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II: Rise of Bonifatius
Excerpt: Occidental Emperors of the 5th Century, The Theodosians and Liuvingians - Madelgarda Moniades, Theedlijk Gyngthitzheidthing Vrangonrijk (1852 AD)
Bonifatius’ rise to the position of magister militum was one that required two civil wars. There exists little information on his early upbringing with the earliest mention of him dating back to 413 when a young Bonifatius, under the service of Constantius III, defeated a Visigothic force under Athaulf at Massilia allegedly wounding the king himself. His position with the army would only continue to advance with him relocated to Libya where, as tribunus, he commanded a Gothic foederati regiment against the Mauri. During this time, he had developed a close relationship with Augustine Hipponensis with whom he would discuss theology. In 422, he married the daughter of the Gothic Beremudus, Pelagia, after being recalled to Ravenna where he would inherit his father-in-law’s bucellarii.
Now in Italia, he would be tasked with launching an invasion of Hispania with patricius Flavius Castinus. The campaign was unsuccessful due to Castinus’ own ‘haughty and inept exercise of command’ which caused quarrelling between him and Bonifatius. Galla Placidia sought to prevent Castinus from becoming a repeat of Stilicho, and as a result did not help heal the tensions between him and Galla Placidia’s protege, Bonifatius. Following the disputes, Bonifatius left the expedition arriving in Africa where he would begin to build up a power base, having dubiously gained the command of comes africae. Castinus had initial success against the Vandals, successfully putting them under a blockade which came close to forcing a surrender. However, the betrayal of his Gothic auxiliaries led to his defeat at the Battle of Tarraco. The Romans were utterly defeated forcing Castinus to fall back to Tarraco.
Castinus’ career would take a turn with the sudden death of the inactive Emperor Honorius on 15 August 423 leaving a power vacuum in the Occident. Theodosius II, despite now being the legal sole ruler of the whole Roman Empire, hesitated in nominating a new emperor of the Occident. It is possible that he had reached an agreement with Castinus who would act as Theodosius’ vice-regent in the Occident in return for being appointed consul for 424 along with the Oriental Victor. Whether or not such an agreement was made would not prevent Castinus from taking advantage of the situation and proceeding to become a kingmaker by declaring Joannes, the primicerius notariorum “chief notary” (the head of the civil service), to be the new Occidental Emperor in late 423. Joannes’ rule was accepted in Italia, Gaul and Hispania but not in Africa where Bonifatius continued to fight the Mauri.
Theodosius reacted by preparing Valentinian III for promotion to the imperial office, naming him nobilissimus. He was betrothed to Licinia Eudoxia, Theodosius’ daughter by Aelia Eudocia and Valentinian’s first cousin once removed; Valentinian was four years old, Licinia only two. Finally, Valentinian was proclaimed a Caesar in the Oriental court by the end of 424. The same year, the campaign against Joannes started with Ardaburius commanding an embarked infantry force to capture Ravenna. A second force was put under the command of Aspar who marched to Aquileia which surrendered with virtually no resistance. On the other hand, Ardaburius’ fleet was dispersed by a storm and he would be captured by forces loyal to Joannes along with two of his galleys resulting in his imprisonment in Ravenna.
Joannes showed good treatment towards his prisoner evening allowing him to walk the court and streets of Ravenna. Ardaburius took advantage of these liberties to convince some of Joannes’ forces to defect to Theodosius’ side. These conspirators contacted Aspar beckoning him to Ravenna with a shepherd leading the cavalry through the marshes of the Po to the gates of the capital. With besiegers on the outside and defectors within, Ravenna was quickly captured along with Joannes who had his right hand cut off before being mounted on a donkey and paraded through the streets; finally beheaded in the hippodrome of Aquileia. Valentinian III was officially proclaimed the new Augustus of the Occidental Roman Empire on 23 October 425, in the presence of the Roman Senate. Three days following the usurper’s death, a reported 60,000 Huns from across the Danubes were brought as reinforcements for the army of Aetius who had declared his allegiance to Joannes. Following some skirmishing, Placidia and Aetius came to an agreement paying off the Huns sending them home and granting the position of magister militum per Gallias (commander-in-chief of the Roman army in Gaul) to Aetius.
