Constantius III

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Constantius III
Constantius III diptych.jpg
Consular diptych of Constantius III
Roman emperor of the West
Reign8 February – 2 September 421 (with  Honorius)
BornConstantius
Naissus, Moesia
Died2 September 421
Ravenna, Italia
Spouse Galla Placidia
Issue
Dynasty Theodosian

Constantius III (died 2 September 421) was briefly Western Roman emperor in 421, having earned the throne through his capability as a general under Honorius. By 411 he had achieved the rank of magister militum , and in the same year he suppressed the revolt of the usurper Constantine III. Constantius went on to lead campaigns against various barbarian groups in Hispania and Gaul, recovering much of both for the Western Roman Empire. He married Honorius's sister Galla Placidia in 417, a sign of his ascendant status, and was proclaimed co-emperor by Honorius on 8 February 421. Constantius reigned for seven months before dying on 2 September 421.

Contents

Life

Early life

Solidus of Constantius III Solidus of Constantius III.png
Solidus of Constantius III

Constantius was born in Naissus, Moesia (present-day Niš, Serbia) of Illyrian origin. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Constantius served as a general under Honorius, rising to the rank of Magister militum (Master of the Soldiers) by 411. [5]

Revolt of Constantine III

In 411 Constantius was sent by Honorius to put down the revolt of Constantine III, who had declared himself emperor in Britain in 407. [6] Constantius thereafter led his soldiers to Arles, the capital and residence of Constantine. Upon arriving, he defeated the army of Gerontius, a general who was rebelling against Constantine, before besieging the city. [6]

Constantine refused to surrender, hoping to last until the return of his general Edobichus, who was raising troops in northern Gaul. [7] When Edobichus did return to Arles, he was swiftly defeated by Constantius. [8] Constantine soon after lost much of the remainder of his forces, as his army which had been guarding the Rhine chose to support the usurper Jovinus instead, forcing Constantine to surrender. Despite Constantius' assurances that Constantine would be able to safely retire to a clerical office, Constantius had him imprisoned, and further had him beheaded during his return to Ravenna, in either August or September 411. [6] Honorius' remaining rivals were soon defeated, with Gerontius committing suicide in Hispania, [9] and Jovinus being defeated by Athaulf, king of the Visigoths. [8] Despite this, Honorius was unable to regain control of Britain, nor was any Roman after him. [10]

The war against Heraclianus

The appointment of Constantius as commander-in-chief led to a war in 412 with the rival general Heraclianus, who, like Constantius, had done good services for Emperor Honorius. Heraclianus revolted, appointed himself emperor and stopped grain supplies to Italy. At the beginning of March 413, the usurper landed in Italy near Rome with an army to go to war against Honorius. He engaged in a battle with Constantius' Roman army, but was defeated. After his defeat, Heraclianus fled. He was captured and murdered. [11]

Campaigns

Constantius initiated a campaign against the Visigoths in northern Hispania in 416, blockading them in order to starve them and force their submission. Soon after, the Visigoth king, Wallia, surrendered to Rome, agreeing to return Galla Placidia (the sister of Honorius, who had been captured by Alaric c. 412, and been forced into marriage with Athaulf, who was by this time dead), and to wage war against the Vandals and other barbarians who the Romans were still in conflict with, in exchange for food supplies. [12] This development enabled Constantius to put an end to the Bagaudae revolt in northwestern Gaul in 417. [13] He then continued his campaign against various tribal groups and regained control of much of Hispania and Gaul by 420. [14]

Reign

During this time period, generals played a critical role in ensuring the continued reign of Roman Emperors, especially Western Roman Emperors. [15] Constantius' position of magister militum and his skill as a commander allowed him to gain huge influence over the Western Roman Empire, comparable to the earlier Stilicho. [5] For this reason, Honorius bestowed many honors upon Constantius, [15] such as appointing him consul three times: in 414, alongside Constans; in 417, alongside Honorius; [4] [16] and in 420, alongside Theodosius II. [4] [17] In order to further ensure Constantius' loyalty, Honorius arranged the betrothal of his sister, Galla Placidia, to Constantius in 417. [4] Later, on 8 February 421, Honorius made Constantius co-Western Emperor under himself. Constantius reigned as co-emperor only seven months before dying on 2 September 421, in Ravenna. [4] [18] Honorius ruled alone until his death in 423, whereupon Valentinian III, Constantius' son, assumed the throne, with Galla Placidia serving as regent. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honorius (emperor)</span> Roman emperor from 393 to 423

