Gildo (died 398) was a Roman

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

general in the province of

Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Caesariensis (Latin for "Caesarean Mauretania") was a Roman province located in what is now Algeria in the Maghreb. The full name refers to its capital Caesarea Mauretaniae (modern Cherchell). The province had been part of the Kingd ...

. He revolted against Honorius and the Western Roman Empire ( Gildonic war), but was defeated and possibly committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

or was assassinated.

Etymology

The name "Gildo" means "king" in the Berber languages. The vocalisation of the Libyco-berber word GLD gives in modern Berber , "the chief, the king".

History

Gildo was probably born in the 340s in a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

environment which most likely was Mauretania Caesareans that was very much Romanized. Gildo was a

by birth. Being a son of King Nubel (''regulus per nationes Mauricas''), he was brother to

Firmus According to the ''Historia Augusta'', Firmus (died 273) was a usurper during the reign of Aurelian. The contradictory accounts of his life and the man himself are considered to be a complete fabrication, perhaps based on the later Firmus. Hist ...

. His other brothers were called Mascezel, Mazuca, Sammac, and Dius. He had a sister named Cyria. According to a hypothesis of

Stéphane Gsell Stéphane Gsell (7 February 1864 – 1 January 1932) was a French historian and archaeologist. He was a specialist in ancient Africa and Roman Algeria. His main work is ''L'Histoire ancienne de l'Afrique du Nord'' (1913-1929). Principal publi ...

that was later resumed and developed by Gabriel Camps, Nubel should indeed be identified with Flavius Nuvel, officer of the Roman army, commander of a cavalry unit, the equites Armigeri junior, who with his wife Nonnica (or Monnica) had a basilica built around the middle of the fourth century, housing a relic of the True Cross. When Firmus revolted against Valentinian I (375), Gildo stayed loyal to his emperor and, at the suppression of the revolt, was rewarded with the immense patrimony confiscated from his brother. In 386, Theodosius I appointed Gildo '' Comes Africae'' and ''Magister utriusque militiae per Africam'', as reward for his support to his father

Theodosius the Elder Flavius Theodosius (died 376), also known as Count Theodosius ( la, Theodosius comes) or Theodosius the Elder ( la, Theodosius Major), was a senior military officer serving Valentinian I () and the western Roman empire during Late Antiquity. Unde ...

in the suppression of Firmus' revolt. The Africa Province was ruled by Gildo with some sort of independence. A little later, before 393, he even bore the title of "Count and Master of the two militias for Africa", with the official rank of ''vir spectabilis''. After the death of Theodosius and the rise to the throne of his sons, Arcadius and Honorius, Gildo saw an increase in his importance: the Africa Province, in fact, became entrusted with the grain supply to the city of Rome, a role played by Egypt until the split of the Empire into two halves. Incited by the political machinations of the eunuch Eutropius, Gildo seriously entertained the notion of joining the Eastern Roman Empire by pledging allegiance to Arcadius. The possibility of losing the granary of Rome led to civil turmoil in the city, and acting on an appeal by Stilicho, the Roman Senate declared Gildo an "enemy of the State" and started a war against him. At the same time, Gildo had a quarrel with his brother Mascezel, who was obliged to flee to the court of Honorius; Gildo took revenge on his brother by killing his two sons. Mascezel was entrusted by Stilicho with the command of the war against Gildo and given the command of a chosen body of Gallic veterans, who had lately served under the standard of Eugenius.Gibbon reports the units that formed the 5,000 soldiers strong military body: Landed with his few troops in Africa, he camped in front of a large Moorish camp. Despite its superiority, Gildo's army melted in front of the superior discipline of Mascezel's army. After the defeat, Gildo was obliged to flee in a small boat, hoping to reach the friendly shores of the Eastern Roman Empire. However, unfavourable winds drove the vessel back to the harbour of Tabraca, where the inhabitants were eager to display their new loyalty by throwing Gildo into the dungeons. But taken over by Mascezel's forces, he was arrested and died on July 31, 398, executed or forced to commit suicide. After his defeat, Gildo's estates were confiscated and became imperial property. They were so vast that a government position, the Count of Gildo's Patrimony (''comes Gildoniaci patrimonii''), was created to manage them. Gildo's family had a marriage connection with the Roman imperial family. Gildo had a daughter named Salvina. Salvina married Nebridius, who was the nephew of Flaccilla. Flaccilla was the first wife of the Emperor Theodosius I.

Notes

References

* Platts, John, ''s.v.'' "Gildo", ''A New Universal Biography'', Sherwood, Jones, and Co., 1826 {{Authority control People from Thénia People from Thénia District People from Boumerdès Province Kabyle people 4th-century Berber people 398 deaths 4th-century Romans Roman rebels Suicides by hanging Year of birth unknown Ancient Roman military personnel who committed suicide