Gildo
Gildo (died 398) was a
Etymology
The name "Gildo" may have been the Ancient and Modern Berber root "GLD" or "agellid" which means chief or king.[2]
History
Gildo was probably born in the 340s in a
When Firmus revolted against Valentinian I (375), Gildo stayed loyal to his emperor and, at the suppression of the revolt, was rewarded with the immense patrimony confiscated from his brother.
In 386,
A little later, before 393, he even bore the title of "Count and Master of the two militias for Africa", with the official rank of vir spectabilis.[2]
After the death of Theodosius and the rise to the throne of his sons,
At the same time, Gildo had a quarrel with his brother Mascezel, who was obliged to flee to the court of Honorius; Gildo took revenge on his brother by killing his two sons. Mascezel was entrusted by Stilicho with the command of the war against Gildo and given the command of a chosen body of Gallic veterans, who had lately served under the standard of Eugenius.[4] Landed with his few troops in Africa, he camped in front of a large Moorish camp. Despite its superiority, Gildo's army melted in front of the superior discipline of Mascezel's army.
After the defeat, Gildo was obliged to flee in a small boat, hoping to reach the friendly shores of the Eastern Roman Empire. However, unfavourable winds drove the vessel back to the harbour of
After his defeat, Gildo's estates were confiscated and became imperial property. They were so vast that a government position, the Count of Gildo's Patrimony (comes Gildoniaci patrimonii), was created to manage them.[5]
Gildo's family had a marriage connection with the Roman imperial family. Gildo had a daughter named Salvina. Salvina married Nebridius, who was the nephew of
Notes
- ISBN 0-246-11103-8.
- ^ ISBN 9782744900280, retrieved 4 October 2019
- ISBN 978-0521072335.
- Herculian, and the Augustan legions; of the Nervian auxiliaries; of the soldiers who displayed in their banners the symbol of a lion; and of the troops which were distinguished by the auspicious names of Fortunate and Invincible., The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
- ^ ISBN 978-0521072335.
References
- Platts, John, s.v. "Gildo", A New Universal Biography, Sherwood, Jones, and Co., 1826