Arbazacius (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Ἁρβαζάκιος, ) was an

Eastern Roman The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

general who pacified Isauria during the reign of

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Arcadius Arcadius ( grc-gre, Ἀρκάδιος ; 377 – 1 May 408) was Roman emperor from 383 to 408. He was the eldest son of the ''Augustus'' Theodosius I () and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and the brother of Honorius (). Arcadius ruled the ...

(r. 383–408).

Biography

Arbazacius is usually described as being born in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

from an Isaurian family, but it has also been argued that he was born in Isauria and was of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

descent.. Around 404 AD, with Isaurian raiders beginning their raids into southern and eastern

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, Arbazacius was placed in command of the Roman forces with instructions to clear Isaurian brigands from

Pamphylia Pamphylia (; grc, Παμφυλία, ''Pamphylía'') was a region in the south of Asia Minor, between Lycia and Cilicia, extending from the Mediterranean to Mount Taurus (all in modern-day Antalya province, Turkey). It was bounded on the north b ...

. Although the exact nature of his appointment remains unknown, it has been speculated that he held the rank of '' comes rei militaris''. Arbazacius managed to defeat the brigands, pursuing them back to their mountain homelands in Isauria, where he proceeded to destroy a large number of their villages, killing many Isaurians in the process. His campaign in Isauria saw him accumulate a great deal of booty, but instead of continuing the pacification of their homelands, he used the spoils to live a life of luxury, and attempted to increase his wealth by extracting more money from the population. When word reached the imperial court at

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, he was recalled to answer questions about his conduct. Arbazacius managed to avoid trial by bribing the empress

Aelia Eudoxia Aelia Eudoxia (; ; died 6 October 404) was a Roman empress consort by marriage to the Roman emperor Arcadius. The marriage was the source of some controversy, as it was arranged by Eutropius, one of the eunuch court officials, who was attempt ...

, after which he lived the rest of his life in extravagant ease supported by the treasure he accumulated in Isauria. Arbazacius was described as having an overindulgent taste for wine, women, and money, and was accused of having numerous mistresses, even while on campaign. As a result of his

greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as status, or power. Greed has been identified as und ...

, his name was mockingly altered by contemporaries to ''Harpazacius'' ( gr, Ἁρπαζάκιος, "the grabber").; .

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbazacius 5th-century Byzantine people Byzantine generals Isaurians