Roman Empire by Emperor Augustus as Augustodunum to give ...

, the capital of the

Aedui The Aedui or Haedui (Gaulish: *''Aiduoi'', 'the Ardent'; grc, Aἴδουοι) were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the modern Burgundy region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. The Aedui had an ambiguous relationship with the Roman Republic ...

, was under siege by a sizable army of Alemanni. Though the ancient town boasted a vast extent of walls, these were in a state of some disrepair, and consequently the city's regular garrison, despairing of defense, had abandoned their posts. Only the

patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

valor of a band of veterans residing in the city preserved the inhabitants from the ravages of the Alemans. Though he had no previous experience of arms or warfare, Julian at once advanced to lift the siege, arriving on 24 June. The barbarians retreated upon his approach.Goldsworthy, Adrian. ''In the Name of Rome'', Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2003, p. 343

References

{{Julian (emperor)

356

Autun 356 Autun 356 350s in the Roman Empire 4th century in Roman Gaul Julian (emperor)