Caecina Decius Maximus Basilius ( 480–483), was a Roman politician. He was the first

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 thro ...

appointed under

Odoacer Odoacer ( – 15 March 493 AD), also spelled Odovacer or Odovacar, was a barbarian soldier and statesman from the Middle Danube who deposed the Western Roman child emperor Romulus Augustulus and became the ruler of Italy (476–493). Odoacer' ...

's rule (480), and afterwards was

Praetorian prefect of Italy The praetorian prefecture of Italy (, in its full form (until 356) ) was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided since the first half of the 4th century. It comprised the Italian peninsula, the western Bal ...

.John Moorhead
"The Decii under Theoderic"
'' Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', 33 (1984), p. 107 He is best known for presiding over the papal election of

Pope Felix III Pope Felix III (died 1 March 492) was the bishop of Rome from 13 March 483 to his death on 1 March 492. His repudiation of the '' Henotikon'' is considered the beginning of the Acacian schism. He is commemorated on March 1. Family Felix was born ...

Life

A member of the gens Decia, Basilius was the son of Caecina Decius Basilius, one of the two consuls of 463. He had four sons, all of whom attained consular rank: Albinus in 493 (presumably the first consul nominated by

Theodoric the Great Theodoric (or Theoderic) the Great (454 – 30 August 526), also called Theodoric the Amal, was king of the Ostrogoths (475–526), and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy between 493 and 526, regent of the Visigoths (511–526 ...

Avienus Avienus may refer to: * Gennadius Avienus (fl. 450–460s), Roman politician * Avienus (consul 501), Roman politician * Rufius Magnus Faustus Avienus (consul 502), Roman politician *Avienius, commonly (mis)spelled Avienus See also * Aviena gens, ...

in 501, Theodorus in 505, and Inportunus in 509. He was the first consul appointed from Rome since

Rufius Postumius Festus Rufius Postumius Festus ( 472–507) was a Roman aristocrat who lived during the Late Roman Empire. Festus was the last consul appointed by an Emperor in the West. The next consul appointed in the West was Caecina Decius Maximus Basilius, whom kin ...

eight years before. As leader of the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Sena ...

and chief minister to king

, and patron to the Greens, Basilius was one of the most powerful men in post-Imperial

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

.Jeffrey Richards, ''The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages'' (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979), p. 58 As a result, Basilius played a major role in the papal election of 483, being the beneficiary of an '' admonitio'' issued by

Pope Simplicius Pope Simplicius (died 2 or 10 March 483) was the bishop of Rome from 468 to his death on 10 March 483. He combated the Eutychian heresy, ended the practice of consecrating bishops only in December, and sought to offset the effects of Germanic i ...

that gave him veto power over the election of Simplicius' successor. When it was clear Simplicius was on his deathbed, Basilius convened a meeting of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, clergy, and leading local bishops to elect the next pope, Felix III. At the same council, an ecclesiastical law was promulgated which forbade the alienation of ecclesiastical property by future popes.Richards, ''Popes and the papacy'', p. 59 The proceedings of a Roman synod of 501 indicate that he was dead by that date, and a passage of

Cassiodorus Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (), was a Christian Roman statesman, a renowned scholar and writer who served in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. ''Senato ...

shows that his death occurred before his sons reached adulthood, leaving their mother in charge of running the household.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basilius, Caecina Decius Maximus 5th-century Roman consuls Caecinae Decii Praetorian prefects of Italy Year of birth missing