During the succession crisis, Bonifatius had cut off the grain supply from Libya, showing his support for Placidia and Theodosius II. So too did he campaign against Joannes’ forces who attempted to capture Africa but were unsuccessful in their attempted deposition of the comes africanae. However, once the magister officiorum Helion made Valentinian III the new Occidental emperor, Bonifatius resumed grain shipments to Rome in return for the position of comes domesticorum. In this new position, Bonifatius remained in Africa for several years before Placidia recalled him to Ravenna in 427, summons which he refused.
Flavius Constantinus Felix, made a patricius in 425, had alleged Bonifatius of attempting to form his own empire in Libya. He himself sought to further his own powers as though he served as magister utriusque militae, he was regarded as being less significant than Bonifatius when he came to military affairs. The year previous, he had taken action to increase his influence by ordering the death of the bishop of Arelate, Patroclus, and the deacon in Rome, Titus. With Galla Placidia turned against the seemingly disloyal Bonifatius, Felix could send troops to Africa though the army would be defeated by those loyal to Bonifatius. Felix’s power would continue to grow with him elected consul for the Occident in 428. However, his career would be cut short by his arrest and execution by Aetius along with his wife Padusia and a deacon in May 430 after being accused of plotting against Aetius.
In the meantime, Felix’s generals Mavortius and Gallio’s forces were unsuccessful at the Siege of Carthage when the assisting Hun foederati under Sanoeces killed the Roman commanders after the besieging forces turned on each other. Sanoeces himself would be killed finally breaking the siege. News soon reached Ravenna prompting the sending of Sigisvultus, appointed to be the new comes africae, against Bonifatius. With his Gothic force, he captured Carthage forcing a withdrawal into Numidia by Bonifatius and his Gothic bucellarii who were permitted to loot the province. To gain further support in his battle against Sigisvultus, Bonifatius had his daughter baptized by an Arian priest causing a falling out between him and his friend Augustine Hipponensis. After two years of campaigning, an envoy was sent by Placidia to Bonifatius, from which she learned that a letter had been forged ordering him not to return to Ravenna if summoned. In response, a man named Darius was sent to Libya to negotiate a truce between Bonifatius and Sigisvultus ending with the former’s restoration to Placidia’s favour and the end of the civil war in time to face the Vandal threat posed by Gaiseric. Sigisvultus would be stripped of his title as comes africae but would continue to serve in the army after returning to Italia.
Having just finished the fighting against Sigisvultus, Bonifatius now found himself fighting off a Vandal invasion of Libya. Gaiseric crossed his forces near Roman Tingis in 429 and advanced across Libya before this campaign was halted briefly by the same Darius who had negotiated a peace between Sigisvultus and Bonifatius. The established truce, however, was quickly broken by Gaiseric who quickly resumed his invasion defeating Bonifatius’ army and supporting Gothic foederati at the Battle of Calama in 430. Bonifatius retreated with his reduced resources to Hippo Regius where in May or June, he was surrounded by Gaiseric’s besieging forces before a lack of supplies forced the besieging forces to lift their siege in July or August 431. Bonifatius retreated from the city leaving it at the mercy of Gaiseric. According to Peter of Ephesus, Bonifatius reconciled with Augustine Hipponensis and wept as the sick bishop refused to abandon Hippo.
Bonifatius joined with Oriental forces under the command of Aspar and the two men engaged Gaiseric in battle in early 431 only to be defeated. Following his failures in Libya, Bonifatius was recalled to Italia where after being warmly received by Placidia, he was appointed magister utriusque militiae and patricius of the Occident as a reaction to the hanging of Flavius Felix at the instigation of Flavius Aetius whose influence Placidia feared. Aetius feared his fall to be imminent, as his military command was stripped, and thus organized a battle with Bonifatius five Roman miles outside of Rimini in 432. Bonifatius and his son-in-law Sebastianus were victorious, [1] and Aetius fled to the Hunnic court of his friend, Rua, the king of the Huns, in Pannonia after being allowed to retire to his private estates. The following year, Aetius returned with a large army of Huns and marched on Ravenna. Bonifatius prepared to fight Aetius by summoning the Visigoths to his aid.
