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Flavius Honorius (September 9, 384
384

Events...
 –August 15, 423
423

Sorry, no overview for this topic
) was Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor

The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin language titles such as imperator , Augustus , Caesar and princeps were all associated with it....
 (393–395) and then Western Roman Emperor
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
 from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I
Theodosius I

Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great , was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Reuniting the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire....
 and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla
Aelia Flaccilla

Aelia Flavia Flaccilla , first wife of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. She was of Hispania Rome descent. During her marriage to Theodosius, she gave birth to two sons — future Emperors Arcadius and Honorius — and a daughter, Pulcheria ....
, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius
Arcadius

Flavius Arcadius was Roman Emperors in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire from 395 until his death.Arcadius was born in Spain, the elder son of Theodosius I and Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of Flavius Augustus Honorius, who would become a Western Roman Emperor....
.

Even by the standards of the later Roman Empire, Honorius was an exceptionally weak emperor. His throne was guarded by his principal general, Flavius Stilicho
Stilicho

Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of barbarian birth....
, who was successively Honorius's guardian (during his childhood) and his father-in-law (after the emperor became an adult).






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Flavius Honorius (September 9, 384
384

Events...
 –August 15, 423
423

Sorry, no overview for this topic
) was Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor

The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin language titles such as imperator , Augustus , Caesar and princeps were all associated with it....
 (393–395) and then Western Roman Emperor
Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, today widely known as the Byzantine Empire....
 from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I
Theodosius I

Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great , was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Reuniting the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire....
 and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla
Aelia Flaccilla

Aelia Flavia Flaccilla , first wife of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. She was of Hispania Rome descent. During her marriage to Theodosius, she gave birth to two sons — future Emperors Arcadius and Honorius — and a daughter, Pulcheria ....
, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius
Arcadius

Flavius Arcadius was Roman Emperors in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire from 395 until his death.Arcadius was born in Spain, the elder son of Theodosius I and Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of Flavius Augustus Honorius, who would become a Western Roman Emperor....
.

Even by the standards of the later Roman Empire, Honorius was an exceptionally weak emperor. His throne was guarded by his principal general, Flavius Stilicho
Stilicho

Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of barbarian birth....
, who was successively Honorius's guardian (during his childhood) and his father-in-law (after the emperor became an adult). Despite Stilicho's generalship, the empire lost ground; and after the guardian's execution, Honorius's empire moved towards the verge of collapse.

Rule


Early reign


After holding the consul
Consul

Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Roman Empire. The title was also used in other city states, and revived in modern states, notably French Republic before the Napoleon I of Franceic counter-revolution....
ate at the age of two, Honorius was declared Augustus, and thus co-ruler, on 23 January 393
393

Events...
 after the death of Valentinian II
Valentinian II

Flavius Valentinianus Iunior , known usually by his anglicised name, Valentinian II, was a Roman Emperor from 375 to 392....
 and the usurpation of Eugenius
Eugenius

Flavius Eugenius was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Though himself a Christian, he was the last Emperor to support Roman polytheism....
. When Theodosius died, in January 395, Honorius and Arcadius divided the Empire, so that Honorius became Western Roman Emperor at the age of ten.

During the first part of his reign Honorius depended on the military leadership of the general Stilicho, who was of mixed Vandal and Roman ancestry. To strengthen his bonds with the young emperor, Stilicho married his daughter Maria
Maria, daughter of Stilicho

Maria was the first Empress consort of Honorius , Western Roman Empire....
 to him. The epithalamion written for the occasion by Stilicho's court poet Claudian
Claudian

Claudian was a Roman poet, who worked for Emperor Flavius Augustus Honorius and the latter's general Stilicho.A Greek language citizen of Alexandria, Claudian arrived in Rome before 395, and made his mark with a eulogy of his two young patrons, Probinus and Olybrius, thereby becoming court poet....
 survives.

At first Honorius based his capital in Mediolanum
Mediolanum

Mediolanum, the ancient Milan, was an important Celts and then Ancient Rome centre of northern Italy. This article charts the history of the city from its settlement by the Insubres around 600 BC, through its conquest by the Ancient Rome and its development into a key centre of Western Christianity and capital of the Western Roman Empire, un...
, but when the Visigoths entered Italy in 402 he moved his capital to the coastal city of Ravenna
Ravenna

Ravenna is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The city is inland, but is connected to the Adriatic Sea by a canal. Ravenna once served as the seat of the Western Roman Empire and later the Ostrogoths and the Exarchate of Ravenna....
, which was protected by a ring of marshes and strong fortifications. While the new capital was easier to defend, it was poorly situated to allow Roman forces to protect central Italy from the barbarian incursions.

