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Honorius’ Consular diptych Probus 406 by an Unknown author –

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Honorius

Honorius, full name Flavius Honorius was a Roman emperor who rule between 393 and 423. The youngest son of emperor Theodosius I, Honorius was born on 9th September 384.

Honorius passed away at age 38 on 15th August 423. His death marked the end of his reign as emperor of Western Rome. Even by the standards of most emperors, his rule was unsettled and extremely chaotic.

Honorius had several advisors and the most important of them all was his principal general Stilicho. Stilicho was his guardian growing up and later became Honorius’ father-in-law not once but twice!

Below are some fascinating facts about Western Rome’s first emperor Honorius.

1. Youngest Son of Theodosius the Great

Bust of Theodosius I. Found in Aphrodisias. (Aydın, Turkey) by www.livius.org –

Flavius Honorius was the youngest son of emperor Theodosius I and his wife Aelia Flavia Flaccilla. Theodosius was the Roman emperor between 379 and 395.

He was a successful ruler and conqueror winning the war against the Goths and several other civil wars during his reign. This way he earned the name Theodosius the Great.

He is the last emperor to rule all of Rome as a single entity. That is before it was split into two courts, the eastern and western courts.

2. Proclaimed Emperor At 9 Years of Age

Crown by Martin Ludlam from

As a young child, Honorius was named nobilissimus puer, which translates to Most Noble Child. At 2 years of age (386), he held the consulate. This means that he held political office and authority in the empire.

At age 5, he was summoned by his father to Rome. This was when he was declared Augustus by his father Theodosius I. Augustus was the title given to an emperor’s named heir.

In 393, Honorius was proclaimed Western Rome’s emperor and thus co-ruler following the death of Valentinian II. Following the death of Theodosius, the Great in 395, Honorius became emperor.

3. Divided the Empire with His Brother Arcadius

Portrait of Emperor Arcadius by Gryffindor –

On 17th January 395, Theodosius died after suffering from a disease involving severe edema for a while. He was later buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles.

Following his death, the ascension of his successor was done immediately. However, unlike other periods of succession, the death of Theodosius marked the beginning of the true de facto division of the empire.

This means that the Roman empire, while still a single entity, was split into two factions. That is the eastern and the western factions with each having its own emperor.

Honorius and his older brother Arcadius jointly succeeded to their father’s throne. Honorius ruled the western half while Arcadius ruled the eastern one.

4. Influenced by Powerful Advisors

At the time of his ascension to power as emperor, Honorius was 11 years old. I don’t about you but 11 years old is a little too young to have or yield an emperor’s power and influence. Nonetheless, such was the world back then!

To this end, the 11-year-old’s reign was successful as he was under the influence of powerful advisers. The most influential of these advisers was military general Stilicho who was of mixed Vandal and Roman ancestry.

Stilicho was appointed Honorius’ guardian by his father Theodosius before becoming his advisor as emperor. For years, before Honorius became of age, he was the most powerful man in Western Roman Empire.

He was forcibly removed from power and executed allowing Honorius to take charge of the empire in 408. Stilicho also wed his daughter to Honorius to make his grandchild an imperial heir.

5. The First Crisis Under Honorius’ Rule Was the Gildonic War

medieval army by Gary Chambers from

A constant in the roman empire was the continuous breakout of wars and incursions by various factions. Honorius’ reign was no different as he faced continuous rebellions and barbaric incursions.

The first of these was a revolt led by Gildo which became known as the Gildonic War. At the time General Stilicho was in charge of the empire on behalf of the young Honorius.

The war lasted for 2 years between 397 to 398 with Honorius coming out victorious thanks to Stilicho subduing the revolt. The next crisis was the Visigothic invasion of Italy in 402. Stilicho won narrowly as King Alaric invaded Milan.

6. Moved His Capital from Milan to Ravenna

Initially, Milan was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. This was until the latter years of 401 when the Visigoths under King Alaric I invaded Italy.

The Visigoth invasion brought Alaric’s army through the Julian Alps and they made their way into Italy. This forced Honorius to move his capital from Italy to Ravenna. The move was a strategic one as it provided a strategic military advantage.

This is because it was protected by a ring of marshes and strong fortifications. Ravenna, a coastal city in Northern Italy, became the official capital of the Western Roman Empire in 408.

7. Married 2 Daughters of Stilicho

Since Honorius was underage when he succeeded the Western Roman Empire, Stilicho became the caretaker of his throne. Stilicho used this post to consolidate his power. He did this mostly by conquering Honorius’ enemies and taking over armies.

However, one way he did this was by strengthening his ties to the throne. Which he achieved by wedding his daughter Maria to the emperor Honorius.

Honorius married Maria in 398 and their marriage lasted until 407 when she died. Maria died without having bore children with Honorius.

After her death, Stilicho betrothed another one of his daughters to Honorius. This time it was Thermantia who wed the emperor in 408 and the two ended up getting divorced.

8. Banned Gladiator Games

Gladiator gear by ArsAdAstra from

Gladiator games were a common and popular source of entertainment in the early Roman empire. However, the last of these gladiatorial games took place during Honorius’ reign.

This is because he banned the practice not once but twice in both 399 and 404. According to reports, this was after the martyrdom of a Christian monk named Telemachus.

The monk was protesting a gladiator fight. Honorius also banned men wearing trousers in Rome. The main reason for this was that trousers were associated with Germanic, Hunnic, and Persian barbarians. All of who were considered enemies of Rome.

9. Died of Edema

On 15th August 423, Honorius died of edema, much like his father in Ravenna Italy at 38 years of age. Having had no children, Honorius left behind no heir to his throne.

He was married at the Mausoleum of Honorius which was transformed into a church, the Chapel of St Petronilla. It was later demolished when the New St Peter’s (Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican) was erected.

10. Succeeded by Joannes

Having sired no children in both his marriages, his death led to the proclamation of Johannes as emperor of West Rome. Johannes was then the Chief Secretary of the empire before being elected as emperor.

His reign lasted for two years, from 423 to 425 when he died. Valentinian III, the son of Galla Placidia and Constantius was chosen as the next emperor.