Honorius was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius in 395, Honorius, under the regency of Stilicho, ruled the western half of the empire while his brother Arcadius ruled the eastern half. His reign over the Western Roman Empire was notably precarious and chaotic. In 410, Rome was sacked for the first time in almost 800 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galla Placidia</span> Roman empress in 421

Galla Placidia, daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, was a mother, tutor, and advisor to emperor Valentinian III. She was queen consort to Ataulf, king of the Visigoths from 414 until his death in 415, briefly empress consort to Constantius III in 421, and managed the government administration as a regent during the early reign of Valentinian III until her death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">410</span> Calendar year

Year 410 (CDX) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year after the Consulship of Honorius and Theodosius. The denomination 410 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">414</span> Calendar year

Year 414 (CDXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Constans. The denomination 414 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years

The 410s decade ran from January 1, 410, to December 31, 419.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentinian III</span> Roman emperor from 425 to 455

Valentinian III was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. Made emperor in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by powerful generals vying for power amid civil wars and the invasions of Late antiquity's Migration Period, including the campaigns of Attila the Hun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallia</span> King of the Visigoths

Wallia, Walha or Vallia, was king of the Visigoths from 415 to 418, earning a reputation as a great warrior and prudent ruler. He was elected to the throne after Athaulf and Sigeric were both assassinated in 415. One of Wallia's most notable achievements was negotiating a foedus with the Roman emperor Honorius in 416. This agreement allowed the Visigoths to settle in Aquitania, a region in modern-day France, in exchange for military service to Rome. This settlement marked a significant step towards the eventual establishment of a Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. He was succeeded by Theodoric I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constantine III (Western Roman emperor)</span> Roman emperor from 407 to 411

Constantine III was a common Roman soldier who was declared emperor in Roman Britain in 407 and established himself in Gaul. He was recognised as co-emperor of the Roman Empire from 409 until 411.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athaulf</span> King of the Visigoths

Athaulf was king of the Visigoths from 411 to 415. During his reign, he transformed the Visigothic state from a tribal kingdom to a major political power of Late Antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Roman Empire</span> Independently administered western provinces of the Roman Empire

The term Western Roman Empire is used in modern historiography to refer to the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. Particularly during the period from AD 395 to 476, there were separate, coequal courts dividing the governance of the empire into the Western provinces and the Eastern provinces with a distinct imperial succession in the separate courts. The terms Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire were coined in modern times to describe political entities that were de facto independent; contemporary Romans did not consider the Empire to have been split into two empires but viewed it as a single polity governed by two imperial courts for administrative expediency. The Western Empire collapsed in 476, and the Western imperial court in Ravenna disappeared by AD 554, at the end of Justinian's Gothic War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constans II (son of Constantine III)</span> Roman emperor from 409 to 411

Constans II was the son of Western Roman emperor Constantine III, and served as his co-emperor from 409 to 411. Constans was a monk prior to his father being acclaimed emperor by the army in Britain in early 407, an act of rebellion against the ruling emperor Honorius. He was summoned to Gaul, appointed to the position of caesar (heir) and swiftly married so that a dynasty could be founded. In Hispania, Honorius's relatives rose in 408 and expelled Constantine's administration. An army under the generals Constans and Gerontius was sent to deal with this and Constantine's authority was re-established. Honorius acknowledged Constantine as co-emperor in early 409 and Constantine immediately raised Constans to the position of augustus (emperor), theoretically equal in rank to Honorius as well as to Constantine. Later in 409 Gerontius rebelled, proclaimed his client Maximus emperor and incited barbarian groups in Gaul to rise up. Constans was sent to quash the revolt, but was defeated and withdrew to Arles. In 410, Constans was sent to Hispania again. Gerontius had strengthened his army with barbarians and defeated Constans; the latter withdrew north and was defeated again and killed at Vienne early in 411. Gerontius then besieged Constantine in Arles and killed him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall of the Western Roman Empire</span> Loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire in late antiquity

The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast territory was divided between several successor polities. The Roman Empire lost the strengths that had allowed it to exercise effective control over its Western provinces; modern historians posit factors including the effectiveness and numbers of the army, the health and numbers of the Roman population, the strength of the economy, the competence of the emperors, the internal struggles for power, the religious changes of the period, and the efficiency of the civil administration. Increasing pressure from invading barbarians outside Roman culture also contributed greatly to the collapse. Climatic changes and both endemic and epidemic disease drove many of these immediate factors. The reasons for the collapse are major subjects of the historiography of the ancient world and they inform much modern discourse on state failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodosian dynasty</span> Roman imperial dynasty in Late Antiquity, r. 379–457

