Honorius |
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Honorius, 384–423,
Roman emperor of the West (395–423). On the death (395) of Theodosius
I, the Roman Empire was divided; Arcadius, the elder son, received the
East, and Honorius, the younger son, received the West. This division
proved to be a permanent one. The general Stilicho, as guardian of Honorius,
at first controlled the government of the West and defended the empire
against the Visigoths. Honorius married (398) Stilicho’s daughter,
but in 408, influenced by a malicious favorite, Honorius ordered the execution
of his general. Alaric I, king of the Visigoths, invaded Italy again in
409 and installed a puppet ruler at Rome, while Honorius remained at Ravenna.
Negotiations with Alaric were mishandled by Honorius; infuriated, Alaric
stormed and sacked Rome in 410. Alaric’s death left Ataulf in command
of the Visigoths, who then left Italy to invade Gaul. In 412, Honorius
made peace with Ataulf, whom he reluctantly accepted (414) as husband
for his sister Galla Placidia. A rival emperor, Constantine, was defeated
(411) by Honorius’ general Constantius, who soon exercised the actual
power and who married (417) the widowed Galla Placidia. In 421, Honorius
was obliged to accept Constantius as joint emperor (see Constantius III),
but Constantius died in the same year. Honorius died two years later;
after a usurper was put down by forces from the East, the son of Galla
Placidia and Constantius became (425) emperor as Valentinian III. The
weak reign of Honorius marked an important stage in the decline of the
Western Empire. |