Sebastianus ( Greek: Σεβαστιανός; died 9 August 378) was a Roman general who died at the Battle of Adrianople alongside the Emperor

Valens Valens (; ; 328 – 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. Following a largely unremarkable military career, he was named co-emperor by his elder brother Valentinian I, who gave him the Byzantine Empire, eastern half of the Roman Em ...

during the Gothic War.

Biography

Sebastianus is first mentioned as the '' dux Aegypti'', serving around 356–358. He supported George of Cappadocia and his

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 ...

supporters against

Athanasius of Alexandria Athanasius I of Alexandria ( – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria (as Athanasius ...

, expelling the supporters of Athanasius from the churches of

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 ...

on 24 December 358.Jones, A.; Martindale, J.; Morris, J., ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Vol. I, (1971) p. 812 Athanasius, in his own account of the events, attributes this to Sebastianus being a Manichee.Portmann, Werner (Berlin) and Groß-Albenhausen, Kirsten (Frankfurt/Main), “Sebastianus”, in: ''Brill's New Pauly, Antiquity'' volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 11 December 2018; first on-line publication 2006; citing Athanasius, ''History of the Arians'', chapters 59 and 61. While in Egypt, he also received a visit from Libanius. From 363 to 378, Sebastianus served as '' comes rei militaris'', initially under the emperor Julian. Accompanying the emperor on

Julian's Persian expedition Julian's Persian expedition began in March 363 AD and was the final military campaign of the Roman emperor Julian (emperor), Julian. The Romans fought against the Sasanian Empire, ruled at the time by Shapur II. Aiming to capture the Sasanians ...

against the

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

, Julian gave Sebastianus a joint command with

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea (; ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; ; – 565) was a prominent Late antiquity, late antique Byzantine Greeks, Greek scholar and historian from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman general Belisarius in Justinian I, Empe ...

, with 30,000 to initially hold the

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

before, if possible, joining King Arsaces II of Armenia and march southward, to reach Julian's army in Assyria. Returning with the defeated army after the death of Julian, he probably accompanied

Valentinian I Valentinian I (; 32117 November 375), also known as Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. He ruled the Western Roman Empire, Western half of the empire, while his brother Valens ruled the Byzantine Empire, East. During his re ...

to the western provinces in 364. In 368, while commanding the Illyrian and Italian armies, he was summoned by Valentinian to assist in the campaign against the

Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE ...

. Then in 375, Sebastianus was sent by Valentinian to aid the '' magister peditum'' Merobaudes in conducting some raids against the

Quadi The Quadi were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people during the Roman era, who were prominent in Greek and Roman records from about 20 AD to about 400 AD. By about 20 AD they had a kingdom centred in the area of present-day western Slovakia, north ...

. When news of the emperor's death reached Merobaudes, he sent Sebastianus, who was unaware of Valentinian's death, to a distant posting to ensure that Sebastianus could not use his popularity with the troops to interfere with Merobaudes' plans for the succession, mitigating the risk that Sebastianus might possibly be raised by the troops to the rank of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

. Sometime in 378, either through his own volition or through the intrigues of the imperial court eunuchs in the west, Sebastianus resigned his commission and travelled to the court 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 ...

. There, he was asked by the emperor for help in the Gothic War, appointing him to the post of ''magister peditum'' in the process. Gathering together a select band of infantry and cavalry, under Sebastianus' leadership the Romans wrested back some of the initiative by conducting a successful semi- guerilla type campaign against the Goths, with Sebastianus operating primarily in

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

. As a result of his successful encounters, he forced the Gothic leader Fritigern to withdraw. However, his boasting of his military exploits encouraged Valens to seek a military encounter where the emperor would win a victory over the Goths. In the subsequent council of war, he was the principal officer who advised Valens not to wait until the forces of the Emperor Gratian arrived before bringing the Goths to a battle. Accompanying the emperor, he perished along with Valens in the Battle of Adrianople. He was described by

Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian ( Greek: Αμμιανός Μαρκελλίνος; born , died 400), was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquit ...

as "a quiet and peace-loving man" and "a general of well-known vigilance",Ammianus, 31:11.1
/ref> while he was praised by Eunapius for his military abilities and his contempt for wealth.Jones, A.; Martindale, J.; Morris, J., ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Vol. I, (1971) p. 813 Nothing is known about his family apart from the death of his wife in 357.

References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Sebastianus (''magister peditum'') 378 deaths 4th-century Romans Comites rei militaris Julian's Persian expedition Magistri peditum Ancient Romans from unknown gentes Year of birth unknown