The Theodosian dynasty was a Roman imperial family that produced five Roman emperors during Late Antiquity, reigning over the Roman Empire from 379 to 457. The dynasty's patriarch was Theodosius the Elder, whose son Theodosius the Great was made Roman emperor in 379. Theodosius's two sons both became emperors, while his daughter married Constantius III, producing a daughter that became an empress and a son also became emperor. The dynasty of Theodosius married into, and reigned concurrently with, the ruling Valentinianic dynasty, and was succeeded by the Leonid dynasty with the accession of Leo the Great.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentinian dynasty</span> Roman imperial dynasty in late antiquity, r. 364–392 and 421–455

The Valentinian dynasty was a ruling house of five generations of dynasts, including five Roman emperors during late antiquity, lasting nearly a hundred years from the mid fourth to the mid fifth century. They succeeded the Constantinian dynasty and reigned over the Roman Empire from 364 to 392 and from 425 to 455, with an interregnum (392–423), during which the Theodosian dynasty ruled and eventually succeeded them. The Theodosians, who intermarried into the Valentinian house, ruled concurrently in the east after 379.

Goar was a leader of the Alans in 5th-century Gaul. Around the time that the Vandals and other Alans under Respendial crossed the Rhine in 405 or 406, Goar's band of Alans quickly joined the Romans, and subsequently played a role in the internal politics of Gaul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eucherius (son of Stilicho)</span> Son of Stilicho

Eucherius was the son of Stilicho, the magister militum of the Western Roman Empire, and Serena, a Roman noblewoman who was the niece of Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I. He was born in c. 388 in Rome, Italy. Despite being the son of the magister militum, Eucherius did not rise farther than the modest rank of tribune of the notaries. Stilicho was accused by his political opponents of plotting to install Eucherius as a third emperor in Illyricum, and as a result of this Stilicho was arrested and executed on 22 August 408, and Eucherius soon after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic revolt of Theodoric I</span>

Gothic revolt of Theodoric I was an uprising of the Gothic Fouderati in Aquitaine during the regime of Emperor Valentinian III (425-455). That rebellion was led by Theodoric I, King of the Visigoths and took place in the South of France. The uprising took place between 425 and 426, in the period shortly after the death of usurpator John and was terminated by a military operation under the command of Aëtius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War of Heraclianus</span>

The War of Heraclianus was a short military conflict in 412–413, between the imperial generals Heraclianus and Constantius III, in a period known for being very turbulent and violent. There were a large number of uprisings in the Western Roman Empire and various groups of barbarian tribes crossed the empire. The conflict between Heraclianus and Constantius can be seen as one of many links in the chain of events that set in motion the downfall of the Roman Empire. In the conflict, Constantius remained loyal to the emperor and Heraclian tried to become emperor of the empire himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic War in Spain (416–418)</span>

The Gothic War in Spain was a military operation of the Visigoths commissioned by the West Roman Empire. This operation consisted of multiple campaigns that took place between 416 and 418 and were directed against the Vandals and the Alans to restore Roman power in the Spanish provinces of Betica, Lusitania and Cartaginense. As far as is known, the Roman field army was not involved in the battles, only foederati units fought on the side of the Romans. According to Thompson played the Hasdingi in Gallaecia a dubious role in this war.

References

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  2. Christof Schuler; Rudolf Haensch; Simone Killen (2021). 2021. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 272. ISBN   9783110742770.
  3. Brian Croke; Ammien Marcellin (2001). Count Marcellinus and His Chronicle. Oxford University Press. p. 75. ISBN   978-0-19-815001-5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Grant 2015, p. 60.
  5. 1 2 3 Adkins & Adkins 2014, p. 36.
  6. 1 2 3 Jones 1992, p. 316.
  7. Bury 1889, p. 143.
  8. 1 2 Bury 1889, p. 144.
  9. Jones 1992, p. 508.
  10. Birley 1980, p. 160.
  11. Smith 1870, p. 402.
  12. Lee 2013, p. 115.
  13. Thompson 1982, pp. 23–37.
  14. Sivan 2011, p. 171.
  15. 1 2 Lee 2013, p. 82.
  16. Cooley 2012, p. 482.
  17. Cooley 2012, p. 483.
  18. Cooley 2012, p. 506.
  19. Ring, Watson & Schellinger 2013, p. 554.

Bibliography

Political offices
Preceded by Roman consul
414
With: Constans
Succeeded by
Preceded by Roman consul II
417
With: Honorius
Succeeded by
Preceded by Roman consul III
420
With: Theodosius II
Succeeded by