Fravitta
Encyclopedia
Flavius Fravitta was a chieftain of the Visigoths, who entered in the Eastern Roman army, rising to its highest ranks.
, a Greek historian of the 4th-5th century.
In 382, the Visigoths had signed a treaty with Roman Emperor Theodosius I
, according to which the Visigoths were allowed to live in the Roman territory at the mouth of the Danube
, with the rank of foederati
, thus providing the Roman army with troops. However, within the Goths there were two parties, which grew more and more hostile each other. One was formed by the Arian Christian majority, the "Gothic party", led by Eriulf and opposed to the assimilation of the Goths in the Roman culture. Fravitta, on the other side, led those Goths who wanted to stay faithful to the treaty and who wanted to be assimilated in the Roman culture. In 391, while Eriulf and Fravitta were both dining with Theodosius, they quarrelled, and Fravitta killed Eriulf, and only the imperial guards could save his life by the revenge of Eriulf's followers; while his support among the Goths decreased, his position at court was strengthened. Later he married a Roman woman of high rank, thus helping his own assimilation in the Roman society, as well as his people's. He was loyal to the Roman Empire for all of his life, and rose through the ranks of the Roman army, until he reached the office of Magister militum
, with the task of suppressing the revolts in the East (395).
In 400 he led the fleet of the Easter Roman Emperor Arcadius
and defeated decisively the rebel Arian Goth Gainas
, in Thrace
: he sinked the vessels of the rebel while they were trying to pass to Asia Minor
. As a reward, he asked to be allowed to worship the Pagan gods freely: the Emperor granted him his wish and designated him as consul for the following year. After his consulate in 401, however, he rapidly fell out of favour because of several intrigues in the Eastern court, as the imperial policy towards the Goths changed because of the rebellion of Gainas: Fravitta was unjustly accused of treachery and put to death.
Biography
Fravitta was a member of the Visigoth aristocracy. He was also a Pagan, and for this reason he was praised by EunapiusEunapius
Eunapius was a Greek sophist and historian of the 4th century. His principal surviving work is the Lives of the Sophists, a collection of the biographies of twenty-three philosophers and sophists.-Life:He was born at Sardis, AD 347...
, a Greek historian of the 4th-5th century.
In 382, the Visigoths had signed a treaty with Roman Emperor Theodosius I
Theodosius I
Theodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...
, according to which the Visigoths were allowed to live in the Roman territory at the mouth of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, with the rank of foederati
Foederati
Foederatus is a Latin term whose definition and usage drifted in the time between the early Roman Republic and the end of the Western Roman Empire...
, thus providing the Roman army with troops. However, within the Goths there were two parties, which grew more and more hostile each other. One was formed by the Arian Christian majority, the "Gothic party", led by Eriulf and opposed to the assimilation of the Goths in the Roman culture. Fravitta, on the other side, led those Goths who wanted to stay faithful to the treaty and who wanted to be assimilated in the Roman culture. In 391, while Eriulf and Fravitta were both dining with Theodosius, they quarrelled, and Fravitta killed Eriulf, and only the imperial guards could save his life by the revenge of Eriulf's followers; while his support among the Goths decreased, his position at court was strengthened. Later he married a Roman woman of high rank, thus helping his own assimilation in the Roman society, as well as his people's. He was loyal to the Roman Empire for all of his life, and rose through the ranks of the Roman army, until he reached the office of Magister 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...
, with the task of suppressing the revolts in the East (395).
In 400 he led the fleet of the Easter Roman Emperor Arcadius
Arcadius
Arcadius was the Byzantine Emperor from 395 to his death. He was the eldest son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Western Emperor Honorius...
and defeated decisively the rebel Arian Goth Gainas
Gainas
Gainas was an ambitious Gothic leader who served the Eastern Roman Empire as Magister Militum during the reigns of Theodosius I and Arcadius....
, in Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
: he sinked the vessels of the rebel while they were trying to pass to Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. As a reward, he asked to be allowed to worship the Pagan gods freely: the Emperor granted him his wish and designated him as consul for the following year. After his consulate in 401, however, he rapidly fell out of favour because of several intrigues in the Eastern court, as the imperial policy towards the Goths changed because of the rebellion of Gainas: Fravitta was unjustly accused of treachery and put to death.