Eusebius (Chamberlain)
Eusebius († 361) was a high-ranking late Roman official and eunuch .
Eusebius came from the slave class . He was probably his chamberlain ( praepositus sacri cubiculi ) since the rise of Constantius II in 337 . At that time, Constantius' father, Constantine, died, and his sons succeeded him as emperor. Eusebius preferred the Arians in the theological debate, which had a significant influence on the politics of the empire in those years . He enjoyed the trust of the emperor, which is also evident from the fact that he traveled around 354 on his behalf to see Liberius , the bishop of Rome. He also accompanied Constantius on several trips. He was also the mastermind of several intrigues, such as against Athanasios ; he is also said to have enriched himself at the expense of his victims.
In the case of the execution of Constantius Gallus , a cousin of the emperor who had been installed as Caesar in the east but was finally deposed due to misconduct, Eusebius is said to have viewed the magister militum Ursicinus as a greater danger. However, other sources report that Eusebius allegedly deliberately delayed an order from the emperor not to execute his cousin Gallus and thus brought about the death of Gallus in 354. Eusebius was also present at the emperor's deathbed when Constantius died on November 3, 361. Shortly afterwards Eusebius, whose career can be regarded as extraordinary and who was believed to have had a great influence on the emperor, was convicted and executed by a court of Constantius' successor Julian .
literature
- Joseph Bidez : Emperor Julian. The fall of the pagan world . Hamburg 1956 (ND), especially p. 71ff.
- Arnold Hugh Martin Jones , John Robert Martindale, John Morris : Eusebius (Chamberlain). In: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Volume 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1971, ISBN 0-521-07233-6 , pp. 302-303.
- Otto Seeck : Eusebios 5) . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume VI, 1, Stuttgart 1907, column 1367 f.
- David S. Potter: The Roman Empire at Bay. 180-395 . London / New York 2004, p. 478ff.
- Klaus Rosen : Julian. Emperor, God and haters of Christians . CH Beck, Stuttgart 2006, p. 558 (Index, sv Eusebios).
- Helga Scholten : The highest court eunuch. The political efficiency of a socially discriminated person . In: Aloys Winterling (Ed.): Comitatus. Contributions to research into the late antique imperial court . Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-05-003210-3 , pp. 51-73.
- Shaun Tougher: Ammianus and the eunuchs . In: Jan Willem Drijvers, David Hunt: The Late Roman World and Its Historian. Interpreting Ammianus Marcellinus . London 1999, pp. 64-73.
Remarks
- ↑ Ammianus Marcellinus 22: 3, 12; Libanios , speech 18,152.
- ↑ Ammian 14.11.1-3.
- ↑ Philostorgios 4.1.
- ↑ Ammian 22: 3, 12.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Eusebius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | late Roman official and eunuch |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 3rd century or 4th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 361 |