He was born in Germany, joined the Roman army and rose to the rank of general by the reign of Theodosius I. Stilicho was tasked with defending the West against attacks from the Visigoths, a role he endured for some twenty years. To cement a blood tie with him, Theodosius married his niece, Serena to Stilicho, and appointed him guardian over his son, Honorius.
Following the death of Theodosius, Honorius became emperor of the Western Empire, and Arcadius of the Eastern half. Neither proved to be effective emperors, and Stilicho came to be in fact commander-in-chief of the Roman armies. Despite his successes, his non-Roman background and Arian religion tainted him in the eyes of the imperial courtiers, who arranged to have him executed following a staged mutiny of the Roman army at Ticinum.
Some historians have claimed that unlike many of his German contemporaries, Stilicho served the Empire's interest faithfully, and sought to preserve what was left of the Roman legacy. In 405, he ordered the destruction of the Sibylline Prophecies.
Upon his return to Constantinople at the successful conclusion of peace talks, Stilicho was promoted to general and was tasked with defending the empire against attacks from the Visigoths, a role which he undertook for some twenty years.
Although it was within his ability to contest the charges, Stilicho did not resist, either because of guilt or for fear of the consequences to the already precarious state of the Western Empire.
Stilicho may have schemed to obtain the province of Dalmatia for the West, even though the troops he used to achieve the victory were from the east.
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