Basilides (patricius)
Encyclopedia
Basilides was a Byzantine official, who held the office of magister officiorum
during the reign of Justinian I
(r. 527-565). He was a member of the commission responsible for forming the Corpus Juris Civilis
.
, serving under Tribonian
. Their work was completed in 529. While this is the first chronological mention of him, the text of his appointment mentions him as being already a vir excellentissimus ("most excellent man"), a former praetorian prefect of the East
and a patrician. His title of praetorian prefect has been suggested to be honorific, as modern historians find it strange that Basilides could have served in this high-ranking position prior to holding lower offices.
On 7 April 529, official texts mention Basilides as the serving praetorian prefect of Illyricum
, a rank lower than his previous title of praetorian prefect of the East. A passage of the Greek Anthology
mentions a "Basilius" ' onMouseout='HidePop("27160")' href="/topics/Basil_(name)">Basil
) who had served as praetorian prefect of Illyricum and whose statue reportedly stood over the east gate of Thessalonica. Cyril Mango
has suggested that this "Basilius" was actually Basilides.
In January 532, the Chronicon Paschale
identifies Basilides as the deputy magister officiorum
, replacing Hermogenes
who had taken up military duties in the Iberian War
against the Sassanid Empire
. Basilides was eventually replaced by Strategius.
During the Nika riots
(January 532), Basilides, Constantiolus
and Mundus served as envoys of Justinian I
to the rioting crowds. They partly attempted to calm the rioters and partly attempted to understand the causes of their wrath. Their report to the emperor placed the blame for the uprising on the unpopular financial ministers John the Cappadocian
, Tribonian and Eudaemon, leading to their dismissal from office. Basilides replaced Tribonian as quaestor sacri palatii
, the senior legal authority in the Byzantine Empire
. He was apparently considered more "acceptable to the people". Soon after however he joined Mundus in his attack on the Hippodrome of Constantinople
that crushed the revolt.
Basilides likely held his position as quaestor for a couple years at most, for Tribonian was reinstated in late 534 or early 535. A later narrative on the building of the Hagia Sophia
claims that Basilides helped raise money and material for the building project. However the narrative involves several miracle
s and is considered unreliable. Basildes' actual role in the project, if any, remains uncertain.
Basilides is next recorded holding the title of magister officiorum. His term lasted from 18 March 536 to 22 November 539. He was also an honorary consul
in this period. John of Ephesus
reports that Pope Agapetus I
, visiting Constantinople
, sent a magister and the Excubitors
against Zooras, an adherent of Monophysitism
. Since the events are dated to March 536, the unnamed magister was probably Basilides. In 539, Justinian replaced Basilides with Peter the Patrician
.
Nothing is known of Basilides following the 530s. The late 10th-century Patria of Constantinople
reports that the location of his palace in Constantinople was still known by Basilides' name, centuries following his death.
Magister officiorum
The magister officiorum was one of the most senior administrative officials in the late Roman Empire and the early centuries of the Byzantine Empire...
during the reign of Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
(r. 527-565). He was a member of the commission responsible for forming the Corpus Juris Civilis
Corpus Juris Civilis
The Corpus Juris Civilis is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Eastern Roman Emperor...
.
Biography
On 13 February 528, Basilides was appointed as a member of the commission preparing the Corpus Juris CivilisCorpus Juris Civilis
The Corpus Juris Civilis is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Eastern Roman Emperor...
, serving under Tribonian
Tribonian
Tribonian or Tribonianos was a jurist during the reign of the Emperor Justinian I, who revised the legal code of the Roman Empire.Tribonian was born in Pamphylia around the year 500...
. Their work was completed in 529. While this is the first chronological mention of him, the text of his appointment mentions him as being already a vir excellentissimus ("most excellent man"), a former praetorian prefect of the East
Praetorian prefecture of the East
The praetorian prefecture of the East or of Oriens was one of four large praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided...
and a patrician. His title of praetorian prefect has been suggested to be honorific, as modern historians find it strange that Basilides could have served in this high-ranking position prior to holding lower offices.
On 7 April 529, official texts mention Basilides as the serving praetorian prefect of Illyricum
Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum
The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.The administrative centre of the prefecture was Sirmium , and, after 379, Thessalonica...
, a rank lower than his previous title of praetorian prefect of the East. A passage of the Greek Anthology
Greek Anthology
The Greek Anthology is a collection of poems, mostly epigrams, that span the classical and Byzantine periods of Greek literature...
mentions a "Basilius" ' onMouseout='HidePop("27160")' href="/topics/Basil_(name)">Basil
Basil (name)
The name Basil , , has origins from the male Greek name Vassilios which first appeared during the Hellenistic period. It is derived from "basileus" a Greek word of pre-Hellenic origin meaning "king", from which words such as basilica and basilisk , as well as the eponymous herb derive, and the...
