Honorius

Flavius Augustus Honorius, son of Theodosius I, was emperor of the West from 395 to 423 A.D. and brother of the eastern emperor Arcadius.

Honorius became western emperor at the age of 11. He was seconded by the Vandal general Stilicho.

Flavius Honorius based his capital in Milan. During his reign Stilicho fought against the rioting Visigoths. Stilicho married his daughter Maria with the young emperor. In 405 AD under the pressure of the Visigoths, Honorius moved his capital to Ravenna.

The most noteable event of his reign was the assault and sack of Rome on August 24, 410 by the Visigoths under Ataulf. Rome had not been under the control of a foreign force since an invasion of Gallic Celts some seven centuries before. The shock of this event reverberated from Britain to Jerusalem, and inspired Augustine to write his magnus opus, The City of God.

His reign of twenty-eight years was one of the most disasterous in the Roman annals; the weakness and timidity of the emperor co-operated with the attacks of the Visigoths and Vandals in promoting the rapid disintegration of the empire. His influence on the current of events was purely negative.

preceding emperor: Theodosius I

following emperor: Valentinian III