5/6th-century Byzantine official
Petrus Marcellinus Felix Liberius (c. 465 – c. 554) was a Late Roman aristocrat and official, whose career spanned seven decades in the highest offices of both the
Napoleon Bonaparte are the only parallels that come to mind!" as
James O'Donnell observes in his biographical study of the man.
[1]
Origins and family
The exact origin of Liberius is unknown, but it is speculated that he came from Liguria. He was from a senatorial family, though not one of the most prominent.[2] He was married to an Agretia, who was possibly his second wife.[3] He had at least two sons and a daughter. One of his sons, Venantius, was appointed consul in 507 and held the ceremonial office of comes domesticorum vacans some time later; nothing is known of his other children.[4]
Career under the Goths
Prefect of Italy
After the deposition of the last Western emperor,
Romulus Augustus, by
Odoacer in 476, the Roman administrative apparatus in Italy continued to function under the new regime. It continued to be staffed exclusively by Romans, and adhering to the pretense that Italy was still nominally a part of the Empire. Several senatorial families continued to serve in high administrative posts, and the young Liberius followed this tradition. Despite his youth he seems to have distinguished himself, for in 493, after Odoacer's murder, the new master of Italy, the Ostrogoth
Theodoric the Great, appointed him to the highest civil office of
praetorian prefect of Italy. He continued to serve in this capacity until 500, when he was retired and given the rank of
patricius. His tenure was a success, as he proved capable in dealing with financial matters and in handling the sensitive issue of Gothic settlement, something reflected in the lavish praise he received from his contemporaries,
Magnus Felix Ennodius and
Cassiodorus.
[5]
Prefect of Gaul
In 508, Theodoric conquered the territory of
Second Council of Orange was held; Liberius's signature appears first in the list of laymen endorsing the acts of the council.
[8] He also founded a monastery near Alatri, 60 km (40 mi) south of Rome: again, we may wonder whether this was a gesture of gratitude.
[9] This monastery has been identified with that of S. Sebastiano, still standing 3 km from Alatri.
[10]
Upon the death of Theodoric in 526, he was given the title of
patricius praesentalis, which O'Donnell notes "represents the only known case in the history of the Ostrogothic kingdom in which a Roman civilian was granted a significant military command."
[11] By 534, however, Liberius was back in Italy.
Embassy to Constantinople
At that time, the Ostrogothic Kingdom faced a succession dispute. After Theodoric's death, his grandson,
Justinian, however, made her unpopular amongst the Gothic nobility. The young king, in the meantime, indulged in pleasures, which weakened his constitution, resulting in a premature death in October 534.
[12] Amalasuntha, trying to strengthen her position, appointed her cousin
Theodahad as king. Theodahad however quickly deposed and imprisoned Amalasuntha, and executed her closest associates. Liberius, together with his fellow senator
Venantius Opilio, was dispatched by Theodahad to Constantinople to inform Justinian, and carrying with them letters portraying a more mild version of events. However, upon reaching the port of
Avlona, the two envoys met the emperor's own envoy, Peter, and told him what had really transpired. The news of Amalasuntha's captivity, followed by her subsequent murder, provided Justinian with a pretext for launching a campaign against the Goths in Italy, beginning the long and devastating
Gothic War. Liberius was received with honour in Constantinople, and did not return to Italy.
[13]
In Imperial service
Prefect of Egypt
Despite his advanced age, Liberius, due to his impeccably orthodox credentials, was chosen as the new Augustal Prefect of
Monophysites, together with an ecclesiastical commission under the future Pope
Pelagius. According to the information provided by
Procopius in his
Anecdota, his tenure in Egypt was troubled, both because of his lack of acquaintance with the local realities and because of interference from the Imperial court, including a dispute with his successor, John. On his return to Constantinople, in 542, Liberius faced a senatorial inquiry, but managed to defend his actions with success.
[14]
Role in the Gothic War
In Italy, the situation was deteriorating rapidly for the Empire. The Goths under Totila had recaptured most of the Italian peninsula and were threatening Sicily. In 550, after much vacillation on Justinian's behalf, Liberius was sent with an army to the island. He managed to enter the besieged city of Syracuse, but his military inexperience did not allow him to conduct any operations of significance against the Goths. Instead, he left the city with his army, and headed to Palermo, where in 551 he was replaced by the Armenian general Artabanes.[15]
Final years
During that time, a civil war had broken out in the
Baetica, now the province of
Spania, and the Visigoths acknowledged the
suzerainty of the Empire.
Jordanes, writing in 551, mentions in passing that this force is led by Liberius.
[16] A number of historians, including
J. B. Bury, accept Jordanes' comment as accurate; however James O'Donnell notes that Liberius had returned to Constantinople after being replaced by
Artabanes, and was there in May 553 when he took part in the
Second Council of Constantinople, which would have left him no time for a campaign in Hispania. There he tried to persuade
Pope Vigilius to attend the council and accept the Emperor's positions.
[17]
For his long and distinguished service to the Empire, Liberius was one of the men Justinian rewarded in the
Pragmatic Sanction of 13 August 554, granting him extensive estates in Italy; O'Donnell notes this is the last document we have about Liberius' life written during his lifetime.
[18] Probably in the same year, Liberius died, and was buried in
Ariminum. His children erected over his grave a funerary inscription which O'Donnell describes as "unexceptional, even trite: in complete accord with the most vacuous traditions of the genre."
[19]
References
- ^ James J. O'Donnell, "Liberius the Patrician", Traditio, 37 (1981), p. 33
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", p. 34
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", p. 45
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", p. 42
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", pp. 36–39
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", pp. 44–46
- ^ Vita Caesarii Arelatensis, 2.10–15. Translated by William E. Klingshirn, Caesarius of Arles: Life, Testament, Letters (Liverpool: University Press, 1994), pp. 48–51
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", pp. 54, 57–59
- ^ Gregory the Great Dialogues. ed by Adalbert de Vogüé, 260.
- ^ Fentress,E. Goodson, C., Laird, M. and Leone, S. Walls and Memory. The Abbey of San Sebastiano at Alatri (Lazio) from Late Roman Monastery to Renaissance Villa and Beyond, Turnhout, 2005, 32–70
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", p. 60
- . Vol. II. Macmillan & Co., Ltd. pp. 163–164.
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", pp. 62–64
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", pp. 64f
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", pp. 66f
- ^ Getica, 303
- . Vol. II. Macmillan & Co., Ltd. pp. 286–287.; O'Donnell, "Liberius", pp. 67f
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", pp. 69f
- ^ O'Donnell, "Liberius", p. 70