Talk:Battle of Poetovio

References?

I found no references for this battle. According to my sources, Magnus Maximus was captured at Aquileia.--Panairjdde 18:13, 30 November 2005 (UTC)

Sisica, a proper location of the battle

I agree. As the battle might happened in the surroundings of my home town, I have checked some available literature and none of them records the battle "of the Save". Although it records that Emona was involved in conflict with Maximus. That can be found in Schmid's "Emona". It says Maximus succeeded to plunger and occupy city of Emona for several months. Same author and modern history notice (triumphal) arriving of Emperor Theodosius in the liberated city, during the war.

I have also found some on-line sources regarding Maximus and year 388 that I have listed below.

Summarising all listed literature, we can find out that Theodosius found Maximus army that "after the siege of Æmona (Emona), ... fixed ... (their) camp in the neighborhood of Siscia ... strongly fortified by the broad and rapid stream of the Save". And that after few months Theodosius "squadrons of archers who fought on horseback" attacked Maximus army defeating them. Afterwards Theosodius marched through Emona "to receive the loyal acclamations of the citizens" towards Aquileia. We can easily conclude that battle "of the Save" could not happen near Emona, today Ljubljana, Slovenia, but few hundred kilometers southern in plains of the river Sava near Siscia, today Sisak, Croatia.

References:

• The History of the Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire - Vol 3, chapter 3, by Edward Gibbon
• The History of the Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire - Vol 3, chapter 4, by Edward Gibbon
  
• Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, & Rufinus: Historical Writings note quotation reffering Hodgkin's “Dynasty of Theodosius” p. 127.
• The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon — In The West Chapter XXVII

Navportus 22:49, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

Stirrups and Sources?

This article has only two sources. Gibbon is actually a fairly poor and antiquated secondary source on the Roman Empire. According to historian Peter Heather in his The Fall of the Roman Empire: a New History of Rome and the Barbarians, the Huns used a wood saddle but not stirrups. I know stirrups are a somewhat controversial topic but I recall the general consensus now is that stirrups did not exist in the 4th century AD. — Preceding unsigned comment added by HeirOfSumer (talk • contribs) 13:23, 22 October 2015 (UTC)

Theodosius's Choice

In the article, the phrase "Theodosius [was faced with a choice] which might, given the barbarian menace, bring the empire to final destruction." is unwarranted. According to Gibbon, the empire was exhausted following the Gothic War, and in the event of a civil war, "the feeble conqueror would remain an easy prey to the Barbarians of the North." Being prey to the barbarians cannot be construed to mean the empire might be destroyed.

References:

• The History of the Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire - Vol 3, chapter XXVII: Civil Wars, Reign Of Theodosius.—Part I, by Edward Gibbon
  

RMcPhillip (talk) 19:37, 23 December 2022 (UTC)

Drava or Sava?

Every language except English is calling this the battle of the Sava. Was there sone historical reevaluation? 99.228.42.155 (talk) 23:36, 15 June 2025 (UTC)

• "..battle took place near Poetovio." --The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture, Otto J. Maenchen-Helfen, page 45.
• "Shortly thereafter Theodosius won a victory in the battle of Poetovio-Ptuj." --History of the Goths, Herwig Wolfram, page 136.
• "Theodosius invaded Italy by land and by sea, defeating Maximus' army at the battles of Siscia and Poetovio in 388." --Conflict in Ancient Greece and Rome: The Definitive Political, Social, ed.Sara Elise Phang, Iain Spence, Douglas Kelly, Peter Londey, page 1026.
• "..Magnus Maximus and Theodosius I at Siscia and Poetovio in 388..." --A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-700, Stephen Mitchell & Geoffrey Greatrex, page 59.
• "..examines the historiographical dimensions of the description of the battle of Poetovio in 388 between Theodosius and Magnus Maximus..." --Future Knowledge and Imperial Acceptance in Late Antique Historiography and Epideictic Rhetoric, Michael Hanaghan, page 7.
• "In 388, the two met at the battle of Poetovio and Maximus was defeated and then executed." --The Early Medieval World: From the Fall of Rome to the Time of Charlemagne, Michael Frassetto, page 522.
• "Maximus was not equal either to his ambitions or his circumstances and he was defeated at the Battle of Poetovio on 28 July 388." --The Real Live of Roman Britain, Guy De la Bedoyere, page 159.
• "And in Pannonia, Theodosius marched up the Savus, captured Siscia, and then defeated Maximus' main army in battles at Siscia and Poetovio." --The Roman Empire in Late Antiquity: A Political and Military History, Hugh Elton, page 143.
• "Theodosius himself moved swiftly against Maximus, defeating him in two battles at Siscia and Poetovio..." --Child Emperor Rule in the Late Roman West, AD 367-455, Meaghan McEvoy, page 91.
• "The battles of Siscia and Poetovio must have taken place in late June 388..." --A Commentary on Panegyrici Latini II(12), Roger Rees, page 385.
• "In 388 his forces advanced through the Balkans and, in two hard-fought battles at Siscia and Poetovio, defeated those of Maximus..." --From Rome to Byzantium AD 363 to 565, A.D. Lee, page 26.
• "He[Maximus] was defeated by Theodosius the Great at the battles of Siscia and Poetovio..." --Contested Monarchy: Integrating the Roman Empire in the Fourth Century AD, ed.Johannes Wienand, page 207.

Need any more? --Kansas Bear (talk) 01:45, 16 June 2025 (UTC)