Flavius Stilicho

Flavius Stilicho (c. 359–408 AD) was a half-Vandal magister militum who rose through military merit to become the supreme protector of the Western Roman Empire. Entrusted by Emperor Theodosius I on his deathbed in 395 AD with the guardianship of both of his young sons, Honorius and Arcadius, Stilicho wielded de facto imperial authority over the West.

Stilicho repeatedly saved Italy from catastrophic barbarian invasions. In 402 AD, he defeated Alaric the Visigoth at Pollentia and Verona, and in 406 AD, he trapped and annihilated Radagaisus's horde of 20,000 Ostrogoths at Fiesole. However, political machinations in Ravenna by Roman aristocrats hostile to his barbarian blood led to a palace coup in 408 AD; Stilicho refused to let his loyal troops rebel and submitted peacefully to decapitation.