Bonifatius intercepted Aetius as he marched to Ravenna at Patavium [2]. Both forces encamped their forces outside the city reading for a pitched battle. The two armies would remain in their camps for a few days before news of the arrival of 13,000 reinforcements commanded by Hugelicus (the majority being Visigoths) reached Bonifatius. Aetius, aware of the reinforcements due to gathered intelligence, initiated battle with Bonifatius to avoid Bonifatius joining forces with the reinforcements. Aetius would be unable to break Bonifatius’ army before the reinforcements arrived thus ending the sizeable numerical advantage he had previously enjoyed. The battle would be decided by the death of the Hunnic officer, Edeco, when he tried to reach Bonifatius with the right flank. He was slain by a Visigothic soldier provoking the rout of the right flank which slowly developed into a mass retreat as remnants of the army sought to escape the capture or massacre that would follow after the battle. Aetius, himself decided to flee after trying to reorganize his army.
Though Aetius was defeated at Patavium, Bonifatius now had to deal with the surviving groups of Huns and barbarians who were trying to escape from the Occident. Bonifatius ordered Aetius to be captured alive. In the days following the battle, almost ⅓ of the original army was captured while casualties amounted to almost double those captured. Bonifatius’ forces, on the other hand, had half the casualties Aetius had experienced. Aetius himself was captured while trying to flee back to the Hunnic court. He was dragged to Ravenna in shackles and exposed to the people before being strangled to death. Aetius died destitute and poor with nothing to his name for Bonifatius had seized all his property and estates while Aetius found refuge with Rua. After two civil wars, Bonifatius had secured his place as the most powerful person within the Occident.
[1] Unlike OTL, Bonifatius isn’t mortally wounded at Rimini
[2] Padua
Sorry for the delayed update. I was spending a week in Italy and was supposed to be spending another week in France but COVID-19 has changed those plans. In regards to Italy, it was absolutely beautiful; it went above and beyond my expectations so in honour of my time there, Sorrento would be getting some good treatment later down the line.
“Great empires are not maintained by timidity”
- Tacitus (56 - 120 AD)
“Great empires are not maintained by timidity”
- Tacitus (56 - 120 AD)
Excerpt: Occidental Emperors of the 5th Century, The Theodosians and Liuvingians - Madelgarda Moniades, Theedlijk Gyngthitzheidthing Vrangonrijk (1852 AD)
Bonifatius’ rise to the position of magister militum was one that required two civil wars. There exists little information on his early upbringing with the earliest mention of him dating back to 413 when a young Bonifatius, under the service of Constantius III, defeated a Visigothic force under Athaulf at Massilia allegedly wounding the king himself. His position with the army would only continue to advance with him relocated to Libya where, as tribunus, he commanded a Gothic foederati regiment against the Mauri. During this time, he had developed a close relationship with Augustine Hipponensis with whom he would discuss theology. In 422, he married the daughter of the Gothic Beremudus, Pelagia, after being recalled to Ravenna where he would inherit his father-in-law’s bucellarii.
Now in Italia, he would be tasked with launching an invasion of Hispania with patricius Flavius Castinus. The campaign was unsuccessful due to Castinus’ own ‘haughty and inept exercise of command’ which caused quarrelling between him and Bonifatius. Galla Placidia sought to prevent Castinus from becoming a repeat of Stilicho, and as a result did not help heal the tensions between him and Galla Placidia’s protege, Bonifatius. Following the disputes, Bonifatius left the expedition arriving in Africa where he would begin to build up a power base, having dubiously gained the command of comes africae. Castinus had initial success against the Vandals, successfully putting them under a blockade which came close to forcing a surrender. However, the betrayal of his Gothic auxiliaries led to his defeat at the Battle of Tarraco. The Romans were utterly defeated forcing Castinus to fall back to Tarraco.
Castinus’ career would take a turn with the sudden death of the inactive Emperor Honorius on 15 August 423 leaving a power vacuum in the Occident. Theodosius II, despite now being the legal sole ruler of the whole Roman Empire, hesitated in nominating a new emperor of the Occident. It is possible that he had reached an agreement with Castinus who would act as Theodosius’ vice-regent in the Occident in return for being appointed consul for 424 along with the Oriental Victor. Whether or not such an agreement was made would not prevent Castinus from taking advantage of the situation and proceeding to become a kingmaker by declaring Joannes, the primicerius notariorum “chief notary” (the head of the civil service), to be the new Occidental Emperor in late 423. Joannes’ rule was accepted in Italia, Gaul and Hispania but not in Africa where Bonifatius continued to fight the Mauri.
