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Culbertson Stillicho Aetius
Culbertson Stillicho Aetius
, FLAVIUS AETIUS
by
James T. Culbertson
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
MASTER OF ARTS
19 6 6
STATEMENT BY AUTHOR
T . W . PARKER Date
Professor of History
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
A B S T R A C T ............................... ............. .. iv
- CHAPTER
I . INTRODUCTION .............. 2
iii
ABSTRACT
West as part of the Imperial system, but did not cause them
Roman E m p i r e •
XV
PART ONE
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
their own period, and that their barbarian ancestry did not
horsemen smashed Roman legions into the dust near the city
disaster.
4
Yet in fact Adrianople was a blow from which the
against t h e m «
racy in the West to line their own pockets and protect their
municipal governments.
Services. 9
tions since the nPr inc ip at eft of Augustus or Oct avi a n . But
West, but the young Emperor himself led the limited forces
9° I b i d ., pp. 28-33.
10
and established himself at Constantinople. Finally, in
Germanic good looks and military ability gained for him the
11
12
The ambitious parvenu had probably already attained
his honest conduct toward both his superiors and his sub-
8
ordinates in the Roman political hierarchy.
7• Orosius, p. 3 7 6 o
ficulty ^o
duty, but Theodosius was present for the occasion, and his
12
own sons Arcadius and Honorius were also in R o m e .
15 « Claudian, I, 370-73•
15
looking for revenge, but was restrained by an order of
next several years, and kept the enemy off balance with
march under their own leaders, among whom was a young noble
21
named Alaric*
23° Baynes , !tV al ent ini an and Theodosius ,11 pp. 246-
47 °
39 5 ).26
old, occupied the throne of the East o'*" Stilicho, who had
little emperorso 3
2e B u r y , Barbarians, p p . 64-65 «
18
19
4 •
the Roman Army to support the new b o y - e m p e r o r s b e f o r e
he left Milan ^ where Honorius had for the time being been
the whole tour of inspection had taken less than a month <,
8. Claudian, T, 373-77-
11. Claudian, I, 38 I- 8 3 •
had led him to secure the removal of his main rivals in the
West.
the East, marched from Italy with his fofces and soon had
amusement was feeding his pet poultry, and Maria was almost
26
certainly still a virgin when she died ten years later.
gone from bad to worse since 383 •» when the usurper Maximus
28
had withdrawn most of the garrison. About 399 Stilicho
40 * Ibid *, p p * 238-44 *
4l* M o n k s , pp * 769-70*
even from the Rhine and from Britain the Goths chased
47
Honorius out of Milan and advanced into L i g u r i a »
46 . L u c k i , p. 90.
not until 4o4 did he emerge to claim the consulship due him
30
in recognition of his "victory*n
only beginning*
8. Gibbon, II, 1 1 3 .
dence in the Goths was well placed, since they had remained
quietly in Epirus since 403 and had not lent any aid to
12
Radagaisuso
12 * Bury, B a r b a r i a n s , p p * 78 - 80 *
35
Gaul ! 3
Br it a i n »^
l6 . B l a i r , p . 3 »
defeat the usurper's army in the field, but the Goths were
22. M a n i t i u s , p. 2 6 7 »
24. V i l l a r i , p. 69 »
38
t h r one.
27 ° O r osius, p p * 386-87 o
40
30 » B u r y , Barbarians, p p * 8 5 - 8 7 *
trates from the city and then began robbing and killing
32
some of the citizens «
32 o Hodgkin, p. 1 5 6 .
33 » B u r y , Barbarians , p. 87 <■
P hilippus«^
360 B u r y , Barbarians, p * 8 7 °
fate.^
3« Hodgkin, pp. 1 5 9 -6 1 , 1 6 3 .
46
9« B u r y , Barbarians, p. 100.
These were probably about all the troops available for the
army--and no more •
/
20 . I b i d ., I, 6 8 3 ,6 8 5 » According to Boak (M a n
power Shortage, pp. 89-90), much of the data contained in
these lists belongs at the latest to the third century.
24 o Piganiol, p. 504.
G a u l .33
S e-cunda (the area between the Garonne and the Loire), parts
31• Wallace-Hadrill, p. 3 8 .
