Timasius
Encyclopedia
Flavius Timasius was a general of the Roman Empire
, a relative of the Empress Aelia Flaccilla
, wife of Theodosius I
.
, and survived to the battle of Adrianople
(378), in which the Emperor lost his life. Theodosius I
appointed Timasius comes
and magister equitum in 386. From 388 to 395 he was magister militum
praesentalis, while in 389 he held the consulate. In 391 he followed Theodosius in the campaign against the barbarians in Macedonia
. That same year, Theodosius was on the verge of annihilating some barbarian units penetrated in Roman territory, when Timasius told him that the Roman troops needed food and rest; the soldiers, numbed by the food, were surprised and even Theodosius almost taken prisoner. After the return at Constantinople
, Timasius and his colleague Promotus entered in contrast with the powerful Rufinus; Theodosius sided with Rufinus, who arranged for Promotus' death.
Timasius also fought in the battle of the Frigidus
of 394, against the usurper Eugenius
, as commander-in-chief of the Roman troops, but with the collaboration of Stilicho
. After the victory, he returned to the East.
In 395 Theodosius died and his son Arcadius had succeeded him on the Eastern throne. The following year Timasius was the victim of a purge of Theodosius' generals orchestrated by the powerful Eutropius to get rid of potential opponents. Timasius was put under trial, accused of planning to take the power for himself; the judge, Saturninus
, exiled him in an oasis of the Libyan desert, where he died soon after.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, a relative of the Empress Aelia Flaccilla
Aelia Flaccilla
Aelia Flavia Flaccilla , first wife of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. She was of Hispanian Roman descent. During her marriage to Theodosius, she gave birth to two sons — future Emperors Arcadius and Honorius — and a daughter, Aelia Pulcheria...
, wife of 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...
.
Life
Timasius was a officer under Emperor ValensValens
Valens was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 364 to 378. He was given the eastern half of the empire by his brother Valentinian I after the latter's accession to the throne...
, and survived to the battle of Adrianople
Battle of Adrianople
The Battle of Adrianople , sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between a Roman army led by the Roman Emperor Valens and Gothic rebels led by Fritigern...
(378), in which the Emperor lost his life. 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...
appointed Timasius comes
Comes
Comes , plural comites , is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus, especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. The word comes derives from com- "with" +...
and magister equitum in 386. From 388 to 395 he was 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...
praesentalis, while in 389 he held the consulate. In 391 he followed Theodosius in the campaign against the barbarians in Macedonia
Diocese of Macedonia
The Diocese of Macedonia was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, forming part of the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum. Its capital was Thessalonica....
. That same year, Theodosius was on the verge of annihilating some barbarian units penetrated in Roman territory, when Timasius told him that the Roman troops needed food and rest; the soldiers, numbed by the food, were surprised and even Theodosius almost taken prisoner. After the return at 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:...
, Timasius and his colleague Promotus entered in contrast with the powerful Rufinus; Theodosius sided with Rufinus, who arranged for Promotus' death.
Timasius also fought in the battle of the Frigidus
Battle of the Frigidus
The Battle of the Frigidus, also called the Battle of the Frigid River, was fought between September 5–6 394, between the army of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius I and the army of Western Roman ruler Eugenius....
of 394, against the usurper Eugenius
Eugenius
Flavius Eugenius was an usurper in the Western Roman Empire against Emperor Theodosius I. Though himself a Christian, he was the last Emperor to support Roman polytheism.-Life:...
, as commander-in-chief of the Roman troops, but with the collaboration of Stilicho
Stilicho
Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general , Patrician and Consul of the Western Roman Empire, notably of Vandal birth. Despised by the Roman population for his Germanic ancestry and Arian beliefs, Stilicho was in 408 executed along with his wife and son...
. After the victory, he returned to the East.
In 395 Theodosius died and his son Arcadius had succeeded him on the Eastern throne. The following year Timasius was the victim of a purge of Theodosius' generals orchestrated by the powerful Eutropius to get rid of potential opponents. Timasius was put under trial, accused of planning to take the power for himself; the judge, Saturninus
Saturninus (consul 383)
Flavius Saturninus was a politician and a military man of the Roman Empire.- Life :Saturninus was probably a Christian: it is known that he hosted a bishop, that he donated to a monastery and that was in touch for a short time with Gregory of Nazianzus.He followed the military career, and in...
, exiled him in an oasis of the Libyan desert, where he died soon after.
Source
- "Fl. Timasius", 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...
, Volume 2. - Thomas S. Burns, Barbarians within the gates of Rome: a study of Roman military policy and the barbarians, ca. 375-425 A.D., Indiana University Press, 1994, ISBN 0253312884