Patricius (; ''floruit'' 459–471) was an Eastern Roman ''

caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a 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 a civil war. He ...

'', the son of the powerful general

Aspar Flavius Ardabur Aspar (Greek: Ἄσπαρ, fl. 400471) was an Eastern Roman patrician and ''magister militum'' ("master of soldiers") of Alanic- Gothic descent. As the general of a Germanic army in Roman service, Aspar exerted great influe ...

, who for almost two decades was the effective

power behind the throne The phrase "power behind the throne" refers to a person or group that is understood to ''de facto'' wield the power of a high-ranking official (originally, and hence the name, a monarch), or whose support must be maintained to continue in office. ...

of the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

. Of mixed

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and barbarian origin, Patricius was destined for the imperial throne by his father. He rose to the rank of ''caesar'' under Emperor Leo I, before his father's murder in 471 led to his own downfall and possibly death.

Biography

Patricius was the third son of

, the

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Kurdish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

magister militum (Latin for "master of soldiers"; : ) was a top-level military command used in the late Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, the e ...

'' of Emperor Leo I, and like his father—and most of the

Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...

—he was an

Arian Arianism (, ) is a Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is considered he ...

. The name "Patricius", of ostentatious Roman origin, suggests that the father had plans for him, up to the imperial throne. Patricius 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 thro ...

in 459 by the Eastern court. In 470, in an episode of the struggle for power between Aspar and the

Isauria Isauria ( or ; ), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya P ...

n general

Zeno Zeno may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Zeno (surname) Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 B ...

, Aspar persuaded the Emperor to appoint Patricius as ''caesar'' and give him in marriage his daughter

Leontia Leontia (, fl. 610) was an empress of the Eastern Roman Empire as the wife of Phocas. Empress Maurice reigned in the Byzantine Empire from 582 to 602. When he decreed that the Byzantine army was to spend the winter of 602/603 on the northern ...

. However, the clergy and people of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

believed an Arian was not eligible to become an Emperor, and on hearing of the appointment riots broke out in the city hippodrome, led by the head of the Sleepless Monks, Marcellus. Aspar and Leo had to promise to the bishops that Patricius would convert to

Chalcedonian Chalcedonian Christianity is the branches of Christianity that accept and uphold theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council, held in AD 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Christological Definitio ...

Orthodoxy before becoming Emperor, and that he would marry Leontia only after his conversion. No coins of Patricius as ''caesar'' were issued, and his only act in office was a trip to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, where he was welcomed with all the honours attributed to a ''caesar''.Brian Croke, "Dynasty and Ethnicity: Emperor Leo and the Eclipse of Aspar", ''Chiron'' 35 (2005), 193. In 471 an imperial conspiracy caused the death of Aspar and of his eldest son

Ardabur Ardabur is the name of: * Ardabur (consul 427), Roman-Alanic general and politician * Aspar (Flavius Ardabur Aspar, c.400–471), his son, general and politician * Ardabur (consul 447) Ardabur (, died 471) was an Eastern Roman ''magister militum ...

: it is possible that Patricius also was killed on this occasion, although some sources report that he recovered from his wounds; in any case, after this episode, Patricius disappears from the sources. The marriage with Leontia was annulled, and later she married

Marcian Marcian (; ; ; 392 – 27 January 457) was Roman emperor of the Byzantine Empire, East from 450 to 457. Very little is known of his life before becoming emperor, other than that he was a (personal assistant) who served under the commanders ...

Notes

Bibliography

* Alemany, Agustí (2000). ''Sources on the Alans: A Critical Compilation''. Brill. .p. 114 * Amory, Patrick (1997). ''People and Identity in Ostrogothic Italy, 489-554''. Cambridge University Press. . pp. 284, 288 * Bury, John B. (1958)

923 __NOTOC__ Year 923 ( CMXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * June 15 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I is killed; the Frankish army, led by Charles the Simple, is d ...

X.1 Leo I (A.D. 457‑474)
, in ''History of the Later Roman Empire''. Dover Books. pp. 389–395 * * Thiele, Andreas (1994). ''Erzählende genealogische Stammtafeln zur europäischen Geschichte Band III Europäische Kaiser-, Königs- und Fürstenhäuser Ergänzungsband'', R.G. Fischer Verlag. Tafel 490 * * Williams, Stephen (1999). ''The Rome That Did Not Fall: the survival of the East in the fifth century''. Routledge, . p. 180. {{DEFAULTSORT:Patricius 5th-century eastern Roman consuls Caesars (heirs apparent) Alanic people 470s deaths