Gennadius Avienus ( 450–460s) was an influential politician of the
Western Roman Empire
In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...
. He was consul in 450, alongside
Valentinian III
Valentinian III (; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the Western Roman Empire, West from 425 to 455. Starting in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by civil wars among powerful general ...
. In 452, he was an envoy to
Attila
Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central Europe, C ...
; together with
Pope Leo I and
Trigetius he successfully negotiated a truce. He had a son and a daughter; his son would go on to be consul in 490.
Biography
Avienus was member of an ancient and noble Roman family, which traced back its origins to the consul of year 59,
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus. Avienus was the father of
Anicius Probus Faustus, Consul in 490, and of a daughter called Stephania, whose son,
Rufius Magnus Faustus Avienus, received the name of his grandfather and was Consul in 502.
Avienus was chosen as Consul for the year 450, together with Emperor
Valentinian III
Valentinian III (; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the Western Roman Empire, West from 425 to 455. Starting in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by civil wars among powerful general ...
. Two years later, in 452, he was sent by Valentinian and the Roman Senate as envoy to the King of the Huns,
Attila
Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central Europe, C ...
, together with
Trigetius and the Bishop of Rome,
Leo I; they succeeded in negotiating a truce with Attila, despite the fact that the historian
Prosper of Aquitaine downplayed Avienus' role, giving all the credit for the success to Leo, ignoring both Trigetius and Avienus.
Avienus also held several other offices, of which at least one was civilian, but no particulars have been preserved on this matter.
In 467, the Gallo-Roman poet
Sidonius Apollinaris was sent to Rome to bring the Emperor a petition of his people; he says that Avienus was one of the two most influential civil officers in Rome in the 460s, together with
Caecina Decius Basilius.
[Sidonius Apollinaris, ''Epistulae'', 1.9.1-7.] However, Avienus distinguished himself from Basilius, as he used his influence to promote the career of his own associates, having no time to care for those who came outside of his circle. Even if he was more welcoming than Basilius, Avienus was less trustworthy.
Notes
Bibliography
* Amory, Patrick, ''People and Identity in Ostrogothic Italy, 489-554'', Cambridge University Press, 1997, , p. 98.
*
Gillett, Andrew, ''Envoys and Political Communication in the Late Antique West, 411-533'', Cambridge University Press, 2003, , pp. 114–115, 200.
*
Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin, John Robert Martindale,
John Morris, "Gennadius Avienus 4", ''
The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, pp. 193–194.
{{end
5th-century Roman consuls
5th-century diplomats