Theodosius reacted by preparing Valentinian III for promotion to the imperial office, naming him nobilissimus. He was betrothed to Licinia Eudoxia, Theodosius’ daughter by Aelia Eudocia and Valentinian’s first cousin once removed; Valentinian was four years old, Licinia only two. Finally, Valentinian was proclaimed a Caesar in the Oriental court by the end of 424. The same year, the campaign against Joannes started with Ardaburius commanding an embarked infantry force to capture Ravenna. A second force was put under the command of Aspar who marched to Aquileia which surrendered with virtually no resistance. On the other hand, Ardaburius’ fleet was dispersed by a storm and he would be captured by forces loyal to Joannes along with two of his galleys resulting in his imprisonment in Ravenna.
Joannes showed good treatment towards his prisoner evening allowing him to walk the court and streets of Ravenna. Ardaburius took advantage of these liberties to convince some of Joannes’ forces to defect to Theodosius’ side. These conspirators contacted Aspar beckoning him to Ravenna with a shepherd leading the cavalry through the marshes of the Po to the gates of the capital. With besiegers on the outside and defectors within, Ravenna was quickly captured along with Joannes who had his right hand cut off before being mounted on a donkey and paraded through the streets; finally beheaded in the hippodrome of Aquileia. Valentinian III was officially proclaimed the new Augustus of the Occidental Roman Empire on 23 October 425, in the presence of the Roman Senate. Three days following the usurper’s death, a reported 60,000 Huns from across the Danubes were brought as reinforcements for the army of Aetius who had declared his allegiance to Joannes. Following some skirmishing, Placidia and Aetius came to an agreement paying off the Huns sending them home and granting the position of magister militum per Gallias (commander-in-chief of the Roman army in Gaul) to Aetius.
During the succession crisis, Bonifatius had cut off the grain supply from Libya, showing his support for Placidia and Theodosius II. So too did he campaign against Joannes’ forces who attempted to capture Africa but were unsuccessful in their attempted deposition of the comes africanae. However, once the magister officiorum Helion made Valentinian III the new Occidental emperor, Bonifatius resumed grain shipments to Rome in return for the position of comes domesticorum. In this new position, Bonifatius remained in Africa for several years before Placidia recalled him to Ravenna in 427, summons which he refused.
Flavius Constantinus Felix, made a patricius in 425, had alleged Bonifatius of attempting to form his own empire in Libya. He himself sought to further his own powers as though he served as magister utriusque militae, he was regarded as being less significant than Bonifatius when he came to military affairs. The year previous, he had taken action to increase his influence by ordering the death of the bishop of Arelate, Patroclus, and the deacon in Rome, Titus. With Galla Placidia turned against the seemingly disloyal Bonifatius, Felix could send troops to Africa though the army would be defeated by those loyal to Bonifatius. Felix’s power would continue to grow with him elected consul for the Occident in 428. However, his career would be cut short by his arrest and execution by Aetius along with his wife Padusia and a deacon in May 430 after being accused of plotting against Aetius.
In the meantime, Felix’s generals Mavortius and Gallio’s forces were unsuccessful at the Siege of Carthage when the assisting Hun foederati under Sanoeces killed the Roman commanders after the besieging forces turned on each other. Sanoeces himself would be killed finally breaking the siege. News soon reached Ravenna prompting the sending of Sigisvultus, appointed to be the new comes africae, against Bonifatius. With his Gothic force, he captured Carthage forcing a withdrawal into Numidia by Bonifatius and his Gothic bucellarii who were permitted to loot the province. To gain further support in his battle against Sigisvultus, Bonifatius had his daughter baptized by an Arian priest causing a falling out between him and his friend Augustine Hipponensis. After two years of campaigning, an envoy was sent by Placidia to Bonifatius, from which she learned that a letter had been forged ordering him not to return to Ravenna if summoned. In response, a man named Darius was sent to Libya to negotiate a truce between Bonifatius and Sigisvultus ending with the former’s restoration to Placidia’s favour and the end of the civil war in time to face the Vandal threat posed by Gaiseric. Sigisvultus would be stripped of his title as comes africae but would continue to serve in the army after returning to Italia.
