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The article is devoted to the military campaign of the de facto ruler of the western part of the Roman Empire, Stilicho, in Greece in 397. Relying on a wide range of sources, the author considers these events in the context of a complex tangle of contradictions in the Stilicho – Alaric – Eutropius triangle. According to the author, the reason for the Greek campaign of Stilicho in 397 was the active opposition to his far-reaching plans to seize power in the state, the de facto ruler of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, Eutropius. The main provoking factor of this campaign was the information that reached the West, both about the agreement reached by Eutropius with Alaric, and about the permission received by the Goths to settle in Illyricum. This completely destroyed the Stilicho's plans and made a military solution to the impending conflict inevitable. At the same time, the invasion into Greece was carried out under the pretext of protecting it from the allegedly attacking Goths. In fact, the main goal of Stilicho's military campaign in Greece was to return the Goths to their command, as well as to remove a powerful eunuch from power in the East. Thus, the de facto ruler of the West once again had a chance to achieve his ambitious claim to power over both parts of the Roman Empire. However, the military actions of Stilicho against Alaric, which began in Greece, again aroused the active opposition of Eutropius. He urgently obtained from the Emperor Arcadius an order for Stilicho to return immediately to his home in the West, and in case he decided to go to Constantinople, he also declared him an enemy of the state. Despite the fact that the struggle between Stilicho and Eutropius did not end there, it is obvious that it was a categorical order from Constantinople, as in the recent past, that again deprived Stilicho of victory and any prospects for his further stay in the East.
Keywords:Roman Empire, Greece, Stilicho, Eutropius, Alaric, Goths, Huns.
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