Boniface (general)

Bonifatius (also Bonifacius ) (* before 413; † 432 ) was a Western Roman general and Patricius .

He was a follower of Constantius III. and first excelled in 413 in the defense of Marseilles against the Visigoth Athaulf , whom he inflicted a dangerous injury.

Later attested in Africa as comes Africae , he was in personal contact with Augustine of Hippo . In 422 he was one of the supporters of Galla Placidia , while in 423 he refused allegiance to the usurper John in order to take the side of the eventual victor Valentinian III early on . , the son of Constantius III. and Placidia. In the civil war against John Boniface bore a large part of the burden, but was not rewarded with posts or honorary titles after the victory.

Rather, his relationship with the court in Ravenna deteriorated rapidly. In 429 he defied the orders of his superiors to return to Italy and was therefore declared hostis publicus at the instigation of the magister utriusque militiae Flavius ​​Felix . Boniface was able to assert himself again in Africa in the ensuing military conflict ; but supposedly, according to Prokopios of Caesarea and Jordanes , he therefore called the Vandals under Geiseric into the country as foederati to support him, but this is doubted by many historians. In any case, shortly afterwards he fought Geiserich, but could not assert himself against him; evidently the disputes with the court in Ravenna had now been settled.

Boniface went to Ravenna and now again enjoyed the favor of the influential imperial mother Galla Placidia, especially in Italy the ambitious Flavius ​​Aëtius , who competed with him and Flavius ​​Felix, who was murdered in May 430, for actual power in the western empire, had rehearsed the rebellion and Boniface should now fight him on behalf of the court. In the Battle of Ariminum ( Rimini ) Bonifatius was able to prevail against Aëtius, but was seriously wounded in the fighting and died three months later of his injuries. His son-in-law Sebastianus continued the fight against Aëtius, but ultimately lost to him and his Hunnic allies and had to flee Italy.

Boniface was married in his second marriage to the noble gothess Pelagia, who was probably Arian and brought a retinue of Gothic warriors into the marriage. After his death and the expulsion of Sebastianus, Aëtius married the widow in order to gain access to the considerable legacy (both money and property as well as personal followers) of Boniface.

literature

• Jeroen WP Wijnendaele: The Last of the Romans. Boniface: Warlord and comes Africae. London / New York 2015.
• Otto Seeck : Boniface 1 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume III, 1, Stuttgart 1897, Col. 698 f.
• Roland Steinacher: The vandals. The rise and fall of a barbarian empire . Stuttgart 2016.
• Johannes LM de Lepper: De rebus gestis Bonifatii comitis Africae et magistri militum. Tilburg 1941.
• John B. Bury : History of the Later Roman Empire. From the Death of Theodosius I. to the Death of Justinian. Volume 1, New York 1958 (reprint of the 1923 edition), pp. 240ff.