Erosion of the Western Roman Empire


Honorius' reign was plagued by many threats: from the barbarians entering within the Empire's borders to several usurpers.

A revolt led by Gildo
Gildonic revolt

The Gildonic revolt was a rebellion in 398 led by Comes Gildo against Roman Emperor Honorius . The revolt was subdued by Stilicho, the magister militum of the Western Roman empire....
, comes Africae, in Northern Africa lasted for two years (397-398). In 405, a barbarian army led by Radagaisus
Radagaisus

Radagaisus was a pagan, Goths king who led an invasion of Roman Italia in late 405 and the first half of 406....
 invaded Italy
Italia (Roman province)

Italia, under the Roman Republic and later Roman Empire, was the name of the Italian peninsula....
, bringing devastation to the heart of the Empire, until Stilicho defeated them in 406.

The situation in Britannia
Britannia

Britannia was the term originally used by the Roman Empire to refer to the island of Great Britain. The term was later used to describe a Roman province covering much of the island, apart from the area beyond the Antonine Wall belonging to the Picts in the north, which was known as Caledonia....
 was even more problematic. The British provinces were isolated, lacking support from the Empire, and the soldiers supported the revolts of Marcus
Marcus (usurper)

Marcus was a Roman usurper emperor in Roman Britain.He was a soldier in Roman Britain who was proclaimed emperor by the army there some time in 406....
 (406 - 407), Gratian
Gratian (usurper)

Gratian was a Roman usurper in Roman Britain.Following the death of usurper Marcus , Gratian was acclaimed as emperor by the army in Britain in early 407....
 (407), and Constantine "III"
Constantine III (usurper)

Flavius Claudius Constantinus, known in English as Constantine III was a Roman Empire general who declared himself Western Roman Emperor in 407, abdicated in 411, and was captured and executed shortly afterwards....
. Constantine invaded Gaul in 407, occupying Arles
Arles

Arles is a city in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rh?ne Departments of France, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, in the former Provinces of France of Provence....
.

An invasion of Alans
Alans

The Alans or Alani were a group among the Sarmatians people, Eurasian nomads of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian language and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian language....
, Suevi and Vandals moved from Gaul on 31 December 406, and arrived in Hispania
Hispania

Hispania was the name given by the Ancient Rome to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula . When Rome was a Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into Roman provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior....
 in 409. In 408, Stilicho (after forcing the Roman Senate to pay 4,000 pounds of gold) was arrested and executed by the order of Honorius, probably because of a court conspiracy against the Arian
Arianism

Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius , a Christian priest, who was first ruled a heresy at the First Council of Nicea, later exonerated and then pronounced a heretic again after his death....
 general. The Visigoths under their King Alaric I
Alaric I

Alaric I , was likely born about 370 on an Peuce Island at the mouth of the Danube. He was king of the Visigoths from 395–410 and the first Germanic peoples leader to take the city of Rome....
 invaded Italy in 408, besieged Rome, and extorted from the city a ransom of 5,000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver, 4,000 silken tunics, 3,000 hides dyed scarlet, and 3,000 pounds of pepper), while Honorius in Ravenna did nothing.

In 409, Alaric returned, and with the agreement of the Senate supported the usurpation of Priscus Attalus
Priscus Attalus

Priscus Attalus was twice Roman usurper , against Roman Emperor Honorius , with Visigoths support.Priscus Attalus was a Greek from Asia whose father had moved to Italy under Valentinian I....
. In 410, the Eastern Roman Empire sent six Legions (6,000 men; late Roman legions were small units) to aid Honorius. To counter Priscus, Honorius tried to negotiate with Alaric. Alaric withdrew his support for Priscus in 410, but the negotiations with Honorius broke down. Alaric again entered Italy and sacked Rome
Sack of Rome (410)

The Sack of Rome occurred on August 24, 410. The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. The Roman capital had been moved to the Italian city of Ravenna by the young emperor Honorius , after the Visigoths entered Italy....
.

The revolt of Constantine III in the west continued through this period. In 409, Gerontius, Constantine III's general in Hispania, rebelled against him, proclaimed Maximus
Maximus of Hispania

Maximus, also called Maximus Tiranus was Roman usurper in Hispania . He had been elected by general Gerontius , who might have been his father....
 Emperor, and besieged Constantine at Arles. Honorius now found himself an able commander, Constantius
Constantius III

Flavius Constantius , whose name is traditionally anglicised as Constantius III, was a late Roman general, politician, and Roman Emperor. He was the power behind the throne for much of the 410s, and in 421 briefly became co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire with Honorius ....
, who defeated Maximus and Gerontius, and then Constantine, in 411.