) who had served as praetorian prefect of Illyricum and whose statue reportedly stood over the east gate of Thessalonica. Cyril Mango
Cyril Mango
Cyril Alexander Mango is a British scholar in the history, art, and architecture of the Byzantine Empire. He is a former King's College London and Oxford professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek Language and Literature. He is the brother of Andrew Mango.One of his major works The Mosaics of St...
has suggested that this "Basilius" was actually Basilides.
In January 532, the Chronicon Paschale
Chronicon Paschale
Chronicon Paschale is the conventional name of a 7th-century Greek Christian chronicle of the world...
identifies Basilides as the deputy magister officiorum
Magister officiorum
The magister officiorum was one of the most senior administrative officials in the late Roman Empire and the early centuries of the Byzantine Empire...
, replacing Hermogenes
Hermogenes (magister officiorum)
Hermogenes was an East Roman official who served as magister officiorum, military commander and diplomatic envoy during the Iberian War against Sassanid Persia in the early reign of Justinian I .- Life :...
who had taken up military duties in the Iberian War
Iberian War
The Iberian War was fought from 526 to 532 between the Eastern Roman Empire and Sassanid Empire over the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia.-Origin:After the Anastasian War, a seven-year truce was agreed on, yet it lasted for nearly twenty years...
against the Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
. Basilides was eventually replaced by Strategius.
During the Nika riots
Nika riots
The Nika riots , or Nika revolt, took place over the course of a week in Constantinople in AD 532. It was the most violent riot that Constantinople had ever seen to that point, with nearly half the city being burned or destroyed and tens of thousands of people killed.-Background:The ancient Roman...
(January 532), Basilides, Constantiolus
Constantiolus
Constantiolus was a general of the Byzantine Empire, active early in the reign of Justinian I . He succeeded Justin in command of Moesia Secunda...
and Mundus served as envoys of Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
to the rioting crowds. They partly attempted to calm the rioters and partly attempted to understand the causes of their wrath. Their report to the emperor placed the blame for the uprising on the unpopular financial ministers John the Cappadocian
John the Cappadocian
A different John the Cappadocian was Patriarch from 518-520. See John of Cappadocia.John the Cappadocian,also known as Iohannis Orientalis, was a praetorian prefect of the East in the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I...
, Tribonian and Eudaemon, leading to their dismissal from office. Basilides replaced Tribonian as quaestor sacri palatii
Quaestor sacri palatii
The quaestor sacri palatii , in English Quaestor of the Sacred Palace, was the senior legal authority in the late Roman and early Byzantine empires, responsible for drafting laws. In the later Byzantine Empire, the office of the quaestor was altered and it became a senior judicial official for the...
, the senior legal authority in the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. He was apparently considered more "acceptable to the people". Soon after however he joined Mundus in his attack on the Hippodrome of Constantinople
Hippodrome of Constantinople
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving...
that crushed the revolt.
Basilides likely held his position as quaestor for a couple years at most, for Tribonian was reinstated in late 534 or early 535. A later narrative on the building of the Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
claims that Basilides helped raise money and material for the building project. However the narrative involves several miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s and is considered unreliable. Basildes' actual role in the project, if any, remains uncertain.
Basilides is next recorded holding the title of magister officiorum. His term lasted from 18 March 536 to 22 November 539. He was also an honorary consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in this period. John of Ephesus
John of Ephesus
John of Ephesus was a leader of the non-Chalcedonian Syriac-speaking Church in the sixth century, and one of the earliest and most important of historians who wrote in Syriac.-Life:...
reports that Pope Agapetus I
Pope Agapetus I
Pope Saint Agapetus I reigned as pope from May 13, 535, to April 22, 536. He is not to be confused with another Saint Agapetus, an Early Christian martyr with the feast day of August 6th.-Family:...
, visiting 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:...
, sent a magister and the Excubitors
Excubitors
The Excubitors were founded in circa 460 AD as the imperial guards of the early Byzantine emperors. Their commanders soon acquired great influence and provided a series of emperors in the 6th century...
against Zooras, an adherent of Monophysitism
Monophysitism
Monophysitism , or Monophysiticism, is the Christological position that Jesus Christ has only one nature, his humanity being absorbed by his Deity...
. Since the events are dated to March 536, the unnamed magister was probably Basilides. In 539, Justinian replaced Basilides with Peter the Patrician
Peter the Patrician
Peter the Patrician was a senior East Roman or Byzantine official, diplomat and historian. A well-educated and successful lawyer, he was repeatedly sent as envoy to Ostrogothic Italy in the prelude to the Gothic War of 535–554. Despite his diplomatic skill, he was not able to avert war, and was...
.
Nothing is known of Basilides following the 530s. The late 10th-century Patria of Constantinople
Patria of Constantinople
The Patria of Constantinople , also known by the Latin name Scriptores originum Constantinopolitarum , is a Byzantine collection of historical works on the history and monuments of the Byzantine imperial capital of Constantinople .Although in the past attributed to the 14th-century writer George...
reports that the location of his palace in Constantinople was still known by Basilides' name, centuries following his death.