Count Theodosius
Theodosius the Elder | |
---|---|
Died | 376 Carthage, Africa |
Spouse | Thermantia[1] |
Issue | Theodosius I Honorius[2] Unnamed daughter[3] |
Dynasty | Theodosian |
Count Theodosius (
Appointed
Theodosius's title in Latin was comes rei militaris (viz. "companion [of the emperor] for military affairs"; the word comes is the origin of the medieval European feudal title of count and its homologues.
Military career
Theodosius is first mentioned in historical records by Ammianus Marcellinus with reference to his appointment to the command to restore order in Britain.[11] Hughes noted,[12]
It is clear that prior to his appointment to such an important military enterprise Theodosius must have been well known to Valentinian and that his military ability was respected, but unfortunately how he had earned such respect is unknown.
Other scholars agree with the supposition that Theodosius won the trust of Valentinian I in his earlier career.[13][14][15][16]
The Great Conspiracy
In 368, Theodosius was raised to the high Roman military rank of
Over the winter of 368–369, large numbers of troops drifted back into their units, bringing vital intelligence that would help Theodosius plan the next phase of his campaign. In 369 Theodosius campaigned all through Roman Britain, restoring its 'chief towns' and hunting down enemy war parties and traitors. Ammianus Marcellinus records that he put down a rebellion by the Pannonian Valentinus. At the end of the campaigning season he sent a message to Valentinian to inform him that the provinces of Britain had been restored to the Empire. He also informed the emperor that he had created a new province which he had named Valentia (probably for Valentinian).[19][20]
Known to have been with him on this expedition were his son Theodosius, and the future emperor Magnus Maximus, possibly a relative.[21][22]
Magister Equitum Praesentalis
On his return from Britain Theodosius succeeded Jovinus as the magister equitum praesentalis at the court of the Emperor
In the same year,
In 375, when the Emperor Valentinian suddenly died, Theodosius was still in Africa. Orders arrived for Theodosius to be arrested; he was taken to Carthage, and put to death in early 376. The reasons for this are not clear, but it is thought to have resulted from a factional power struggle in Italy after the sudden death of Emperor Valentinian in November 375.[14][33][13][b] Shortly before his death, which he accepted calmly, Theodosius accepted Christian baptism — a common practice at the time, even for lifelong Christians.[28][34]
Legacy
At the fall of his father, the younger Theodosius retired to his estates in the Iberian Peninsula, where he married Aelia Flaccilla in 376.[27][38] According to Ambrose, those who had killed the elder Theodosius had also plotted against the safety of his son during his retirement.[34][35] The younger Theodosius had returned to the Danube frontier by 378 when he was appointed magister equitum. Following his successes in the field he was elevated at Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica) to the rank of augustus by the emperor Gratian (r. 367–383) on 19 January 379.[27]
After the accession of his son, Theodosius the Elder was
Theodosius I, who himself married into the ruling
See also
Notes
- Flavius" had become a status marker for men of non-senatorial background who rose to eminence as a result of imperial service.[4]
- ^ Theodosius’ fall is usually attributed to the praetorian prefect Maximinus,[13] who was explicitly blamed in a glossator for Jerome.[34][35] After Maximinus and his associates were removed from power, they were replaced with Theodosius’ relatives.[33][36][35] Hebblewhite and McEvoy instead blamed the general Merobaudes,[9][10] believing he had motive, while Rodgers considered him to be innocent on the basis that those around him evidently did not think he was responsible.[37]
References
- ^ Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 909.
- ^ Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 441.
- ^ a b Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 904.
- JSTOR 41540754.
- ^ a b Hebblewhite 2020, p. 16.
- ^ Hughes 2013, p. 101–102.
- ^ a b Hughes 2013, p. 109.
- ^ Hughes 2013, p. 143.
- ^ a b Hebblewhite 2020, p. 21.
- ^ a b McEvoy 2013, p. 57.
- ^ Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae, 27.8.3.
- ^ Hughes 2013, p. 69.
- ^ a b c d e Potter 2004, p. 544.
- ^ a b Williams & Friell 1994, p. 24.
- ^ Treadgold, Warren (2005-01-01). "Predicting the Accession of Theodosius I". Mediterraneo Antico.
- ISBN 978-1-351-59476-9.
- ^ Hughes 2013, p. 69–72.
- ^ Curran 1998, p. 86.
- ^ Hughes 2013, p. 84–85.
- ^ Curran 1998, p. 87.
- ^ Roberts, Walter E., Magnus Maximus (383-388 A.D.)
- ^ Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 588.
- ^ Hughes 2013, p. 85.
- ^ Hughes 2013, p. 101.
- ^ Hughes 2013, pp. 109–111.
- ^ Curran 1998, p. 88.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-534-26724-8.
- ^ a b Williams & Friell 1994, p. 23.
- ^ Hughes 2013, pp. 116–118.
- ^ Hughes 2013, pp. 118–120.
- ^ Hughes 2013, p. 120.
- ^ Hughes 2013, pp. 129–132.
- ^ a b Kelly 2013, p. 399.
- ^ a b c Kelly 2013, p. 398.
- ^ a b c Rodgers 1981, p. 83.
- ^ Williams & Friell 1994, p. 24-25.
- ^ Rodgers 1981, p. 89.
- ^ Williams & Friell 1994, p. 25.
Sources
- Curran, John (1998). "From Jovian to Theodosius". In ISBN 0-521-30200-5.
- Hebblewhite, Mark (2020). Theodosius and the Limits of Empire. London: Routledge. S2CID 213344890.
- Hughes, Ian (5 August 2013). Imperial Brothers: Valentinian, Valens and the Disaster at Adrianople. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-2863-6.
- ISBN 0-521-07233-6.
- Kelly, Gavin (2013). "The Political Crisis of AD 375–376" (PDF). Chiron. 43: 357–409. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-20.
- McEvoy, Meaghan (2013). Child Emperor Rule in the Late Roman West, AD 367–455. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199664818.
- Potter, David S. (2004). The Roman Empire at Bay: AD 180–395. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-10057-7.
- Rodgers, Barbara Saylor (1981). "Merobaudes and Maximus in Gaul". JSTOR 4435744.
- Williams, Stephen; Friell, Gerard (1994). Theodosius: The Empire at Bay. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-07447-5.