Having just finished the fighting against Sigisvultus, Bonifatius now found himself fighting off a Vandal invasion of Libya. Gaiseric crossed his forces near Roman Tingis in 429 and advanced across Libya before this campaign was halted briefly by the same Darius who had negotiated a peace between Sigisvultus and Bonifatius. The established truce, however, was quickly broken by Gaiseric who quickly resumed his invasion defeating Bonifatius’ army and supporting Gothic foederati at the Battle of Calama in 430. Bonifatius retreated with his reduced resources to Hippo Regius where in May or June, he was surrounded by Gaiseric’s besieging forces before a lack of supplies forced the besieging forces to lift their siege in July or August 431. Bonifatius retreated from the city leaving it at the mercy of Gaiseric. According to Peter of Ephesus, Bonifatius reconciled with Augustine Hipponensis and wept as the sick bishop refused to abandon Hippo.
Bonifatius joined with Oriental forces under the command of Aspar and the two men engaged Gaiseric in battle in early 431 only to be defeated. Following his failures in Libya, Bonifatius was recalled to Italia where after being warmly received by Placidia, he was appointed magister utriusque militiae and patricius of the Occident as a reaction to the hanging of Flavius Felix at the instigation of Flavius Aetius whose influence Placidia feared. Aetius feared his fall to be imminent, as his military command was stripped, and thus organized a battle with Bonifatius five Roman miles outside of Rimini in 432. Bonifatius and his son-in-law Sebastianus were victorious, [1] and Aetius fled to the Hunnic court of his friend, Rua, the king of the Huns, in Pannonia after being allowed to retire to his private estates. The following year, Aetius returned with a large army of Huns and marched on Ravenna. Bonifatius prepared to fight Aetius by summoning the Visigoths to his aid.
Bonifatius intercepted Aetius as he marched to Ravenna at Patavium [2]. Both forces encamped their forces outside the city reading for a pitched battle. The two armies would remain in their camps for a few days before news of the arrival of 13,000 reinforcements commanded by Hugelicus (the majority being Visigoths) reached Bonifatius. Aetius, aware of the reinforcements due to gathered intelligence, initiated battle with Bonifatius to avoid Bonifatius joining forces with the reinforcements. Aetius would be unable to break Bonifatius’ army before the reinforcements arrived thus ending the sizeable numerical advantage he had previously enjoyed. The battle would be decided by the death of the Hunnic officer, Edeco, when he tried to reach Bonifatius with the right flank. He was slain by a Visigothic soldier provoking the rout of the right flank which slowly developed into a mass retreat as remnants of the army sought to escape the capture or massacre that would follow after the battle. Aetius, himself decided to flee after trying to reorganize his army.
Though Aetius was defeated at Patavium, Bonifatius now had to deal with the surviving groups of Huns and barbarians who were trying to escape from the Occident. Bonifatius ordered Aetius to be captured alive. In the days following the battle, almost ⅓ of the original army was captured while casualties amounted to almost double those captured. Bonifatius’ forces, on the other hand, had half the casualties Aetius had experienced. Aetius himself was captured while trying to flee back to the Hunnic court. He was dragged to Ravenna in shackles and exposed to the people before being strangled to death. Aetius died destitute and poor with nothing to his name for Bonifatius had seized all his property and estates while Aetius found refuge with Rua. After two civil wars, Bonifatius had secured his place as the most powerful person within the Occident.
[1] Unlike OTL, Bonifatius isn’t mortally wounded at Rimini
[2] Padua
SUMMARY:
432: Bonifatius and Aetius battle one another at the Battle of Rimini following the promotion of the former and stripping of military command of the latter. Aetius flees to the court of the king of the Huns, Rua.
433: With a Hunnic army, Aetius battles Bonifatius at the Battle of Patavium. He is defeated and captured following the battle and put to death in Ravenna leaving Bonifatius as the undisputed magister militum of the Occident.
432: Bonifatius and Aetius battle one another at the Battle of Rimini following the promotion of the former and stripping of military command of the latter. Aetius flees to the court of the king of the Huns, Rua.
433: With a Hunnic army, Aetius battles Bonifatius at the Battle of Patavium. He is defeated and captured following the battle and put to death in Ravenna leaving Bonifatius as the undisputed magister militum of the Occident.
LIST OF LEADERS:
Comes et Magister Utriusque Militiae of the Occidental Roman Empire
Flavius Constantius: 411 - 421
Castinus: 422 - 425
Flavius Constantius Felix: 425 - 430
Bonifatius: 431 - ?
Comes et Magister Utriusque Militiae of the Occidental Roman Empire
Flavius Constantius: 411 - 421
Castinus: 422 - 425
Flavius Constantius Felix: 425 - 430
Bonifatius: 431 - ?
- Richard Drummond
- Word Count: 1.9k