Aetius (praetorian prefect)
Encyclopedia
Aetius was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, praefectus urbi
of Constantinople
and praetorian prefect of the East.
of Constantinople
. He is attested in office on February 23, 419, when an old man called Cyriacus tried to kill him in the Great Church, and again on October 4 of the same year, when he received a law preserved in the Codex Theodosianus
. He also received a law dated at 409, but emended by scholars at 418, 420 or 422, in which he was to reduce the staff of the Great Church (this reduction has been suggested as a possible reason for the assassination attempt). In 421 a water reservoir "of Aetius" was built in Constantinople; this Aetius might be the praefectus urbi, who could be still in office (his successor, Florentius, is attested in November 422).
A law addressed to him was issued on May 5, 425; it is not clearly stated if he was Praetorian prefect of the East or of Illyricum, but the former is more probable.
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:...
and praetorian prefect of the East.
Life
Aetius was praefectus urbiPraefectus 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:...
. He is attested in office on February 23, 419, when an old man called Cyriacus tried to kill him in the Great Church, and again on October 4 of the same year, when he received a law preserved in the Codex Theodosianus
Codex Theodosianus
The Codex Theodosianus was a compilation of the laws of the Roman Empire under the Christian emperors since 312. A commission was established by Theodosius II in 429 and the compilation was published in the eastern half of the Roman Empire in 438...
. He also received a law dated at 409, but emended by scholars at 418, 420 or 422, in which he was to reduce the staff of the Great Church (this reduction has been suggested as a possible reason for the assassination attempt). In 421 a water reservoir "of Aetius" was built in Constantinople; this Aetius might be the praefectus urbi, who could be still in office (his successor, Florentius, is attested in November 422).
A law addressed to him was issued on May 5, 425; it is not clearly stated if he was Praetorian prefect of the East or of Illyricum, but the former is more probable.
Sources
- John Robert Martindale, "Aetius 1", The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, 1980, ISBN 0-521-20159-4, pp. 19-20.