Gaul was again a source of troubles for Honorius: just after Constantius' troops had returned to Italy, Jovinus
Jovinus

Jovinus was a GaulRoman Roman Senate and claimed to be Roman Emperor .Following the defeat of the Roman usurper known with the name of Constantine III , Jovinus was proclaimed emperor at Mainz in 411, a puppet supported by Gunther, king of the Burgundians, and Goar, king of the Alans....
 revolted in northern Gaul, with the support of Alans, Burgundians, and the Gallic nobility. Jovinus tried to negotiate with the invading Goths
Goths

The Goths were East Germanic tribes who, in the 3rd and 4th centuries, invasion the Roman Empire and later adopted Arian Christianity. In the 5th and 6th centuries, divided as the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, they established powerful successor-states of the Roman Empire in the Iberian peninsula and Italy....
 of Ataulf (412), but his proclamation of his brother Sebastianus
Sebastianus

Sebastianus , a brother of Jovinus, was an aristocrat of southern Gaul. After Jovinus usurped in Gaul the throne of the western Roman Empire Honorius in 411, he named Sebastianus as Augustus in 412....
 as Augustus made Ataulf seek alliance with Honorius. Honorius had Ataulf settle the matter with Jovinus, and the rebel was defeated and executed in 413.

In 414, Constantius attacked Ataulf, who proclaimed Priscus Attalus emperor again. Constantius drove Ataulf into Hispania, and Attalus, having again lost Visigoth support, was captured and deposed.

Northeastern Gaul became subject to even greater Frankish
Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
 influence, while a treaty signed in 418 granted to the Visigoths the southwestern portion, the former Gallia Aquitania
Gallia Aquitania

Gallia Aquitania was a province of the Roman Empire, bordered by the provinces of Gallia Lugdunensis, Gallia Narbonensis, and Hispania Tarraconensis....
.

In 417, Constantius married Honorius' sister, Galla Placidia
Galla Placidia

File:Aelia Galla Placidia.jpgAelia Galla Placidia was the Empress consort of Constantius III, Western Roman Empire....
. In 421, Honorius recognized him as co-emperor Constantius III, but he died early in 422.

In 420-422, another Maximus (or perhaps the same) gained and lost power in Hispania.

Death

Honorius died of dropsy in 423, leaving no heir. In the subsequent interregnum Joannes
Joannes

Ioannes, known in English as Joannes, was a Roman usurper against Valentinian III.On the death of the Emperor Honorius , Theodosius II, the remaining ruler of the House of Theodosius hesitated in announcing his uncle's death....
 was nominated emperor. The following year, however, the Eastern Emperor Theodosius II
Theodosius II

Flavius Theodosius , called the Calligrapher, known in English as Theodosius II, was an Eastern Roman Empire , mostly known for the law code bearing his name, the Codex Theodosianus, and the Walls of Constantinople#The Theodosian Walls of Constantinople built during his reign....
 elected emperor his cousin Valentinian III
Valentinian III

Flavius Placidus Valentinianus , known in English as Valentinian III, was among the last Western Roman Emperors ....
, son of Galla Placidia
Galla Placidia

File:Aelia Galla Placidia.jpgAelia Galla Placidia was the Empress consort of Constantius III, Western Roman Empire....
 and Constantius III
Constantius III

Flavius Constantius , whose name is traditionally anglicised as Constantius III, was a late Roman general, politician, and Roman Emperor. He was the power behind the throne for much of the 410s, and in 421 briefly became co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire with Honorius ....
.

Sack of Rome

John William Waterhouse the Favorites of the Emperor Honorius 1883
The most notable event of his reign was the assault and Sack of Rome
Sack of Rome (410)

The Sack of Rome occurred on August 24, 410. The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. The Roman capital had been moved to the Italian city of Ravenna by the young emperor Honorius , after the Visigoths entered Italy....
 on August 24, 410
410

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 by the Visigoths under Alaric
Alaric I

Alaric I , was likely born about 370 on an Peuce Island at the mouth of the Danube. He was king of the Visigoths from 395–410 and the first Germanic peoples leader to take the city of Rome....
.

The city had been under Visigothic siege since shortly after Stilicho's deposition and execution in the summer of 408. Lacking a strong general to control the by-now mostly barbarian Roman Army, Honorius could do little to attack Alaric's forces directly, and apparently adopted the only strategy he could in the situation: wait passively for the Visigoths to grow weary and spend the time marshalling what forces he could. Unfortunately, this course of action appeared to be the product of Honorius' indecisive character and he suffered much criticism for it both from contemporaries and later historians.

Whether this plan could have worked is perhaps debatable. In any case it was overtaken by events. Stricken by starvation, somebody opened Rome's defenses to Alaric and the Goths poured in. The city had not been under the control of a foreign force since an invasion of Gauls some eight centuries before. The sack itself was notably mild as sacks go; Churches and religious statuary went unharmed for example. The psychological blow to the Romans was considerably more painful. The shock of this event reverberated from Britain to Jerusalem, and inspired Augustine to write his magnum opus, The City of God.

