The Battle of Strasbourg, also known as the Battle of Argentoratum,is fought in 357 between the Late Roman army under the Caesar (deputy emperor) Julian and the Alamanni tribal confederation led by the joint paramount king Chnodomar.
The battle takes place near Strasbourg (Alsace, France), called Argentoratum in Ammianus Marcellinus' account, Argentorate in the Tabula Peutingeriana (Section 2).Although probably outnumbered by a substantial margin, Julian's army wins a complete victory after a hard-fought struggle.
With negligible casualties of their own, the Romans drive the Alamanni beyond the river Rhine inflicting heavy losses.
Julian's force, the imperial escort army of Gaul, is small but of high quality.
The battle is won by the skill of the Roman infantry, with the cavalry initially performing poorly.The battle is the climax of Julian's campaigns in 355-7 to evict barbarian marauders from Gaul and to restore the Roman defensive line of fortifications along the Rhine, which had been largely destroyed during the Roman civil war of 350-3.
In the years following his victory at Strasbourg, Julian will be able to repair and garrison the Rhine forts and impose tributary status on the Germanic tribes beyond the border.
