Aurelianus (consul 400)
Encyclopedia
Aurelianus also known as Aurelian, was a prominent politician of the Eastern Roman Empire.
, and brother of Caesarius; he had a son called Taurus
, Consul in 428. Aurelianus was a Christian, and erected a church to protomartyr Stephen
.
Aurelianus was Praefectus urbi
of Constantinople
between 393 and 394. When the Gothic Magister militum
Gainas
obtained by Emperor Arcadius
the supreme power and the removal of all his opponents in the court, he knew he needed a man of his in Constantinople; discarded all those who had been supporters of his enemy Eutropius
, he chose Aurelianus, and had him elevated to the rank of Praetorian prefect of the East (August 399), replacing Eutychianus, Eutropius' choice. Aurelianus, therefore, became the most powerful civilian official of the court of Arcadius
, and was involved in the trial against Eutropius, which started at Chalcedon in September of that year, and his execution. He was appointed consul for the year 400, but his colleague in the West, the magister militum
Stilicho
, did not recognize him in an act of open confrontation with the Eastern court and particularly with Gainas. He was still Prefect at the beginning of 400, when he received the order to confiscate the properties of Eutropius and destroy his statues. In mid-April 400, Gainas, who had rebelled with his Goths, went to Constantinople, where he forced Arcadius to hand him Aurelianus and Saturninus
; Aurelian was deposed and into exile (although his properties were not confiscated) and the East was left without a consul.
After the defeat of the Goths at Constantinople (July 12 400), Aurelianus made a triumphant return to the capital, although he did not get back his consular title. It was an important figure in the Senate until late in life, so that the Senate dedicated him a statue in gold; it is known from the laws sent to him and preserved in the Theodosian Code that he was Praetorian prefect of the East a second time between the 414 and 416.
in the work Aegyptus sive de providentia by Synesius
has been identified with Aurelianus; in this work Osiris is opposed to Typhon
, representing Caesarius or Eutychianus, while Horus
should represent Taurus
. Synesius was an aristocrat and an African writer, who had gone to Constantinople to an embassy, during which he met Aurelianus.
Biography
Aurelianus was the son of the Consul of 361, TaurusTaurus (consul 361)
Flavius Taurus was a politician and a military officer of the Roman Empire.- Biography :His father was of humble origins. Taurus had three children, Armonius, died about 391, Eutychianus, praetorian prefect of the East and consul in 398, and Aurelianus, praetorian prefect of the East and consul in...
, and brother of Caesarius; he had a son called Taurus
Taurus (consul 428)
Flavius Taurus was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, Consul in 428.He was the son of Aurelianus, Consul in 400 and powerful Praetorian prefect of the East, and nephew of the Taurus Consul in 361...
, Consul in 428. Aurelianus was a Christian, and erected a church to protomartyr Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
.
Aurelianus was Praefectus urbi
Praefectus urbi
The praefectus urbanus or praefectus urbi, in English the urban prefect, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and held high importance in late Antiquity...
of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
between 393 and 394. When the Gothic Magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
Gainas
Gainas
Gainas was an ambitious Gothic leader who served the Eastern Roman Empire as Magister Militum during the reigns of Theodosius I and Arcadius....
obtained by Emperor Arcadius
Arcadius
Arcadius was the Byzantine Emperor from 395 to his death. He was the eldest son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Western Emperor Honorius...
the supreme power and the removal of all his opponents in the court, he knew he needed a man of his in Constantinople; discarded all those who had been supporters of his enemy Eutropius
Eutropius (Byzantine official)
Eutropius was a fourth century Eastern Roman official.He began his career as a eunuch in the palace of Theodosius I. After Theodosius' death in 395 he successfully arranged the marriage of the new emperor, Arcadius, to Aelia Eudoxia, having blocked an attempt by Arcadius' chief minister, Rufinus,...
, he chose Aurelianus, and had him elevated to the rank of Praetorian prefect of the East (August 399), replacing Eutychianus, Eutropius' choice. Aurelianus, therefore, became the most powerful civilian official of the court of Arcadius
Arcadius
Arcadius was the Byzantine Emperor from 395 to his death. He was the eldest son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Western Emperor Honorius...
, and was involved in the trial against Eutropius, which started at Chalcedon in September of that year, and his execution. He was appointed consul for the year 400, but his colleague in the West, the magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
Stilicho
Stilicho
Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of Vandal birth. Despised by the Roman population for his Germanic ancestry and Arian beliefs, Stilicho was in 408 executed along with his wife and son...
, did not recognize him in an act of open confrontation with the Eastern court and particularly with Gainas. He was still Prefect at the beginning of 400, when he received the order to confiscate the properties of Eutropius and destroy his statues. In mid-April 400, Gainas, who had rebelled with his Goths, went to Constantinople, where he forced Arcadius to hand him Aurelianus and Saturninus
Saturninus (consul 383)
Flavius Saturninus was a politician and a military man of the Roman Empire.- Life :Saturninus was probably a Christian: it is known that he hosted a bishop, that he donated to a monastery and that was in touch for a short time with Gregory of Nazianzus.He followed the military career, and in...
; Aurelian was deposed and into exile (although his properties were not confiscated) and the East was left without a consul.
After the defeat of the Goths at Constantinople (July 12 400), Aurelianus made a triumphant return to the capital, although he did not get back his consular title. It was an important figure in the Senate until late in life, so that the Senate dedicated him a statue in gold; it is known from the laws sent to him and preserved in the Theodosian Code that he was Praetorian prefect of the East a second time between the 414 and 416.
Aurelianus in literature
The character of OsirisOsiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
in the work Aegyptus sive de providentia by Synesius
Synesius
Synesius , a Greek bishop of Ptolemais in the Libyan Pentapolis after 410, was born of wealthy parents, who claimed descent from Spartan kings, at Balagrae near Cyrene between 370 and 375.-Life:...
has been identified with Aurelianus; in this work Osiris is opposed to Typhon
Typhon
Typhon , also Typhoeus , Typhaon or Typhos was the last son of Gaia, fathered by Tartarus, and the most deadly monster of Greek mythology. He was known as the "Father of all monsters"; his wife Echidna was likewise the "Mother of All Monsters."Typhon was described in pseudo-Apollodorus,...
, representing Caesarius or Eutychianus, while Horus
Horus
Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...
should represent Taurus
Taurus (consul 428)
Flavius Taurus was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, Consul in 428.He was the son of Aurelianus, Consul in 400 and powerful Praetorian prefect of the East, and nephew of the Taurus Consul in 361...
. Synesius was an aristocrat and an African writer, who had gone to Constantinople to an embassy, during which he met Aurelianus.
See also
- Eutropius
- GainasGainasGainas was an ambitious Gothic leader who served the Eastern Roman Empire as Magister Militum during the reigns of Theodosius I and Arcadius....