Honorius

  • Honorius (393-423 CE) was the Roman Emperor in the West, who by 423 CE, had lost Britannia, Gaul and Hispania.
  • He was in Ravenna when Alaric conducted the First Sack of Rome in 410 CE.

1. BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

  • NAME:
    • Flavius Honorius
  • HONORIUS’ DATES OF REIGN AS EMPEROR:
  • HONORIUS DATE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
    • Born: 9 September 384 CE. Died: 15 August 423 CE.
  • PLACE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
  • HONORIUS’ PREDECESSOR:
  • HONORIUS’ SUCCESSOR:
  • RIGHT HAND MAN:
  • HONORIUS WAS HEIR TO THE THRONE BECAUSE:
  • DIED PEACEFULLY OR ASSASSINATED:
    • Honorius died of an illness.
  • WHERE BURIED:
    • The Mausoleum of Honorius, on Vatican Hill, Rome. (now demolished)
  • HONORIUS WAS FAMOUS BECAUSE:
    • He Lost Britannia:
      • The Usurper, Constantine III, took the last Roman Legions from Britannia in 407 CE and moved them to Trier, then Arles declaring himself a rival Emperor to Honorius. The Roman Legions never returned to Britannia.
      • Rescript of Honorius (409-410 CE) was a letter sent by Honorius to the Britons, telling them they must now look after their own defenses. This is considered to be the end of Roman Rule in Britannia.
    • He lost Gaul and Hispania:
      • By 423 CE, Honorius had lost Britannia, Southern Gaul and Hispania to Barbarian rule.
    • First Sack of Rome (24 August 410 CE)
      • This was conducted by Alaric. Unable to defend Rome, Honorius moved the capital to Ravenna, which was protected by marshes.

2. BRIEF SYNOPSIS

REVOLT OF ALARIC (401 CE)

  • In January 395 CE, Honorius became Emperor of the Western Empire based at Milan at the age of 10. Theodosius I had appointed the General Stilicho, to look after Honorius and defend the West.
  • In 401 CE, Alaric and the Visigoths invaded Italia, and Honorius was forced to moved his capital to Ravenna. Ravenna was difficult to attack as it was surrounded by protective marshes. For this reason, Ravenna remained the Capital of the Western Empire until it’s end in 476 CE.

REVOLT OF GILDO (397-8 CE)

  • Between 397-8 CE, Gildo, the Governor of Africa, led a Revolt. Stilicho was forced to suppress the Revolt.

GENERAL STILICHO

  • In 401 CE, Alaric the Visigoth, who was Magister Militum of Illyricum under the Eastern Emperor, invaded Italia, whilst Stilicho, who was Magister Militum in the West, was away in Raetia.
  • Stilicho recalled the Legions from Britannia and Gaul, and defeated Alaric at Pollentia on 6 April 402 CE. Alaric and the Visigoths were allowed to fall back into Illyricum.
  • 406 CE, Stilicho defeated an invasion by Radagaisus across the Danube, and absorbed the invaders into his own army.
  • 405-6 CE, a huge army of Ostrogoths, Vandals, Alans and Quadi crossed the Rhine whilst it was frozen, and invaded Gaul. They were forced to retreat from Gaul by Stilicho.

REVOLT OF CONSTANTINE III (407 CE)

  • On 31 December 406 CE, another massive army of Suevi, Alans and Vandals invaded Gaul.
  • This time a Usurper from Britannia, Constantine III, was proclaimed Emperor of the West. In 407 CE, he took the British Legions into Gaul, and after a few skirmishes, was accepted by the German invaders as Emperor in Gaul and on the Rhine Frontier. Spain also proclaimed Constantine III Emperor.

DEMISE OF GENERAL STILICHO (408 CE)

  • In 408 CE, Stilicho paid 4,000 pounds of Gold to Alaric, to prevent him invading Italia.
  • In May 408 CE, Honorius’ brother Arcadius, Emperor of the East, died in Constantinople. Stilicho advised Honorius not to travel East, and went instead himself. Whilst Stilicho was away, Honorius was persuaded to join a conspiracy against him. On his return, Stilicho was arrested and executed, and all his supporters murdered.
  • Meanwhile in Italia, Stilicho‘s army mutinied when Stilicho was executed. Sarus the Goth and his army then abandoned the Roman Army.
  • In 409 CE, Honorius, now vulnerable to Alaric and his Gothic army, decided to recognise Constantine III as co-Emperor in the West.
  • However, in September 409 CE, the Germanic Tribes overran the Rhine Frontier again, establishing themselves in Gaul and invading Spain.

BRITANNIA LOST (409 CE)

  • In 408-409 CE, at the same time the Saxon fleets led a devastating attack on Britannia which had no defenses.
  • Furious, the Britons dismissed all of Constantine III‘s Roman Officials, and wrote to Honorius for help.
  • This resulted in a letter from Honorius telling the Britons that they must now look after their own affairs, the Rescript of Honorius.

First Sack of Rome (410 CE)

  • In 409 CE, with Stilicho dead, Alaric re-entered Italia, and supported the Usurper Attalus in Rome, against Honorius. The Eastern Empire sent 6,000 soldiers to Ravenna, who marched towards Rome.
  • Alaric’s army ambushed them and eliminated this army. Honorius negotiated with Alaric to end his support for Attalus.
  • Finally, Alaric ended his alliance with Attalus, re-entered Rome and began the First Sack of Rome on the 24 August 410 CE.

REVOLT IN SPAIN

  • Meanwhile, Gerontius, Constantine III‘s General in Spain, proclaimed a cousin as a rival Emperor, united with the Germanic invaders and threatened to attack Constantine III in Gaul.
  • Constantine III decided the best strategy was to invade Italia, but he was defeated and forced to withdraw back to Gaul in spring of 410 CE.
  • In 411 CE, Gerontius’ Spanish army then captured Vienne, where his son Constans II was executed. Gerontius then besieged Arles.

DEATH OF CONSTANTINE III (411 CE)

REVOLT OF JOVINUS IN GAUL (411 CE)

  • When Honorius returned to Ravenna with his army, Jovinus proclaimed himself Emperor at Mainz. He was helped by an alliance with the Alans and Burgundians. However, in 413 CE, Honorius made an alliance with the Goths who defeated and executed Jovinus.

REVOLT OF HERACLIANUS IN AFRICA (413 CE)

  • In 413 CE, aware that Africa controlled the Grain supply to Italy, Heraclianus led a rebellion in Africa and attempted to invade Italia, but was repulsed and forced to return to Carthage, where he was killed.

GAUL PASSES TO BARBARIAN CONTROL

  • In 418 CE, Honorius signed a Treaty which granted Gallia Aquitania to the Visigoths.
  • Honorius passed the Edict of 418 CE, which gave the seven Gallic Provinces the right to run their own administration, with an annual Assembly in Arles. This removed the Roman Governors and allowed the occupying Visigoths to rule independently.

SPAIN PASSES TO BARBARIAN CONTROL

  • Between 420-422 CE, a series of Revolts also led to the end of Roman influence in Spain.

Constantius III

DEATH AND LEGACY

  • Honorius died on 15th August 423 CE of an illness.
  • Spain, Britannia, and Southern Gaul were now all under Barbarian rule.

3. BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

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