Joannes or John ( la, Iohannes; died 425) was western
Roman emperor from 423 to 425.
On the death of the Emperor
Honorius (15 August 423),
Theodosius II, the remaining ruler of the
House of Theodosius, hesitated in announcing his uncle's death. In the ''
interregnum
An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...
'', Honorius's
patrician at the time of his death,
Castinus
Flavius Castinus held the position of ''patricius'' in the court of Roman Emperor Honorius at the time of the Emperor's death, and most likely for some time before. He also served as consul for the year 424.
Career
In 422 he fought an unsucce ...
, elevated Joannes as emperor.
History
Joannes was a ''
primicerius notariorum'' or senior civil servant at the time of his elevation.
Procopius praised him as "both gentle and well-endowed with sagacity and thoroughly capable of valorous deeds." Unlike the Theodosian emperors, he tolerated all
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
sects and even the pagans.
From the beginning, his control over the empire was insecure. In
Gaul, his
praetorian prefect
The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...
was slain at
Arles in an uprising of the soldiery there. And
Bonifacius
Bonifatius (or Bonifacius; also known as Count Boniface; died 432) was a Roman general and governor of the diocese of Africa. He campaigned against the Visigoths in Gaul and the Vandals in North Africa. An ally of Galla Placidia, mother and adv ...
, ''
comes'' of the
Diocese of Africa, held back the grain fleet destined to
Rome.
"The events of Johannes' reign are as shadowy as its origins," writes John Matthews, who then provides a list of the ruler's known actions in a single paragraph. Joannes was proclaimed at Rome and praetorian games were provided at the expense of a member of the
gens Anicia
The gens Anicia (or the Anicii) was a plebeian family at ancient Rome, mentioned first towards the end of the fourth century BC. The first of the Anicii to achieve prominence under the Republic was Lucius Anicius Gallus, who conducted the war agai ...
. Johannes then moved his base of operations to
Ravenna, knowing full well that the
Eastern 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 Constantinopl ...
would strike from that direction. There is a mention of an expedition against Africa, but its fate, presumed unsuccessful, is unrecorded. In Gaul, he appears to have caused offense by submitting clerics to secular courts. And that is all.
Joannes had hoped that he could come to an agreement with the Eastern Emperor, but when
Theodosius II elevated the young
Valentinian III to ''
caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...
'' (undoubtedly influenced by Valentinian's mother
Galla Placidia
Galla Placidia (388–89/392–93 – 27 November 450), daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, was a mother, tutor, and advisor to emperor Valentinian III, and a major force in Roman politics for most of her life. She was List of Visigothi ...
), he knew he could only expect war. Late in 424, he gave to one of his younger and most promising followers,
Aëtius, an important mission. Aëtius, Governor of the Palace at the time, was sent to the
Huns, with whom he had lived as a hostage earlier, to seek military help.
While Aëtius was away, the army of the Eastern Empire left
Thessalonica for
Italy, and soon camped in
Aquileia
Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river N ...
. Although the primary sources state that Ravenna fell to their assault –
John of Antioch John of Antioch may refer to:
People from Antioch
* John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), born in Antioch, archbishop of Constantinople
* John Scholasticus (died 577), born in Antioch, patriarch of Constantinople from 565 to 577
* John Malalas (died 578 ...
states that a
shepherd
A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...
led the army of
Aspar safely through the marshes that protected the city Stewart Oost believes that Aspar's father,
Ardaburius, who had been captured by Joannes' soldiers, convinced the garrison of Ravenna to betray the city. The fallen emperor was brought to Aquileia where first
his hand was cut off, then he was paraded on a
donkey
The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...
in the
Hippodrome to the insults of the populace. After further insults and injuries, Joannes was finally decapitated in mid 425. His death is sometimes dated to May or June, probably on the basis two laws in the ''
Codex Theodosianus
The ''Codex Theodosianus'' (Eng. Theodosian Code) was a compilation of the laws of the Roman Empire under the Christian emperors since 312. A commission was established by Emperor Theodosius II and his co-emperor Valentinian III on 26 March 429 a ...
'' issued by Theodosius II on 5 May 425.
Three days after Joannes's death, Aëtius returned at the head of a substantial Hunnic army. After some skirmishing, Placidia,
regent to her son, and Aëtius came to an agreement that established the political landscape of the
Western Roman Empire for the next thirty years. The Huns were paid off and sent home, while Aetius received the position of ''
magister militum'' (
commander-in-chief of the
Roman army
The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval continu ...
). The historian
Adrian Goldsworthy
Adrian Keith Goldsworthy (; born 1969) is a British historian and novelist who specialises in ancient Roman history.
Education
Adrian Goldsworthy attended Westbourne School, Penarth. He then read Ancient and Modern History at St John's College, ...
writes that "it took a hard-fought campaign by strong elements of the
East Roman army and navy, in addition to a fair dose of betrayal," to defeat Joannes.
[Adrian Goldsworthy, ''The Fall of the West: The Slow Death of the Roman Superpower'', Orion Books Ltd, Paperback Edition 2010, London, pp. 305 and 436]
References
External links
* Hugh Elton
"Ioannes" from ''De Imperatoribus Romanis"
{{Authority control
425 deaths
4th-century Christians
5th-century Christians
5th-century murdered monarchs
5th-century Roman usurpers
5th-century Roman consuls
Executed Roman emperors
Imperial Roman consuls
People executed by decapitation
People executed by the Roman Empire
Romans from unknown gentes
Year of birth unknown