The Teacher Who Became Emperor

Found this little guy while casually browsing, and as an enthusiastic collector of rare Late Roman rulers, I knew I had to have it. This siliqua of Western Roman usurper Eugenius has seen better days, but I am glad to have finally added this Roman to my collection. Some day I will seek to upgrade it (but preferably not part with it anyways) but since I am currently working on a budget, this will do fine for now.

Eugenius, Western Roman Empire
AR siliqua
Obv: D N EVGENIVS P F AVG, pearl diademed, draped, bearded, cuirassed bust right
Rev: VIRTVS ROMANORVM, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory on globe and reversed spear
Mint: Milan or Trier



History (a long read)

Nothing seems to be known of Eugenius's early life. Historically-speaking we first meet up with him already as a former teacher of grammar and rhetoric and as the magister scrinorum, or master of the imperial chancery, in the western half of the Roman Empire in the late 4th century AD. By then, Eugenius was a friend of the magister militum (master of the soldiers) of the West, the Frankish commander Arbogast, who officially served the Western emperor Valentinian II as not only the head of his armies but also as the young man's protector, and had originally been placed in that capacity by the Eastern emperor Theodosius I. But this arrangement had become in name only, as Valentinian was reduced to being a puppet emperor under Arbogast's influence. Relations between the two soon soured and turned hostile, and Valentinian realized how powerful Arbogast had become. In desperation, Valentinian secretly asked for help from Theodosius and Ambrose, the Bishop of Mediolanum (Milan).

Valentinian later unsuccessfully attempted to dismiss Arbogast from his post, but the magister militum instead tore up the order, defiantly proclaiming to the young emperor that "you have neither given me my command nor will you be able to take it away". Soon after, Valentinian attacked Arbogast but failed in harming the him. Not long afterwards, in May of 392 AD, Valentinian was found dead, hung in his residence at Treverorum (Trier). It is not clear if he had committed suicide, or had been murdered by Arbogast. Whatever the case, a successor was not immediately appointed by either Arbogast or Theodosius (who would have probably acted immediately if Valentinian was indeed murdered by Arbogast).

Arbogast himself could not become emperor, as he was a barbarian by birth. So he elevated his friend and a Roman, Eugenius, as emperor, in the hopes of winning over the Roman Senate. After becoming Western emperor, Eugenius installed his own administrators in power, replacing those originally appointed by Theodosius, including putting into place new prefects for Italy and Rome.

Eugenius, while being a Christian, supported an effort by some of those loyal to him and Arbogast to return paganism to a position of prominence within the empire, albeit this was done reluctantly. In a show of support to his men, Eugenius restored the Altar of Victory to the Roman Curia, which had been last removed by Emperor Gratian a decade before. Eugenius also provided funds towards pagan public works projects, including the re-dedication of the Temple of Venus and Roma and the re-building of the Temple of Hercules at Ostia. This pro-pagan policy did not sit well with Emperor Theodosius and Bishop Ambrose.

Eugenius also accompanied Arbogast when the latter conducted military operations on the Rhine, some of the last that the Romans would ever carry out on that river. Among their successes was the recapture of Cologne in 393 AD, and the renewal of peace and alliances with the Franks and the Alamanni, former Germanic tribal allies of the deceased Magnus Maximus, who were said to have been won over by an impressive display of military prowess on the part of Arbogast when he skillfully paraded his army.

In an effort to achieve recognition, Eugenius sent delegations to Emperor Theodosius in Constantinople. Theodosius claimed to give his support to Eugenius, but the opposite was true: Theodosius had decided on the downfall of Eugenius, and soon started on preparations to realize this goal. In January of 393 AD, the Eastern emperor elevated one of his young sons, Honorius, to Augustus of the West. Over a year later, Theodosius and the Eastern army marched from Constantinople, and in September of 394 AD, they met Eugenius, Arbogast, and their forces at the Frigidus River (on the border of Italy and Slovenia). The usurper and his general had images of Hercules put onto the banners of their soldiers, and also had a statue of Jupiter placed on the edge of the battlefield, all in an effort to invoke a victory like those the Romans of centuries past had achieved while relying on the pagan gods. Both sides employed many barbarian troops; in addition to the combatants utilizing native Roman forces, Arbogast relied on contingents of Franks and some Goths, and Theodosius brought to the field the Visigoths, led by their king Alaric (who later would gain fame in the sacking of Rome later on in 410 AD). Theodosius was also accompanied by the half Roman/half Vandal military commander Stilicho.

Eugenius and Arbogast gained the upper hand on the first day of battle, successfully defending against Theodosius's attack. But on the second day, the tide turned against the usurper and his army. Whether by chance or by God's divine intervention, a fierce storm had moved in, with the winds blowing against the Western army. This gave Theodosius the advantage he needed, and so he and his army managed to defeat Eugenius and Arbogast.

Arbogast, after escaping his pursuers and wandering the Alps for two days, realized the futility of resisting, committed suicide, but Eugenius was not so lucky, and he was caught and executed by beheading, with his head stuck onto a pole and put up for display in Theodosius's camp. The head of Eugenius would later be sent to the other provinces as a message to other would-be usurpers.

Both sides had suffered greatly, especially the Visigothic contingent that had fought for Theodosius. This contributed to feelings of animosity Alaric later had against the Romans, with him believing that the Visigoths had been used as sacrificial fodder to take the brunt of the fighting. The battle also had helped (on top of other reasons) weak the numbers and effectiveness of the Western Roman army. While the East was able to recuperate its legions, the Western army was not as fortunate. Its decline further opened the door for the hiring of barbarian mercenaries, or foederati, to help defend the Roman Empire from threats. The ineffectiveness of the Western army was especially made evident only two decades after the Battle of the Frigidus when several barbarian tribes broke through the empire's border on the Rhine unopposed and invaded Gaul, causing even further instability by facilitating the rise of numerous usurpers. Unlike other times when barbarians were able to cross, this time they were not pushed back, and were able to eventually establish permanent kingdoms on former Roman territories.

Eugenius's rise to the throne with barbarian help was also a precursor to the increased role of the barbarians in the internal affairs of the Roman Empire. Like Eugenius, many emperors and usurpers came to power or were deposed with barbarian help. This culminated with the deposition of the young emperor Romulus Augustus by Odoacer, head of the foederati, in 476 AD, which signaled the end of the Roman Empire in the west.

Sources:

Wikipedia articles for Eugenius, Arbogast, and the Battle of the Frigidus

http://www.roman-emperors.org/eugene.htm

Pictures:

Roman Empire (East and West) in 395 AD



Area where the Battle of the Frigidus occured in 394 AD



Artist's depiction of the Battle of the Frigidus (Theodosius's troops are to the left, and Eugenius's troops are on the right)



Theodosius I



Late Roman soldiers



Foederati troops



A Visigothic soldier from the 5th century AD



A mosaic depicting a group of late Roman soldiers on a hunt