; /
32. Dill, pp. 357-58.
35 I b i d * , pp.* 114-15 *
CHAPTER VII
54
55
5
against paganism in North Africa in 396• Five years later
IQ o Hodgkin, p. 179°
56
rising leaders among his hosts and learning much about men
invasion force had its problems; but since John could not
for V alent ini a n , soon became the power behind the Western
(425-37 ).20
D a n u-ib e •22
r\
could g e t .
28. I b i d ., p. 178.
popularity.
32. Barker, p. 4 l 0 .
34 o Lot, p® 313°
35 * B a r k e r , p ® 4l0 ®
37" B a r k e r , p® 4l0 ®
63
wife Pelagia marry the victor, since Aetius was the only
46
Roman worthy of h e r , It was a gesture worthy of a dying
his first wife, who claimed royal Gothic descent and had
rival: the hero of Gaul was now the ranking officer of the
50
Western Roman A r m y . Aetius forced Galla Placidia to name
51 - Jones, X, 1?6.
52. Gibbon, II, 2?0.
CHAPTER VIII
the Pannonia grant— the area may still have been loosely
1. B u r y ,Barbarians, p p . 130-131»
6?
68
Empire «> and Aetius never had quite enough soldiers to fight
them all at o n c e „
4. I b i d ., pp. 1 2 7 - 2 8 , 1 6 3 . P r i s c u s , cited in
Gordon, pp. 9 6 - 9 8 .
11. Jones, I, 1 8 9 .
sons. 15
with GaiseriCo 19
21. L o t , p o 246.
25• Sidonius, p. x v i i i .
sisted .^
Huns .
29 o Theodosian C o d e , cited in J o n e s , I, 2 0 5 -0 6 .
77
31« B u r y , Later Ro m a n E m p i r e , I, l 65 =
78
79
Sal amis „35 If the legends which cluster around this war
37* Sidonius, p. l 4 y .
Visigoths in his t u r n »
40 o B u r y , B a r b a r i a n s , p p , 147-48, Gregory of
T o u r s , II, 46-47*
keep them under firm control. Perhaps Aetius was glad that
44. Jordanes, p. 1 1 1 .
(
crucial moment in W e s t e r n h i s t o r y : A t t i l a was already in
the S e i n e . ^
DEATH OF AETIUS
fell to the H u n s .
N a rbonensis«
1* I b i d *, II, 287-92*
2* Hodgkin, p p * 200-202 *
83
84
4. Fuller, X, 298.
7 . L o t , p . 208.
85
8. Hodgkin, p. 228.
13 - Hodgkin, pp . 226-2?•
18. I b i d ,, I, 1 8 2 - 8 3 .
treaties with Rome on the grounds that they had been made
1
with Aetius and Valentinian personally, he appeared at the
3 o Hodgkin, p« 230.
88
89
4
son Gaudentius, survived to sail to Carthage as nguestsf?
and the Assembly of Gaul. But the Goths were too busy in
in the W e s t .7 - ^’
However, his very courage and determination
4. L o t , p . 208 «
Gaiseric. 9
9. I b i d ., II, 320-30.
Empireo The destruction a few years later of Gdovacar
92
CHAPTER XI
A MILITARY PROBLEM
ancient evaluations.
93
94
1. B u r y , Barbarians, pp. 8 7 -8 8 .
2. Wallace-Hadrill, pp. 2 6 - 2 8 .
95
These interpretations are clearly at variance wit h
had fought only five months before to dest roy the authority
3* K a t z , p. 26 . >
4. Setton, pp. 1 3 6 -3 8 .
96
Attila"
5 that Aetius w o n support in the Senate. The use of
the Empire.
9o J o n e s , I, 5 6 0 .
12. I b i d . , p. 20 (I, 7 9 3 ) *
l 6 . H . I. M a r r o u , A History of Education in
Antiquity, t r a n s . George Lamb (New York: Mentor Books,
1964), pp. 342-57-
100
17 » H a y w o o d , p. 10'7 •
18. I b i d ., p. 1 7 0 o
19 - I b i d . , pp . 107-08.
