Stilicho, Flavius (died 408), a Roman general and statesman. He successfully defended Italy against barbarian invasions, but at the cost of sacrificing Roman control of Gaul and Britain. Stilicho was a Vandal who served in the Roman army after his people were permitted to settle on the Danube frontier. He became commander in chief under Emperor Theodosius I. When Theodosius died in 395, he left the empire divided between his two young sons, the West going to Honorius, with Stilicho as regent.
The empire was immediately threatened by the Visigoths, under Alaric, who led them into Greece. Stilicho forced them to withdraw. In 400 Alaric invaded Italy. Stilicho called to his aid the Roman legions from Gaul and Britain, and the Visigoths were driven out in 403. In 405 a barbarian horde that poured into Italy from the north was almost wiped out by Stilicho's forces. Meanwhile, barbarians were occupying undefended Gaul and Britain.
Stilicho's enemies convinced Honorius that the general was plotting against him, and the emperor had Stilicho put to death. Alaric immediately invaded Italy again and in 410 captured Rome.
