Edobichus ( el, {{lang, grc, Ἐδόβιχος or Ἐδόβιγχος ; died 411) was a general of the Roman usurper

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 ...

. Although he was a native of Britain, according to Zosimus his ancestors were Franks. Zosimus, VI.2.4-5

Life

After the deaths of the generals Nebiogastes and Iustinianus in 407, the Western usurper

appointed Edobichus and

Gerontius Gerontius (; Latinized Greek for 'old man') can refer to: Music and literature * ''The Dream of Gerontius'', a 1900 choral work by Edward Elgar, a setting of a poem of the same name by John Henry Newman * ''The Dream of Gerontius'', the poem by ...

as his '' magistri militum'' (commanders-in-chief of the army). Upon their promotions, they forced Sarus, the general of the Western Emperor Honorius, to end his siege of Constantine in

Valence Valence or valency may refer to: Science * Valence (chemistry), a measure of an element's combining power with other atoms * Degree (graph theory), also called the valency of a vertex in graph theory * Valency (linguistics), aspect of verbs rel ...

and retreat into Italy. However Gerontius decided to betray Constantine, and in 409 he proclaimed Maximus as emperor in Hispania. Upon hearing of this development, Constantine sent Edobichus to the Franks and the Germanic tribes across the Rhine to raise reinforcements. Meanwhile, Gerontius invaded southern Gaul, found Constantine at Arles, and laid siege to the city until the Imperial general Constantius arrived on the scene and forced him to retreat. Despite being besieged now by Constantius, Constantine continued to hold Arles, having heard that Edobichus was nearby with the barbarian troops. When Edobichus crossed the Rhone with his troops, he encountered Constantius' force blocking his path. As he prepared to engage the Imperial force, Ulphilas fell upon his soldiers from behind and defeated them. Edobichus managed to flee the battlefield on horseback and fled to one Ecdichus who he believed was his friend. However Ecdicius, seeking a reward from Constantius slew Edobichus and brought his head to Constantius, but the Imperial general rewarded him only with praise. Edobichus' death convinced Constantine to end his resistance, and the usurper took priestly vows before surrendering to the general Constantius.Sozomen, IX.15.1

References

Further sources

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florenti ...

, ''Historia Francorum'', II.9. * '' Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' II, "Edobichus", p. 386. 411 deaths Frankish warriors Magistri militum Year of birth unknown 5th-century Frankish people