Bauto
Flavius Bauto (died c. 385) was a Romanised Frank who served as a magister militum of the Roman Empire and was a powerful figure in the court of emperor Valentinian II.
Biography
[edit]in 381, during the Gothic War (376-382), Bauto was sent by western emperor Gratian with a expeditionary field army to aid the ailing eastern emperor, Theodosius I.[1] As is common, the sources do not explicitly name him a magister militum, but the importance of this mission makes it very likely.
In 383, Magnus Maximus began a rebellion in Roman Britain, and crossed onto the continent in the summer of that year. He fought with Gratian for five days near Paris, until the emperor's army deserted him, allowing Maximus to establish himself as emperor in Britain and Gaul. Gratian's half-brother, Valentinian II, had been raised as a full emperor in 375, but the reality is that he had been a subservient, de facto junior emperor under Gratian's control. With his death, Valentinian II thus became the technically senior emperor, however he only had control in Italy. Furthermore, he struggled to shed a perception of weakness which stemmed from his accession to the throne as a child. Thus, powerful ministers like Bauto were able to exert a great deal of control over Valentinian's regime.[2]
For example, Bauto organized the defense of Italy, and was given the prestigious consulship in 385, although he was not the first pick for the position.[2][3] According to bishop Ambrose, Maximus accused Bauto of attacking him with barbarian troops and intending to use Valentinian II as a puppet emperor to acquire power for himself.[4] In matters of religion, it is unclear whether Bauto was a Greco-Roman Polytheist or a Christian.[5][2] He and Rumoridus, who was definitely a Polytheist, were present before Valentinian II when Ambrose successfully convinced the emperor against Quintus Aurelius Symmachus' proposal to restore the pagan Altar of Victory, which had been earlier removed from the Senate of Rome. Afterwards, the two men went along with Valentinian II's decision.[6] Thus, if Bauto was a Christian it shows he further got his way, but if he was a Polytheist that actually support Symmachus' proposal to restore the Altar, his power must have been limited in some aspects.
He died sometime after 385, with no foul play recorded in the sources.[2] Afterwards, his daughter Aelia Eudoxia resided in the house of a son of Promotus, a nemesis of Rufinus, and later married Emperor Arcadius in 395, becoming one of the more powerful empresses of the period. His military office was succeeded by Arbogastes, who went on to influence Valentinian II and is claimed by John of Antioch to be Bauto's son.[3][a]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Zosimus 4.33.1–2
- ^ a b c d Bendle, Christopher (2024). The Office of "Magister Militum" in the 4th Century CE: A Study into the Impact of Political and Military Leadership on the Later Roman Empire. Franz Steiner Verlag.
- ^ a b Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 159.
- ^ Ambrose, Epistolae 24
- ^ Cameron 2010, p. 85–86.
- ^ Ambrose, Epistolae 57.3
- ^ Cameron 2010, p. 85.
Sources
[edit]- Cameron, Alan (2010). The Last Pagans of Rome. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-974727-6.
- Jones, A.H.M.; J.R. Martindale & J. Morris (1971). Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07233-6.
- Bendle, Christopher (2024). The Office of "Magister Militum" in the 4th Century CE: A Study into the Impact of Political and Military Leadership on the Later Roman Empire. Franz Steiner Verlag.