Frigeridus

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Frigeridus (* before the middle of the 4th century; † in the late 4th century) was a high knightly staff officer of the late Roman army, probably of Germanic descent . As dux (leader) he held under Emperor Valentinian I (364-375) the military supreme command of the Pannonian province of Valeria ( Dux Valeriae ripensis ) . There is much to suggest that it is identical to the Frigeridus dux mentioned by the ancient historian Ammianus Marcellinus for the year 377.

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Brick temple of Dux Valeria Frigeridus from Tahitótfalu – Balhavár

Already Theodor Mommsen had accepted in 1873 that in the 31 book of Roman history of Ammianus called Frigeridus dux with that of the Valentinian brick temples known person must match. Mommsen and other subsequent scholars were still certain that Frigeridus marched into the war in the role of dux mentioned by Ammianus in the spring of 377 , which was later questioned after investigations into the original text and the assumed rank relationships. New speculations about the office of Frigeridus brought a brick found in 1997, which was reused in the northern Bulgarian fortress Iatrus at the beginning of the 5th century. Before the fire, the abbreviation Frig (eridus) du [x] was scratched into the fragment . When the brick was made and whether it has anything to do with the fighting in 377 remains uncertain. However, it is very likely that it confirms the presence of a Frigeridus dux in the province of Moesia secunda . Considerations were therefore raised that a second ducat of Frigeridus after 373 in another province appear to be possible.

The late antique denomination of the rank of Frigeridus, Vir perfectissimus , is handed down on some brick stamps in the abbreviation VP , as it was found, for example, on the bridgehead-like ship landing of Szigetmonostor-Horány in Hungary. Since Constantine the Great (306–337) the title perfectissimus has been used for holders of minor knightly offices. The perfectissimus (most perfect) did not denote the quality of a person, but their rank within a hierarchy. The VP stamp is of some importance for the period of the term of office of Frigeridus, which was repeatedly discussed among scholars in the past , since under Valentinian I the duces were given the rank of Clarissimat. Maria R.-Alföldi therefore suggested a time of transition and introduced that only 386 all duces were designated as vir clarissimi .

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As high commander in Valeria

The expansion of the Limes in the greater area of ​​the Danube Bend with the Göd-Bócsaújtelep fort

Most likely, Frigeridus replaced his predecessor Terentius in 371 as dux in the province of Valeria and stayed there until his intrigued impeachment in 373/374. With Frigeridus, who was considered a talented officer, the Valentine's building program for the military protection of the Pannonian Danube Limes was pushed forward to a previously unknown extent. The bricks stamped with his name can be found above average in forts , burgi and shipyards. For this new defense concept, a reorganization of the troops in the province must have taken place, which, however, could have already been heralded by the predecessors of the Frigeridus.

An essential building block of the new Roman strategy was the further expansion of the Limes Sarmatiae , a wall system south of the Danube Bend , beginning at Dunakeszi , which reached across the Tisza and far into the Hungarian Plain , where it bent almost at right angles to the south, at the legion site of Viminacium to come across the Danube Limes again. The ramparts built by the Romans were intended to protect the allied tribe of the Sarmatian Jazygens during the migration period and at the same time act as a bulwark to intercept enemies attacking the Pannonian provinces. For strategic reasons, a shortening of the border line was tackled and the Limeswall was pushed forward to the northern apex of the Danube Bend.

In order to bring the Limes forward, the southern tribal area of ​​the Germanic Quadi on the east bank of the Danube , which was directly connected to the Limes and the lands of the Jazygen, had to be expropriated and the residents expelled, contrary to current treaties. In 373, still under Frigeridus, Valentinian I ordered the construction of the large fortress Göd-Bócsaújtelep in the annexed Quadenland. Brick stamps with the name of Frigeridus were found in place during excavations at the beginning of this millennium. The surveying of the future facility in the area, which is now considered the archaeological key to the expansion of the Sarmatian Limes, was not yet completed when Frigeridus stopped work. The reason for this lay in the ongoing protests of the Quads, who were indignant about the brazen action of the Romans. Frigeridus, who acted cautiously and carefully, obviously considered the Teutons' objections to be justified and therefore, in agreement with his superior, the comes et magister utriusque militiae Equitius, ordered the construction freeze. Equitius's report on this measure sparked an intrigue at the court of Valentinian I. The emperor had given the letter to the influential, emotionally and crude Praetorian prefect Maximinus, who immediately saw an opportunity to give his young, inexperienced and arrogant son Marcellianus a first-class career start. He portrayed Equitius in front of Valentinian as a frightened person who apparently would not be able to cope with the situation, and proposed as a replacement for Frigeridus Marcellianus. Frigeridus was removed from office in 373/374. The continuation of Valentine's policy in the border region, which followed, led to war the following year.

Troop commander in the Second Gothic War

In the spring of 377, Gothic sub-tribes and associations rose up that had settled in the Roman diocese of Thrace on the eastern Balkan peninsula a year earlier . The troops under the command of the Eastern Emperor Valens (364–378) were defeated. In the end, the Romans ultimately lost the war with the Battle of Adrianople , in which Valens was also killed.

