Flavius Zeno (''floruit'' 447–451) was an influential general and politician of the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

, of Isaurian origin, who served as ''

magister militum (Latin for "master of soldiers", plural ) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, ...

per Orientem'', 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 ...

and '' patricius''.

Biography

Zeno was of Isaurian originJordanes, 333; Evagrius, ii.15. and had a brother, who died before 448. Between 447 and 451 he was ''

magister militum per Orientem Magister is Latin for "master" or "teacher". It may refer to: Positions and titles * Magister degree, an academic degree * Magister equitum, or Master of the Horse * Magister militum, a master of the soldiers * Magister officiorum (''master of of ...

''. In 447 he was put at the head of an Isaurian unit and entrusted with the defence of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

from Attila. By this time, he was already ''magister militum per Orientem'' (Commander-in-chief of the Eastern army) and was called to defend the capital because all of the other ''magistri'' were far away, fighting against the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

. As a reward for the successful defence of Constantinople, he was appointed consul for the year 448. In 449 and in 450 he opposed the powerful eunuch Chrysaphius, ''

comes sacrarum largitionum The ''comes sacrarum largitionum'' ("Count of the Sacred Largesses"; in el, , ''kómes tōn theíon thesaurōn'') was one of the senior fiscal officials of the late Roman Empire and the early Byzantine Empire. Although it is first attested in ...

'' at court, who wanted to obtain Attila's favour. He opposed the marriage of Attila's secretary, Constantius, and Saturninus' daughter, whom he married to one of his supporters, Rufus. It is known that in 450, the imperial court feared Zeno's wrath if he were to learn of the treaty with Attila. In 451 he was raised to the rank of '' patricius''. According to

Damascius Damascius (; grc-gre, Δαμάσκιος, 458 – after 538), known as "the last of the Athenian Neoplatonists," was the last scholarch of the neoplatonic Athenian school. He was one of the neoplatonic philosophers who left Athens after laws ...

, Zeno planned to kill an emperor, in one of two plots organized by pagan officers, but the emperor died after falling from his horse. According to modern historians, Zeno had planned to kill

Theodosius II Theodosius II ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος, Theodosios; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450) was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed ''augustus'' as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after the death of his ...

, but the emperor died before the plan could be carried out. Zeno died during the reign of Marcian (450-457). Among his supporters there was the ''magister militum'' Apollonius;

Theodoret Theodoret of Cyrus or Cyrrhus ( grc-gre, Θεοδώρητος Κύρρου; AD 393 – 458/466) was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, biblical commentator, and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus (423–457). He played a pi ...

wrote him two letters. According to ancient sources, Zeno's prestigious career was the reason why another Isaurian officer, Tarasis, chose the Greek name Zeno when he married into the Imperial family, thus being known as

Zeno Zeno ( grc, Ζήνων) may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 BC), ...

when he rose to the throne. Some modern historians suggest that Zeno was the father of the emperor,Stephen Mitchell, ''A history of the later Roman Empire, AD 284-641: the transformation of the ancient world'', Wiley-Blackwell, 2007, , pp. 114-115. but there is no consensus about this, and other sources suggest that Tarasis was member of Zeno's entourage.

Popular Culture

In the 2020 album Songs for Pierre Chuvin by The Mountain Goats, Zeno is referenced in the title of the song "Hopeful Assassins of Zeno".

Notes

Bibliography

Primary sources

Evagrius Scholasticus Evagrius Scholasticus ( el, Εὐάγριος Σχολαστικός) was a Syrian scholar and intellectual living in the 6th century AD, and an aide to the patriarch Gregory of Antioch. His surviving work, ''Ecclesiastical History'' (), compris ...

, ''Historia ecclesiastica'' *

, ''Philosophycal History'' *

Jordanes Jordanes (), also written as Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th-century Eastern Roman bureaucrat widely believed to be of Gothic descent who became a historian later in life. Late in life he wrote two works, one on Roman history ('' Romana'') a ...

, ''Romana'' *

Priscus Priscus of Panium (; el, Πρίσκος; 410s AD/420s AD-after 472 AD) was a 5th-century Eastern Roman diplomat and Greek historian and rhetorician (or sophist)...: "For information about Attila, his court and the organization of life general ...

, ''Historia'' *

, ''Epistles''

Secondary sources

* Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin, John Robert Martindale, John Morris, "Fl. Zenon 6", ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, 1980, , pp. 1199–1200. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeno, Flavius 5th-century Byzantine people 5th-century Roman consuls Correspondents of Theodoret Imperial Roman consuls Isaurians Byzantine generals Magistri militum Patricii