In the impression of many Roman history lovers, after Stirico's death, the Roman Empire slid into the abyss of destruction irrevocably. But the historical truth is not the case. At least during the reign of Constantius, people at that time did not feel that Rome was heading for extinction, but as usual, it was recovering from the crisis. In 410 AD, the Visigoths captured the city of Rome, which is known as the "Roman Holocaust" in history. Subsequently, the Western Roman Empire fell into chaos, the barbarians fought in Gaul and Spain, the British warlords established themselves as emperors, and the Italian mainland was undefended and at risk. At this time of crisis, Constantius was born and pulled the empire back from the brink of life and death.
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| Roman Holocaust |
He was not a member of the Constantine family, but a lower-level "semi-barbarian" family from Naysus in the Balkans (now Niš in Serbia). In the late Roman Empire, a large number of barbarians moved south to settle in the Balkans. It is not surprising that Constantius had barbaric blood. Since his father was a Roman, like Stirico, he was taken by Romans at the time. Disparagingly called "semi-barbarian." The early life of Constantius has not been recorded in historical materials, except that he served in the army like many other "half-barbarians." In 411 AD, the Western Roman emperor Honorius appointed him commander of the army to suppress the British rebellion. Because the barbarian invasion of Gaul cut off the connection between Britain and Italy, the Roman legions stationed in Britain elected their commander Constantine III as emperor. Subsequently, Constantine III led his army to Gaul and even invaded Italy. In Hornorius's mind, the barbarian invasion is not terrible, they just want to find a piece of land in the Roman Empire, and Constantine III is an enemy that must be eliminated because he threatened his throne.
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| Honorius |
The number of troops Constantius brought to Gaul is not clear, but it should not exceed one legion. After Stirico's death, his main Western Roman field troops were turned into birds and beasts. During the three Visigoths' siege of Rome, Honorius was unable to send troops to relieve the siege. The army that Constantius brought to Gaul this time was likely to be the last military force that Honorius could summon for the Western Roman Empire, which had been exhausted. In the general environment of Rome at that time, due to the hatred formed by fighting against the barbarians all year round, people of barbarian descent were often the object of rejection in Roman society. The downfall of Stirico and his barbarian descent has a lot to do. But Constantius, who was also a "half-barbarian", was able to win the emperor's unreserved trust in such a big environment and give him his last military power. He must have extraordinary talents and personality charm. Constantius showed outstanding commanding ability in Gaul. With his limited military power, he besieged Constantine III in Arles in the south of Gaul and used the tactics of "encircle the spot to fight aid" to eliminate The army that came to the rescue. With Constantine III’s army stationed on the Rhine abandoning him in favor of Jovinus, Constantine III, who had no soldiers available, chose to surrender under Constantine's promise to ensure his safety in life. But on his way to Ravenna, Constantius broke his promise and executed him. Subsequently, Constantius combined with the Visigoths to defeat Jovinus and beheaded them. After quelling the British rebellion, Constantius set out to end the problem of the barbarians in Gaul, and the Visigoths were the first to bear the brunt. After creating the "Roman Holocaust", the Visigoths did not stay in Italy but came to Gaul to establish the Visigothic kingdom. As Gaul at this time had become the center of the competition between the various forces, in order to relieve his own pressure, the Visigoth king Adolfas sought reconciliation with Rome. He married the princess who was captured in Rome and the sister of Emperor Honorius, Gala Placidia, as his queen, and asked the Roman emperor to form an alliance. However, Honorius did not recognize his marriage to the imperial sister and refused the alliance's request.
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| Gaul at the beginning of the fifth century |
Constantius launched a war against the Visigoths in 416 AD, and Adolfas was forced to cross the Pyrenees and move to Spain. However, the tribes such as Vandal, Suvi, Am Tsai have already taken the lead. Came to Spain. The struggling Adolfas was killed by dissatisfied men, and Varia became the new Visigoth king. Varia sent the imperial sister Gala Placidia back to Rome in exchange for food aid from Rome and took the opportunity to reconcile with Rome and reach an alliance agreement. The Roman emperor gave Aquitainia in southwestern Gaul to the Visigoths to settle down, and the Visigoths followed Rome to fight against the barbarians.