101
West e t
21o Ibid« , p. 1 2 1 o
102
23 » Piganiol, p p - 501-02 -
25• Manitius, p - 2 7 5 •
leaders« Considering the paucity of regular troops in
27 o Jones, X, 196-97 ®
CHAPTER XII
Ro man Army but serving under their own leaders, who were
barian trying to box. Hit him in one spot, and his hands
1. Lot, p . 236.
104
105
2
fly t h e r e ; hit him somewhere else and his hands go there
Empire« ,
4. B u r y , B a r b a r i a n s , pp. 60-64.
discipline, their submission to Imperial authority was
5
largely formal. The Romans could call upon a federated
senatores,
5 o Jones, I, 157 -
6, I b i d , , I, 611-12,
7- I b i d , , I, 6 4 9 o
8 , I b i d o , I, 612-13-
10?
l4 o Jordanes , p . l6 «
l6o Pigan i o l , p p , 7 7 - 7 8 «
109
The Germans had been in contact with the Empire
the yoke and burden of Roman law the Roman Empire which
22
was to elude Charlemagne. One has only to remember
24 o Jordanes, p. 95°
J-
111
26 . I b i d . 3 I, 33 •
X
112
culture.^
30. I b i d . , p. 76 .
The Roman Empire was a marriage of convenience^
the Romans and the Teutons found that unity had its
34 o KatZ, P e 53 o
35° W a l l a c e - H a d r i l l , p p . 19-20 «
115
could and did drive a fatal wedge between the German and
37
Roman inhabitants of the W e s t „
39. B a r k e r , p » 395•
z
116
Viewed as various aspects of a practical soldier’s
paganism, and when in A.D. 3^2 the great senator and orator
43 o Ibid o , pp e 19-20 o
117
G r e a t •^
5 0 . Piganiol, p. 491«
52. VTllari, p. 6 9 *
tical courts 5 5 and depended upon pagan Hun troops for his
are unknown e
58 o T h e o d o s i a n C o d e , cited in J o n e s , I, j44.
beliefs 9 if any, to the wider needs of the state. Until
periodo
122
123
3
to discharge their tax obligations to the emperor. Thus
7e Piganiol, p « 504.
J
126
/
was weak e n i n g ; the honorati 9 or former Imperial officials,
months l a t e r .
12 o Ba r k e r , pp. 3 9 6 - 9 7 °
14. B a r k e r , p. 397 °
128
15 ° J o n e s , I, 553-54.
20. H a y w o o d , p. l47«
2 1 . Dill, p p . 1 4 5 - 4 6 .
131
with the Senate regarding the war with Gildo (398), his
Visigoths
22 o J o n e s , I, 1 8 $.
23 o Hodgkin, p. 154.
24 o I b i d . , pp. 15-16.
25o Gibbon, II, 1 2 8 - 3 0 . i
132
280 H a y w o o d , p. l48 «
Pax R o m a n a .
33 * Procopius, XI, 2 7 .
good service.
on the Western s c e n e »
135
136
Stilicho certainly made every effort to influence ^
2* B a y n e s , Byzantine S t u d i e s , p p * 330-38 *
r
policy of loyalty to the House of Theodosius «, His actions
4o Piganiol, p . 505•
5• Jordanes, p, 1 0 0 ,
independenceo^
7o Jordanes, pp * 118-20 »
9- Piganiol, p • 5 0 2 «
the reigning emperor in each case felt safe enough from the
marriages•
14. J o n e s , I, 240-41.
15. B u r y , Barbarians, p . l6 2 .
of first-rate generals.
which would restrict their own careers, and the old days
have pointed out, the two leaders had little choice in the
G ermans.
future.
its chances for survival <, Each death was a crisis in the
the whole world which has perished in the ruins of this one
4
c i t y .n
14?
6* Quoted in H a d a s , p . 234•
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. Original Sources
. L e t t e r s . Translated by Wilfrid P a r s o n s . 5
_
148
149
Jordanes » The Gothic History of Jprd a n e s . Translated by
Charles Christopher Mierow. New York: Barnes &
Noble, Inc., i 9 6 0 .
Prudentins. W o r k s . Translated by H. J . T h o m s o n . 2 v o l s .
L o n d o n : William Heinemann Ltd., 19^9-1953°
M a r r o u , H. I. A History of Education in A n t i q u i t y .
Translated by George L a m b . New York: Mentor B o o k s ,
1964.
I I I . Articles