Gaudentius (magister equitum) explained

Gaudentius (died before AD 425) was the father of the Roman magister militum Flavius Aetius and married to an Italian noblewoman.^[1] He is described as a native of the Roman province Scythia (although some misread this to portray him as an ethnic Scythian).^{[2] [3]}

Gaudentius served under the Eastern Roman emperor Theodosius I against the usurper Eugenius. Later, when his son Flavius Aetius was born in 396, Gaudentius served as magister equitum, or Master of Cavalry, under the Emperor Honorius. In 399, he served as the Comes Africae. Augustine of Hippo claimed that he destroyed pagan temples in Carthage.^[4] Gaudentius, along with Jovius, are described by Gibbon as destroying Pagan temples under orders from Theodosius I.^[5] During the usurpation of Joannes, Gaudentius was made magister militum praesentalis.^[6] Gaudentius died in a military uprising in Gaul before 425.^[1]

Notes and References

1. J. R. Martindale (1980), The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Vol. 2, pp. 493-494.
2. Thomas J. Craughwell, How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World, Fair Winds, 2008, p.60 Google book
3. Joseph Cummins, The War Chronicles: From Chariots to Flintlocks, Fair Winds, 2008 p. 110 Google book
4. Augustine of Hippo, City of God, Book 18, chapter 54 (Available at CCEL)
5. Web site: Gibbon . Edward . History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire . June 9, 2024.
6. Book: Kulikowski, Michael. Imperial Tragedy: From Constantine's Empire to the Destruction of Roman Italy AD 363-568 (The Profile History of the Ancient World Series). Profile Books. 2019. 978-0-000-07873-5. New York.