Honorius’ faith in Constantius cannot be overstated. He will not only marry the imperial sister Gala Placidia, who returned to Rome, to Constantius as his wife, but he will also rule without heirs. Valentinian, the son of Stantius and Gala Placidia, was established as the heir of the Western Roman emperor.
After solving the problems of the Visigoths, Constantius continued to fight Gaul and Spain. By 420 AD, the Western Roman Empire regained control of Gaul and most of Spain, and ties with Britain were steadily restored. In China, the great cause of empire's ZTE is just around the corner. On February 8, 421 AD, Constantius was elected as the "co-ruling" emperor of Honorius, known as "Constantius III" in history. Unfortunately, Constantius died of illness only seven months after his reign. Honorius also died two years later. Constantine’s son Valentinian succeeded to the throne and his wife Gala Placidia served as regent.
The Western Roman emperor Honorius was not a talented person. In the ten years after the rise of Constantius, the empire was under his control. Honorius gave him nothing. Unreserved trust. In ten years, Constantius was elected consul three times, and his most important achievement was not to restore the empire's rule over Gaul and Spain, but to preserve the empire's granary in North Africa. North Africa was the largest food production and export area of the Roman Empire. If North Africa was lost, the empire would collapse in an instant. Later, the Vandals captured North Africa, which was the main reason for the demise of the Western Roman Empire. During the reign of Constantius, the Vandals, who were eyeing North Africa, could not cross the Strait of Gibraltar to encroach on North Africa. After the death of Constantius, the Vandals invaded and occupied the entire territory of North Africa within a short period of time. From this point of view, even Etius, who was later called the "Last Roman", could not do this.
Shiono Shichio commented on Constantius in "The Story of the Romans" as "loyal and modest in ambition, but without outstanding talents." This evaluation is biased. After the "Roman Catastrophe", the Western Roman Empire has lost its function as a normal country, and any unexpected event may lead to the destruction of the empire. It was Constantius with his extraordinary political and military talents that stabilized the government, restored social order, repelled the barbarians, and continued his life for the Western Roman Empire for decades. It is a pity that history did not leave enough time for Constantius to rebuild the Roman Empire. With the demise of the Western Roman Empire, his achievements were ignored and forgotten by the world.
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| Gala Placidia and his children |
The Western Roman emperor Honorius was not a talented person. In the ten years after the rise of Constantius, the empire was under his control. Honorius gave him nothing. Unreserved trust. In ten years, Constantius was elected consul three times, and his most important achievement was not to restore the empire's rule over Gaul and Spain, but to preserve the empire's granary in North Africa. North Africa was the largest food production and export area of the Roman Empire. If North Africa was lost, the empire would collapse in an instant. Later, the Vandals captured North Africa, which was the main reason for the demise of the Western Roman Empire. During the reign of Constantius, the Vandals, who were eyeing North Africa, could not cross the Strait of Gibraltar to encroach on North Africa. After the death of Constantius, the Vandals invaded and occupied the entire territory of North Africa within a short period of time. From this point of view, even Etius, who was later called the "Last Roman", could not do this.
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| Constantius III gold coin |
Shiono Shichio commented on Constantius in "The Story of the Romans" as "loyal and modest in ambition, but without outstanding talents." This evaluation is biased. After the "Roman Catastrophe", the Western Roman Empire has lost its function as a normal country, and any unexpected event may lead to the destruction of the empire. It was Constantius with his extraordinary political and military talents that stabilized the government, restored social order, repelled the barbarians, and continued his life for the Western Roman Empire for decades. It is a pity that history did not leave enough time for Constantius to rebuild the Roman Empire. With the demise of the Western Roman Empire, his achievements were ignored and forgotten by the world.
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