Edobichus
Encyclopedia
Edobichus was a general of the Roman usurper Constantine III.
. He was already an experienced soldier when in 407, after the deaths of the generals Nebiogastes
and Iustinianus
, the Western usurper Constantine III appointed him and Gerontius
as his magistri militum
(commanders-in-chief of the army). That same year, the two magistri forced Sarus
, the general of the Western Emperor Honorius
, to lift the siege of Constantine in Valence and return to Italy.
In 409 Gerontius proclaimed Maximus
as emperor in Hispania
in opposition to Constantine, and in 411 he attacked Constantine in Gaul. Constantine then sent Edobichus to the Franks
and the Germans
across the Rhine to ask for reinforcements. When he returned with fresh troops, in 411, Edobichus went to Arles
, where Constantine was besieged, but here he was defeated by Honorius' generals Constantius
and Ulphilas. He fled to his friend Ecdicius, who, however, killed him. Edobichus' death convinced Constantine to surrender.
Life
Edobichus was a FrankFranks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
. He was already an experienced soldier when in 407, after the deaths of the generals Nebiogastes
Nebiogastes
Nebiogastes was a Roman military commander who supported the usurper Constantine III.- Life :Nebiogastes was an officer of the Western Roman army in Britain. In 407 the general Claudius Constantine rebelled against Emperor Honorius and appointed Nebiogastes and Iustinianus magistri militum of the...
and Iustinianus
Iustinianus
Iustinianus was a Roman military commander who supported the usurper Constantine III.- Life :Iustinianus was an officer of the Western Roman army in Britain. In 407 the general Claudius Constantine rebelled against Emperor Honorius and appointed Iustinianus and Nebiogastes magistri militum of the...
, the Western usurper Constantine III appointed him and Gerontius
Gerontius (general)
Gerontius was a general of the Western Roman Empire, who first supported the usurper Constantine III and later opposed him in favour of another usurper, Maximus of Hispania.- Usurpation of Constantine III :Gerontius probably was of Breton origin...
as his magistri militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
(commanders-in-chief of the army). That same year, the two magistri forced Sarus
Sarus (Goth)
Sarus was a Gothic chieftain and commander for the emperor Honorius . He was known for his hostility to the prominent Gothic brothers Alaric I and Ataulf, and was the brother of Sigeric, who ruled the Goths briefly in 415.-Career:...
, the general of the Western Emperor Honorius
Honorius (emperor)
Honorius , was Western Roman Emperor from 395 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the eastern emperor Arcadius....
, to lift the siege of Constantine in Valence and return to Italy.
In 409 Gerontius 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....
as emperor in Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
in opposition to Constantine, and in 411 he attacked Constantine in Gaul. Constantine then sent Edobichus to the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
and the Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
across the Rhine to ask for reinforcements. When he returned with fresh troops, in 411, Edobichus went to Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
, where Constantine was besieged, but here he was defeated by Honorius' generals Constantius
Constantius III
Flavius Constantius , commonly known as Constantius III, was Western Roman Emperor for seven months in 421. A prominent general and politician, he was the power behind the throne for much of the 410s, and in 421 briefly became co-emperor of the Western Empire with Honorius.- Early life and rise to...
and Ulphilas. He fled to his friend Ecdicius, who, however, killed him. Edobichus' death convinced Constantine to surrender.
Sources
- Gregory of ToursGregory of ToursSaint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
, Historia Francorum, II.9. - SozomenSozomenSalminius Hermias Sozomenus was a historian of the Christian church.-Family and Home:He was born around 400 in Bethelia, a small town near Gaza, into a wealthy Christian family of Palestine....
, IX.13.2, 14, 15.1. - ZosimusZosimusZosimus was a Byzantine historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury.- Historia Nova :...
, VI.2.4-5. - Prosopography of the Later Roman EmpireProsopography of the Later Roman EmpireProsopography of the Later Roman Empire is a set of three volumes collectively describing every person attested or claimed to have lived in the Roman world from AD 260, the date of the beginning of Gallienus' sole rule, to 641, the date of the death of Heraclius, which is commonly held to mark the...
II, "Edobichus", p. 386.