The year 410 also saw Honorius reply to a British
Romano-British

Romano-British culture is that of the Romanised Britons under the Roman Empire and later the Western Roman Empire, and of those exposed to Roman culture in the years after the Roman departure from Britain....
 plea for assistance against local barbarian incursions. Preoccupied with the Visigoths, Honorius lacked any real capabilities to assist the distant province. According to Zosimus
Zosimus

Zosimus was a Byzantine Empire historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photios I of Constantinople, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury....
, "Honorius wrote letters to the cities in Britain, bidding them to guard themselves."

Judgments on Honorius

Honorius Steel Engraving
In his History of the Wars, Procopius
Procopius

Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine Empire scholar of the family Procopius . A participant himself in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he was the major historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History....
 mentions a story (which Gibbon
Edward Gibbon

Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament. His most important work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788....
 disbelieved) where, on hearing the news that Rome had "perished", Honorius was initially shocked; thinking the news was in reference to a favorite chicken
Chicken

The chicken is a Domestication fowl. Recent evidence suggests that domestication of the chicken was under way in Vietnam over 10,000 years ago....
 he had named "Roma", he recalled in disbelief that the bird was just recently feeding out of his hand. It was then explained to him that the Rome in question was the city.

Summarizing his account of Honorius' reign, the historian J.B. Bury wrote, "His name would be forgotten among the obscurest occupants of the Imperial throne were it not that his reign coincided with the fatal period in which it was decided that western Europe was to pass from the Roman to the Teuton." After listing the disasters of those 28 years, Bury concludes that Honorius "himself did nothing of note against the enemies who infested his realm, but personally he was extraordinarily fortunate in occupying the throne till he died a natural death and witnessing the destruction of the multitude of tyrants who rose up against him."

Honorius issued a decree during his reign, prohibiting men from wearing trousers in Rome [Codex Theodosianus 14.10.2-3, tr. C. Pharr, "The Theodosian Code," p. 415]. The last known gladiatorial fight took place during the reign of Honorius.

See also

  • Usurpers during Honorius reign:
    • Priscus Attalus
      Priscus Attalus

      Priscus Attalus was twice Roman usurper , against Roman Emperor Honorius , with Visigoths support.Priscus Attalus was a Greek from Asia whose father had moved to Italy under Valentinian I....
       in Rome (two times);
    • Maximus
      Maximus of Hispania

      Maximus, also called Maximus Tiranus was Roman usurper in Hispania . He had been elected by general Gerontius , who might have been his father....
       in Hispania;
    • Marcus
      Marcus (usurper)

      Marcus was a Roman usurper emperor in Roman Britain.He was a soldier in Roman Britain who was proclaimed emperor by the army there some time in 406....
      , Gratian
      Gratian (usurper)

      Gratian was a Roman usurper in Roman Britain.Following the death of usurper Marcus , Gratian was acclaimed as emperor by the army in Britain in early 407....
      , Constantine "III"
      Constantine III (usurper)

      Flavius Claudius Constantinus, known in English as Constantine III was a Roman Empire general who declared himself Western Roman Emperor in 407, abdicated in 411, and was captured and executed shortly afterwards....
       and Constans "II"
      Constans II (usurper)

      Constans was the eldest son of the Roman usurper Constantine III and was appointed co-emperor by him from 409 to 411.Constans lived in a monastery for the younger years of his life until he was elevated to the title of Caesar ....
       in Gaul and Britain;
    • Jovinus
      Jovinus

      Jovinus was a GaulRoman Roman Senate and claimed to be Roman Emperor .Following the defeat of the Roman usurper known with the name of Constantine III , Jovinus was proclaimed emperor at Mainz in 411, a puppet supported by Gunther, king of the Burgundians, and Goar, king of the Alans....
       and Sebastianus
      Sebastianus

      Sebastianus , a brother of Jovinus, was an aristocrat of southern Gaul. After Jovinus usurped in Gaul the throne of the western Roman Empire Honorius in 411, he named Sebastianus as Augustus in 412....
      .
  • Succession to Honorius:
    • Joannes
      Joannes

      Ioannes, known in English as Joannes, was a Roman usurper against Valentinian III.On the death of the Emperor Honorius , Theodosius II, the remaining ruler of the House of Theodosius hesitated in announcing his uncle's death....
       and Valentinian III
      Valentinian III

      Flavius Placidus Valentinianus , known in English as Valentinian III, was among the last Western Roman Emperors ....
      .


External links

  • This shows laws passed by Honorius relating to Christianity.