Arvandus
Encyclopedia
Arvandus was a Gaul
who rose through the hierarchy of Imperial Roman
society to twice be appointed Praetorian prefect of Gaul
.
On the first occasion, 461, he was appointed by Emperor Libius Severus
. This appointment ended when Severus died in 465. Two years later, in 467, he was appointed by Anthemius
.
His friend and chronicler, Sidonius Apollinaris
, records that his first term was successful and he himself well liked. However, in his second term he found himself widely hated, and in 472 was removed from office and brought to Rome in chains. Here he was accused by envoys from a commission of influential Gauls of committing treason. The envoys brought with them a letter which Arvandus' secretary attested had been dictated by Arvandus. In it, Arvandus set out to dissuade Euric
, king of the Visigoths, from concluding peace with the Eastern Roman Emperor, urging that instead he should attack the Bretons north of the Loire. The letter asserted that the Law of Nations
called for a division of Gaul between the Visigoths and Burgundians
.
Riothamus
, King of the Britons
, was allied to Roman Emperor Anthemius
, so this was tantamount to declaring war on the Emperor. Arvandus was put on trial for treason. The trial should have been overseen by Sidonius, but Sidonius chose to resign his position instead, and plead for clemency on behalf of his friend. At his trial, Arvandus was found guilty and was stripped on the spot of all the privileges pertaining to his prefecture, and consigned to the common jail to await execution.
Cassiodorus
asserts that Arvandus' intention was to divide the empire and seize the throne: It may be that Arvandus was hoping to obtain the throne with aid from the Gauls and the Visigoths, in the manner of the previous attempt by Avitus
. If so, Arvandus was disappointed; he received no support from the Gallic aristocracy. Possibly this was a result of his undistinguished birth, but the great majority of the Gauls would have learned from Avitus' example, and realized that the day for such adventures was long past.
Cassiodorius reports that Sidonius and his friends were successful in saving Arvandus from the death penalty. "At the order of Anthemius, Arvandus, who had attempted to become emperor, was sent into exile" ("Arabundus imperium temptans iussu Anthemii exilio deportatur".
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
who rose through the hierarchy of Imperial Roman
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
society to twice be appointed Praetorian prefect of Gaul
Praetorian prefecture of Gaul
The praetorian prefecture of the Gauls was one of four large praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.- History :...
.
On the first occasion, 461, he was appointed by Emperor Libius Severus
Libius Severus
Flavius Libius Severus Serpentius was Western Roman Emperor from November 19, 461 to his death.A Roman senator from Lucania Severus was one of the last Western Emperors, emptied of any effective power , and unable to solve the many problems affecting the Empire; the sources...
. This appointment ended when Severus died in 465. Two years later, in 467, he was appointed by Anthemius
Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius was Western Roman Emperor from 467 to 472. Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees;...
.
His friend and chronicler, Sidonius Apollinaris
Sidonius Apollinaris
Gaius Sollius Apollinaris Sidonius or Saint Sidonius Apollinaris was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul" according to Eric Goldberg...
, records that his first term was successful and he himself well liked. However, in his second term he found himself widely hated, and in 472 was removed from office and brought to Rome in chains. Here he was accused by envoys from a commission of influential Gauls of committing treason. The envoys brought with them a letter which Arvandus' secretary attested had been dictated by Arvandus. In it, Arvandus set out to dissuade Euric
Euric
Euric, also known as Evaric, Erwig, or Eurico in Spanish and Portuguese , Son of Theodoric I and the younger brother of Theodoric II and ruled as king of the Visigoths, with his capital at Toulouse, from 466 until his death in 484.He inherited a large portion of the Visigothic possessions in the...
, king of the Visigoths, from concluding peace with the Eastern Roman Emperor, urging that instead he should attack the Bretons north of the Loire. The letter asserted that the Law of Nations
Jus gentium
Ius gentium, Latin for "law of nations", was originally the part of Roman law that the Roman Empire applied to its dealings with foreigners, especially provincial subjects...
called for a division of Gaul between the Visigoths and Burgundians
Burgundians
The Burgundians were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr , and from there to mainland Europe...
.
Riothamus
Riothamus
Riothamus was a Romano-British military leader, who was active circa AD 470. He fought against the Goths in alliance with the declining Roman Empire. He is called "King of the Britons" by the 6th-Century historian Jordanes, but the extent of his realm is unclear...
, King of the Britons
King of the Britons
The Britons or Brythons were the Celtic-speaking people of what is now England, Wales and southern Scotland, whose ethnic identity is today maintained by the Welsh, Cornish and Bretons...
, was allied to Roman Emperor Anthemius
Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius was Western Roman Emperor from 467 to 472. Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees;...
, so this was tantamount to declaring war on the Emperor. Arvandus was put on trial for treason. The trial should have been overseen by Sidonius, but Sidonius chose to resign his position instead, and plead for clemency on behalf of his friend. At his trial, Arvandus was found guilty and was stripped on the spot of all the privileges pertaining to his prefecture, and consigned to the common jail to await execution.
Cassiodorus
Cassiodorus
Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator , commonly known as Cassiodorus, was a Roman statesman and writer, serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Senator was part of his surname, not his rank.- Life :Cassiodorus was born at Scylletium, near Catanzaro in...
asserts that Arvandus' intention was to divide the empire and seize the throne: It may be that Arvandus was hoping to obtain the throne with aid from the Gauls and the Visigoths, in the manner of the previous attempt by Avitus
Avitus
Eparchius Avitus was Western Roman Emperor from July 8 or July 9, 455 to October 17, 456. A Gallic-Roman aristocrat, he was a senator and a high-ranking officer both in the civil and military administration, as well as Bishop of Piacenza.A representative of the Gallic-Roman aristocracy, he...
. If so, Arvandus was disappointed; he received no support from the Gallic aristocracy. Possibly this was a result of his undistinguished birth, but the great majority of the Gauls would have learned from Avitus' example, and realized that the day for such adventures was long past.
Cassiodorius reports that Sidonius and his friends were successful in saving Arvandus from the death penalty. "At the order of Anthemius, Arvandus, who had attempted to become emperor, was sent into exile" ("Arabundus imperium temptans iussu Anthemii exilio deportatur".