Agricola (full name possibly Julius Agricola; 365–421) was a West Roman statesman who served twice as

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...

and became

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

for 421.

Life

He was from

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

Narbo.Martindale & Morris (1980), p. 36 His familial relations are unclear: the names of Agricola's parents are unknown, as is the name of his wife, and the names of his children. He may have had a son named Nymphidius. He was the grandfather of

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

, consul in 460. He was also a relative, perhaps even the father, of the emperor Avitus (455–456). He served twice as praetorian prefect. His first tenure was sometime before 418, but the exact circumscription is unknown; it was most probably in the Western half of the empire, however. The second time Agricola served as praetorian prefect of Gaul was in 418. He presided over the initial annual ''concilium'' of the Gauls. This assembly had been founded by a previous praetorian prefect, Petronius, but it had stopped meeting due to the revolt of

Constantine III Constantine III may refer to: * Constantine III (Western Roman Emperor), self-proclaimed western Roman Emperor 407–411 * Heraclius Constantine, Byzantine Emperor in 641 * Constans II, Byzantine emperor 641–668, sometimes referred to under this ...

. The last office Agricola is recorded holding is the consulship for 421, with Eustathius as the parallel officeholder in the East.Martindale & Morris (1980), p. 37

References

Bibliography

* {{s-end 5th-century deaths 5th-century Gallo-Roman people 5th-century Roman consuls Imperial Roman consuls Praetorian prefects of Gaul Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown