Bauto
Flavius Bauto (died c. 385) was a
Biography
in 381, during the Gothic War (376-382), Bauto was sent by western emperor Gratian with a expeditionary field army to aid the ailing eastern emperor, Theodosius I.[1] As is common, the sources do not explicitly name him a magister militum, but the importance of this mission makes it very likely.
In 383, Magnus Maximus began a rebellion in Roman Britain, and crossed onto the continent in the summer of that year. He fought with Gratian for five days near Paris, until the emperor's army deserted him, allowing Maximus to establish himself as emperor in Britain and Gaul. Gratian's half-brother, Valentinian II, had been raised as a full emperor in 375, but the reality is that he had been a subservient, de facto junior emperor under Gratian's control. With his death, Valentinian II thus became the technically senior emperor, however he only had control in Italy. Furthermore, he struggled to shed a perception of weakness which stemmed from his accession to the throne as a child. Thus, powerful ministers like Bauto were able to exert a great deal of control over Valentinian's regime.[2]
For example, Bauto organized the defense of Italy, and was given the prestigious consulship in 385, although he was not the first pick for the position.
He died sometime after 385, with no foul play recorded in the sources.[2] Afterwards, his daughter Aelia Eudoxia resided in the house of a son of Promotus, a nemesis of Rufinus, and later married Emperor Arcadius in 395, becoming one of the more powerful empresses of the period. His military office was succeeded by Arbogastes, who went on to influence Valentinian II and is claimed by John of Antioch to be Bauto's son.[3][a]
Notes
- ^ Zosimus 4.33.1–2
- ^ a b c d Bendle, Christopher (2024). The Office of "Magister Militum" in the 4th Century CE: A Study into the Impact of Political and Military Leadership on the Later Roman Empire. Franz Steiner Verlag.
- ^ a b Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 159.
- ^ Ambrose, Epistolae 24
- ^ Cameron 2010, p. 85–86.
- ^ Ambrose, Epistolae 57.3
- ^ Cameron 2010, p. 85.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-19-974727-6.
- ISBN 0-521-07233-6.
- Bendle, Christopher (2024). The Office of "Magister Militum" in the 4th Century CE: A Study into the Impact of Political and Military Leadership on the Later Roman Empire. Franz Steiner Verlag.