Decius ( 529–546) was a 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 ...

. A member of the

Decia gens The gens Decia was a plebeian family of high antiquity, which became illustrious in Roman history by the example of its members sacrificing themselves for the preservation of their country. The first of the family known to history was Marcus Deciu ...

, he was appointed

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 th ...

for 529 without colleague. Decius was the son of

Basilius Venantius (Decius) Basilius Venantius (''floruit'' 508–533), was a Roman aristocrat who lived during Ostrogothic rule. Biography He was probably the son of Decius Marius Venantius Basilius, consul in 484. Venantius had several sons who became consuls, in ...

(consul in 508), and brother of

Decius Paulinus Decius Paulinus (''floruit'' 534) was a Roman aristocrat and politician who served as the last consul of the Roman Senate. After his term, consuls would be appointed in the East alone. Family Paulinus was a member of the Decia gens, the son of Ba ...

(consul in 534); according to Alan Cameron and Diane Schauer, Decius had at least one additional brother who was appointed to the consulate. In December 546 Decius is attested as '' patricius'' in Rome. That same month, when the King of the Ostrogoths,

Totila Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War, recovering by 543 almost all the t ...

, overcame the

Byzantine 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 ...

defences and entered the city, Decius along with Rufius Petronius Nicomachus Cethegus, the president 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 e ...

(who had been consul in 504), and

Anicius Faustus Albinus Basilius Anicius Faustus Albinus Basilius was a high official of the Eastern Roman Empire and the last ordinary consul of Roman history, holding the office alone in 541. Biography His origins are unknown, although his name suggests he belonged to the ar ...

(who had been consul in 541) fled Rome with general

Bessas Bessas is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes cooperate in ...

.Raymond Davis, translator, ''The Book of Pontiffs (''Liber Pontificalis'')'' (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), p. 58. Procopius, ''De Bellus'' VII.20.18. Translated by H.B. Dewing, ''Procopius'' (Cambridge: Loeb Classical Library, 1979), vol. 4 p. 329

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