Constantius III
| Constantius III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Consular diptych of Constantius III | |||||
| Roman emperorin theWest | |||||
| Reign | 8 February – 2 September 421 (withHonorius) | ||||
| Born | Constantius Naissus,Moesia | ||||
| Died | 2 September 421 Ravenna,Italia | ||||
| Spouse | Galla Placidia | ||||
| Issue | |||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Theodosian | ||||
Constantius III(died 2 September 421) was brieflyWestern Roman emperorin 421, having earned the throne through his capability as a general underHonorius.By 411 he had achieved the rank ofmagister militum,and in the same year he suppressed the revolt of the usurperConstantine 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 sisterGalla Placidiain 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.
Life[edit]
Early life[edit]
Constantius was born inNaissus,Moesia(present-dayNiš,Serbia) ofIllyrianorigin.[1][2][3][4][5]Constantius served as a general underHonorius,rising to the rank ofMagister militum(Master of the Soldiers) by 411.[5]
Revolt of Constantine III[edit]
In 411 Constantius was sent by Honorius to put down the revolt ofConstantine III,who had declared himself emperor inBritainin 407.[6]Constantius thereafter led his soldiers toArles,the capital and residence of Constantine. Upon arriving, he defeated the army ofGerontius,a general who was rebelling against Constantine, before besieging the city.[6]
Constantine refused to surrender, hoping to last until the return of his generalEdobichus,who was raising troops in northernGaul.[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 theRhinechose to support the usurperJovinusinstead, forcing Constantine to surrender. Despite Constantius' assurances that Constantine would be able to safely retire to aclerical office,Constantius had him imprisoned, and further had him beheaded during his return toRavenna,in either August or September 411.[6]Honorius' remaining rivals were soon defeated, with Gerontius committing suicide in Hispania,[9]and Jovinus being defeated byAthaulf,king of theVisigoths.[8]Despite this, Honorius was unable to regain control of Britain, nor was any Roman after him.[10]
The war against Heraclianus[edit]
The appointment of Constantius as commander-in-chief led to a war in 412 with the rival generalHeraclianus,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[edit]
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 returnGalla Placidia(the sister of Honorius, who had been captured byAlaricc.412, and been forced into marriage with Athaulf, who was by this time dead), and to wage war against theVandalsand 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 theBagaudae revoltin 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[edit]
During this time period, generals played a critical role in ensuring the continued reign of Roman Emperors, especially Western Roman Emperors.[15]Constantius' position ofmagister militumand his skill as a commander allowed him to gain huge influence over the Western Roman Empire, comparable to the earlierStilicho.[5]For this reason, Honorius bestowed many honors upon Constantius,[15]such as appointing him consul three times: in 414, alongsideConstans;in 417, alongside Honorius;[4][16]and in 420, alongsideTheodosius 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, whereuponValentinian III,Constantius' son, assumed the throne, with Galla Placidia serving asregent.[19]
References[edit]
- ^Cyril Dean Darlington (1971).The Evolution of Man and Society.Simon and Schuster. p. 318.ISBN9780671210649.
- ^Christof Schuler; Rudolf Haensch; Simone Killen (2021).2021.Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 272.ISBN9783110742770.
- ^Brian Croke; Ammien Marcellin (2001).Count Marcellinus and His Chronicle.Oxford University Press. p. 75.ISBN978-0-19-815001-5.
- ^abcdeGrant 2015,p. 60.
- ^abcAdkins & Adkins 2014,p. 36.
- ^abcJones 1992,p. 316.
- ^Bury 1889,p. 143.
- ^abBury 1889,p. 144.
- ^Jones 1992,p. 508.
- ^Birley 1980,p. 160.
- ^Smith 1870,p. 402.
- ^Lee 2013,p. 115.
- ^Thompson 1982,pp. 23–37.
- ^Sivan 2011,p. 171.
- ^abLee 2013,p. 82.
- ^Cooley 2012,p. 482.
- ^Cooley 2012,p. 483.
- ^Cooley 2012,p. 506.
- ^Ring, Watson & Schellinger 2013,p. 554.
Bibliography[edit]
- Adkins, Lesley; Adkins, Roy A. (2014).Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome.Facts On File.ISBN9780816074822.
- Birley, Anthony (1980).The People of Roman Britain.University of California Press.ISBN9780520041196.
- Bury, J. B. (1889).A History of the Later Roman Empire, from Arcadius to Irene (395 A.D. to 800 A.D.).Macmillan and co.OCLC933179049.
- Cooley, Alison E. (2012).The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy.Cambridge University Press.ISBN9781139576604.
- Grant, Michael (2015).From Rome to Byzantium: The Fifth Century AD.Routledge.ISBN9781135166724.
- Jones, A. H. M. (1992).The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume 2, AD 395–527.Cambridge University Press.ISBN9780521201599.
- Lee, A. D. (2013).From Rome to Byzantium AD 363 to 565.Edinburgh University Press.ISBN9780748668359.
- Ring, Trudy; Watson, Noelle; Schellinger, Paul (2013).Southern Europe: International Dictionary of Historic Places.Taylor and Francis.ISBN9781134259656.
- Sivan, Hagith (2011).Galla Placidia: The Last Roman Empress.Oxford University Press.ISBN9780195379129.
- Smith, William (1870).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.Vol. 2. Boston: C. Little and J. Brown.
- Thompson, E. A.(1982).Romans and Barbarians.Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
