Read on Twitter
I’m working on a #nonfiction #kidlit #biography of Roman Empress Galla Placidia and I don’t tweet about it nearly enough.
I thought I’d write about the powers at her disposal as empress, which powers were hers alone and which depended on the emperors
I thought I’d write about the powers at her disposal as empress, which powers were hers alone and which depended on the emperors
To begin with, Placidia had her own barbarian bodyguards, loyal to her and not to the emperor, and separate from the imperial bodyguards. In fact, at one point her bodyguards fought with the imperial guards in the imperial capital of Ravenna.
Other empresses, such as the Placidia’s niece, Pulcheria, were assigned impressive contingents of imperial guards, but as far as I know, Placidia was the only one with her own separate barbarian guard.
Placidia had her own guards in part because she had been married to Athaulf, King of the Goths, for a year and a half or so. After Athaulf was killed in 415, she went back to the Romans, and eventually married future emperor Constantius III.
It seems that Constantius III had his own personal barbarian bodyguard, and when he died in 421, Placidia inherited his guards as well as retaining her Goths. Her unique life trajectory led to her having her own bodyguards loyal strictly to her.
Next we have to consider her lands, for Placidia was a great landowner. When she was small, her father gifted her a set of great houses in Constantinople, one of which was big enough to be called a palace.
Sources shown: Notitia Urbis Constantinopolitanae; Synesius letter 61; Chronicon Paschale s.a. 385 (sic); Malalas s.a. 561
These properties in the East were the properties Once owned by a senator called Ablabius, who rebelled and had his lands confiscated. He owned estates in Bithynia. It is likely all his lands were kept together as a unit and passed to Placidia with the original gift.
Sources: PLRE I; Jones, Later Roman Empire: 426
She accumulated even more lands after Constantius died, for Constantius had greedily accumulated properties through confiscation from accused criminals. Placidia inherited these. Some were in Africa, others in Sicily. There were likely others elsewhere.
All these vast lands were Placidia’s, and yielded enormous income, but they were also part of the “res privata”, the imperial lands, and so, ultimately subject to the will of the emperors. She only enjoyed the income as long as the emperors allowed it.
Placidia herself at some point in 421-2 realized her dependence on her unreliable brother Emperor Honorius, and forged an alliance with an independent warlord named Boniface. Boniface was loyal to her, not to Honorius.
In late 422, Placidia lost her brother Honorius’ support, her bodyguards clashed with his, she was banished, and fled to Constantinople. Honorius cut off her income. But Boniface had made himself master of the province of Africa, and sent her the incomes of her African estates.
It’s regrettable our main source, Olympiodorus, exists only as a summary of the original. It appears Placidia may have used her bodyguards to attempt a coup against Honorius, but lost. Unfortunately, the wording is vague.
What is clear is that Boniface supported her, not Honorius, and sent her money from her estates, when Honorius did not. This shows her having her own independent sources of military and financial aid, separate from the imperial government under her brother’s command.
Placidia had her own close advisors, two of whom were women. Another as her “steward”, which probably means her estate manager. These were loyal to her personally.
She also had an imperial official assigned to her, called a Tabularius, “record-keeper”, likely a combination accountant/personal assistant/archivist. This one would likely have multiple loyalties, to her, to Honorius, and to the palace chamberlains, who had their own agenda.
The chamberlains were eunuchs and liked to get rich by exploiting loopholes in inheritance law to take over properties; but they and their relationship to Placidia are probably best left for another time. Ref: Theodosian codex 10.10.34
In 425, after the death of Honorius, Placidia returned from exile and became regent of the West in her son Valentinian’s name. This lasted until 438 when her son took over as ruling emperor. In these two phases she enjoyed different powers and privileges.
She was almost immediately deprived of total power by a warlord named Aetius, who had an independent power base through his control of a large corps of Hun mercenaries. Aetius eventually killed Boniface and took military control of the West.
However, evidence suggests Placidia used her legitimacy as the mother of the emperor and the regent assigned by the Emperor of the East, her nephew Theodosius II, to retain much control over the imperial government.
One episode in particular shows off this significance. Writing in the 6th century, hagiographer Constantius of Lyon writes that “empress Placidia governed the Roman Empire with her son Valentinian, and describes how St Germanus went to ask her a favor.
The Armoricans had rebelled against the Empire, but faced with a punitive attack sent by Aetius, they asked Germanus to plead for them. Rather than going to Aetius, Germanus walked from Gaul to Ravenna, where he interacted with Placidia and her officials, but not with her son.
Previous tweet, painting: Saint Germanus stops an army sent by Aetius to punish the Armoricans.
Just a little more, Twitter forced me to send before the thread was properly finished 
Placidia also developed a close relationship with the Church, and the Church provided her ideological support, reinforcing her legitimacy vs. Aetius.
Placidia also developed a close relationship with the Church, and the Church provided her ideological support, reinforcing her legitimacy vs. Aetius.
She donated lavishly to the Church in Ravenna, using her wealth to develop a close relationship with the bishop, Peter Chrysologus.
Source: Agnellus, Book of Pontiffs, 27, Ed. Deliyannis, p. 124
Source: Agnellus, Book of Pontiffs, 27, Ed. Deliyannis, p. 124
In return, Chrysologus praised her and her family in his sermons. At a time when she struggled to retain power against Aetius’ military supremacy, this mattered. Sermons like this helped Placidia retain legitimacy.
After her regency shifted, her power as such was obviously diminished, but she still had enormous resources to draw upon and occasionally used them. She developed a relationship directly with Pope Leo, later dubbed “the Great”, helping him rebuild and decorate a church.
The inscription recording this collaboration is still visible, though it’s not the original https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Paolo_Fuori_le_Mura#/media/File:Rom,_Sankt_Paul_vor_den_Mauern_(San_Paolo_fuori_le_mura),_Innenansicht_3.jpg
Finally, late in her life, Placidia somehow managed to dispatch agents all the way to Spain to recover the remains of her first child for reburial in Rome. Who did she send? Did she still have personal guards loyal to her? Was she able to command imperial agents? https://twitter.com/jruedas1/status/1353015943924998144
We just don’t know. But whatever the details, she was able to get the pope himself to officiate the ceremony, and the entire senate to attend.
Conclusion, throughout the many phases of her life, as empress, as regent, as retired Augusta, Placidia found ways to exercise power and authority and use the resources available to her to carve a niche in a men’s world.
At her most powerful, she was able to draw on her own personal bodyguard and on a warlord loyal to her. She never did achieve total power, due to the opposition of powerful and ambitious men, but she certainly survived and handed power to her son.
She died of old age, powerful, influential, and wealthy, remembered in history.
This thread was inspired by @DrCRollinger’s call for papers, retweeted by @WritingHelena, who is a constant inspiration. May be of interest to @_Dragases_, thanks also. https://twitter.com/drcrollinger/status/1353675485142781953
