Honorius

• 1. Imperial Origins And Family

  ›

  Honorius entered the world on the 9th of September 384 within the marble halls of Constantinople. He was the younger son of Emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. His mother died in 386, leaving him an orphan at just two years old. The emperor remarried Galla that same year, bringing her brother Valentinian II into the family circle. This union produced a daughter named Galla Placidia, Honorius's half-sister. Only three children of Theodosius survived to adulthood: Honorius, his older brother Arcadius, and their sister Galla Placidia. The young prince held the consulate at age two in 386 before being declared augustus by his father. On the 23rd of January 393, he became co-ruler following the death of Valentinian II and the defeat of usurper Eugenius. When Theodosius died in January 395, the empire split between Honorius and Arcadius. The ten-year-old boy now ruled the western half while his brother took the east.

  17

• 2. Stilicho And Early Defense

  ›

  The general Stilicho guided the early reign of this child emperor with mixed Vandal and Roman ancestry. Stilicho had been appointed by Theodosius himself to protect the young dynasty. To secure his position, the general married his daughter Maria to Honorius. A court poet named Claudian wrote an epithalamion for the wedding celebration. The capital initially sat in Milan until King Alaric I led Visigoths into Italy during 401. Honorius moved his residence to Ravenna, a coastal city protected by marshes and fortifications. This new base was easier to defend but poorly situated to protect Central Italy from barbarian incursions. The emperor remained in Ravenna until Romulus Augustulus fell in 476. First came Gildo, the comes of Africa, who revolted from 397 to 398. Stilicho subdued this rebellion through Mascezel, the brother of Gildo. Then Alaric marched through the Julian Alps in late 401 while Stilicho was absent in Raetia. Legions from Gaul and Britain rushed to defend Italy as Alaric entered Liguria. On Easter Day the 6th of April 402, Stilicho defeated Alaric at Pollentia on the river Tanarus.

  458

• 3. The Sack Of Rome 410

  ›

  Rome had been under siege since the summer of 408 following the execution of Stilicho. In 410, Eastern Roman legions attempted to aid Honorius but were ambushed before reaching the city. Only a handful of soldiers arrived after traveling six thousand miles from Ravenna. The Visigoths poured into the city when starvation forced defenses open. No foreign force had controlled Rome since an invasion eight centuries prior during the Battle of the Allia. The sack itself remained relatively mild with churches and religious statuary left unharmed. Yet the psychological blow shattered the ancient world's sense of security. News traveled from Britain all the way to Jerusalem within months. Augustine wrote his magnum opus The City of God inspired by this shock. Honorius refused negotiations even as Attalus dethroned himself and Alaric proposed peace talks. The emperor declared Alaric the eternal enemy of the Republic while grain shipments stopped coming from North Africa. Heraclian wiped out an expeditionary force sent to conquer Africa for Attalus. The populace faced famine and blamed their temporary ruler for the impending calamity.

  913

• 4. Usurpers And Provincial Collapse

  ›

  Constantine III led a revolt in Gaul that continued through this turbulent period. His general Gerontius rebelled against him in 409 and proclaimed Maximus Emperor. Constantine was besieged at Arles until defeated by Constantius in 411. Jovinus revolted in northern Gaul with support from Alans, Burgundians, and Gallic nobility. He tried to negotiate with Ataulf but made matters worse by proclaiming his brother Sebastianus Augustus. Ataulf sought alliance with Honorius instead and executed Jovinus in 413. Heraclian raised rebellion in North Africa but fled back to Carthage where he died. A treaty signed in 418 granted Visigoths southwestern Gaul known as Gallia Aquitania. Northeastern Gaul came under greater Frankish influence during these years. Britain remained isolated without imperial support as soldiers there supported revolts by Marcus, Gratian, and Constantine III. In 410 Honorius issued the Rescript of Honorius responding to British pleas for help. Zosimus recorded that letters were sent bidding cities to guard themselves. Modern academics debate whether this applied to Britain or Bruttium in Italy.

  26

• 5. Constantius And Western Erosion

  ›

  Constantius emerged as an able commander who defeated Maximus, Gerontius, and Constantine in 411. He attacked Ataulf in 414 when the Visigothic leader proclaimed Priscus Attalus emperor again. Constantius drove Ataulf into Hispania while Attalus lost Visigoth support and was captured. The eleventh consulship of Honorius marked a triumphal entry into Rome with Attalus at his chariot wheels. Honorius punished Attalus by cutting off his right finger and thumb before banishing him to Lipara island. Constantius married Galla Placidia against her will in 417. In 421 Honorius recognized him as co-emperor Constantius III though Theodosius II refused recognition. Constantius died in September 421 before he could launch military conflict with the eastern empire. By 420, 422 another Maximus gained power in Hispania only to lose it again. Britain, Spain, and Gaul had been ravaged by barbarians by the time of Honorius's death. Honorius fell out with his sister after soldiers clashed with hers. Galla Placidia and her children fled to Constantinople where they would later return.

  456

• 6. Death And Posthumous Legacy

  ›

  Honorius died of edema on the 15th of August 423 leaving no direct heir behind. Joannes was nominated Emperor during the subsequent interregnum that followed. The Eastern Emperor Theodosius II installed Valentinian III the following year as successor. The Mausoleum of Honorius stood on Vatican Hill accessed from Old Saint Peter's Basilica transept. Maria was first buried there before Thermantia and Galla Placidia joined them. The structure became Chapel of St Petronilla in the eighth century holding saint relics until demolition. Procopius recorded an apocryphal story about hearing Rome perished while thinking of a favorite chicken named Roma. He reportedly cried out that his fowl had just eaten from his hands before realizing the city had fallen. Edward Gibbon dismissed this tale as rumor yet it reveals public opinion toward Honorius. J.B. Bury wrote that his name would be forgotten among obscure imperial occupants without the fatal period he witnessed. Bury concluded Honorius did nothing notable against enemies but remained extraordinarily fortunate occupying the throne until natural death. A decree prohibited men from wearing trousers in Rome under Codex Theodosianus 14.10.2, 3. The last known gladiatorial games took place during his reign when Telemachus protested the practice.

  101112