The support forces that the West Emperor Gratian (375–383) had sent to the war zone at the request of the Valens included the influential comes domesticorum Richomer, a Germanic, as well as Frigeridus, who commanded Pannonian and transalpine auxiliary troops. Even before the arrival of Frigeridus, a few elite units of the Oriental Army, which had also been summoned, had done valuable preparatory work and chased the Goths into the Dobruja . The Roman troops, outnumbered even after reinforcement, hoped to be able to starve the Goths to death in their wagon castle, but their leadership disagreed on how to proceed. During this phase Frigeridus was afflicted by an attack of gout and had to hand over the supreme command of his associations to Richomer, who as commander of over 1000 men of the imperial palace guard (scholae palatinae) held one of the highest-ranking offices in the state at the time. In the following battle in the late summer of 377, the enemy suffered such heavy losses that a mutual retreat and a break in the fighting were necessary. The Romans now blocked the Balkan passes and hoarded food. Richomer used the time to bring fresh troops in from Gaul , while Frigeridus placed himself again under the command of Gratian in Illyria . From there he was ordered to Trakien again in the autumn to build a fortified line of defense northwest of Stara Sagora in what is now Bulgaria.

The Schipkapass (red square) in today's environment.

The key point was the Schipka Pass , from which an important road led into the Maritza valley to the south . The strategically important area had already been used by the Gothic king Kniva in the 3rd century to defeat the Romans. This time, too, it was important not to allow the advancing Goths to break through to the southwest, towards Philippopel and Illyria. The Goths, on the other hand, had to overcome the barriers of the Frigeridus before the onset of winter 377 in order to get through the cold season unscathed. When the Goths tried to encircle the Roman troops, Frigeridus had the positions cleared and withdrew to build a new line of defense. As they retreated, the Romans surprised the Gothic cavalry leader Farnobius with his marauding, numerically not inconsiderable Greutung-Taifal group. They made Farnobius down and defeated the Teutons. The survivors were resettled in northern Italy and Aquitaine. Next, Frigeridus tried to build up a position at the Succi pass to intercept the Goths before Illyria. The pass formed the border between the two parts of the Roman Empire. But before fighting broke out, the experienced military leader was replaced by the questionable comes Maurus, who failed in the subsequent attack by the Goths on the pass.

The further course of Frigeridus' life is unknown, perhaps because of the gout disease, among other things, he retired after his replacement. Whether and to what extent the former dux had buildings built in the Iatrus fort during the fighting in 377 , as the above-mentioned brick find might suggest, remains unknown, especially since in case of doubt another person of the same name could have existed.

Well-known high commanders of the Valeria province

Surname Official title Time position comment
Augustianus viro clarissimo comite ordinis primi et duce Valeriae limitis 364 / 365-367 Mentioned in a building inscription from Esztergom . According to Sándor Soproni , it could have belonged to the Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt castle .
Terentius dux Valeriae 367/368 by 371 at the latest The expansion of internal fortresses and Limes facilities can be determined archaeologically.
Frigeridus vir perfectissimus, dux Valeriae from 371 to 373/374 at the latest Frigeridus is likely of Germanic descent. The expansion of inland fortresses and Limes facilities is being advanced to a previously unknown extent.
Marcellianus dux Valeriae from 373/374 Marcellianus is a native of Pannonia. Due to the turmoil of war 374–375 and the subsequent events against Germanic and Sarmatic enemies (including the collapse of the Limes Sarmatiae ), work on the Limes stalled and in some cases was completely abandoned.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Notitia Dignitatum, IN PARTIBUS OCCIDENTIS, XXXIII.
  2. ^ A b Maria R.-Alföldi : Gloria Romanorum. Writings on late antiquity. (=  Historia. Einzelschriften 153), Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-515-07918-1 , p. 320, footnote.
  3. ^ Klaus Wachtel: Frigeridus dux. In: Chiron. Vol. 30 (2000), pp. 905-914; here: pp. 905–906.
  4. ^ Klaus Wachtel: Frigeridus dux. In: Chiron. Vol. 30 (2000), pp. 905-914; here: p. 911.
  5. ^ Klaus Wachtel: Frigeridus dux. In: Chiron. Vol. 30 (2000), pp. 905-914; here: p. 912.
  6. ↑ Jochen Martin : Late antiquity and migration of the peoples. 4th edition. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-486-49684-0 , p. 73.
  7. ^ András Mócsy : Pannonia and the Roman army. Selected essays. Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3515061037 . P. 237.
  8. ↑ a b c Zsolt Mráv : Archaeological research 2000–2001 in the area of ​​the late Roman fortress of Göd-Bócsaújtelep (preliminary report) 2002. In: Communicationes archeologicae Hungariae 2003, p. 101.
  9. ^ A b Zsolt Mráv: Archaeological research 2000-2001 in the area of ​​the late Roman fortress of Göd-Bócsaújtelep (preliminary report) 2002. In: Communicationes archeologicae Hungariae 2003, p. 99.
  10. ^ Zsolt Mráv: God fortress. In: Zsolt Visy (ed.): The Roman army in Pannonia. Teleki Lázló Foundation 2003, ISBN 963-86388-2-6 , p. 200.
  11. ^ Klaus Wachtel: Frigeridus dux. In: Chiron. Volume 30 (2000), pp. 905-914; here: p. 905.
  12. ↑ Herwig Wolfram: The Goths. 4th edition, Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-33733-3 , p. 129.
  13. ↑ Alexander Demandt : History of late antiquity. 2nd edition, Beck, Munich 2008. ISBN 978-3-406-57241-8 , p. 232.
  14. ↑ Herwig Wolfram: The Goths. 4th edition, Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-33733-3 , p. 130.
  15. ↑ Herwig Wolfram: The Goths. 4th edition, Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-33733-3 , p. 131.
  16. ^ Klaus Wachtel: Frigeridus dux . In: Chiron , Vol. 30 (2000), pp. 905-914, here: p. 913.
  17. ↑ CIL 3, 10596 .
personal data
SURNAME Frigeridus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman commander in chief and military leader
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century
DATE OF DEATH 4th century