Flavius Monaxius (''floruit'' 408–420) was a politician of the

Eastern Roman Empire 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 Constantin ...

, ''

praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, an ...

'' of

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 ( ...

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

and twice

praetorian prefect of the East The praetorian prefecture of the East, or of the Orient ( la, praefectura praetorio Orientis, el, ἐπαρχότης/ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων τῆς ἀνατολῆς) was one of four large praetorian prefectures into whic ...

Biography

From 17 January 408 to 26 April 409 he was ''

'' of

. Towards the end of his term, there was a shortage of food in the city, caused by delay in the shipment of grain from

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

to the capital, and the population revolted. The rebels burned the ''

praetorium The Latin term (also and ) originally identified the tent of a general within a Roman castrum (encampment), and derived from the title praetor, which identified a Roman magistrate.Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 2 ed., ...

'' and dragged Monaxius' carriage around the streets. Grain supplies directed to other cities were sent to Constantinople, and the overall grain supply for the capital was re-organised. Monaxius also created an emergency fund, partially formed by senatorial contribution, to buy grain in case of shortage. He was

between 10 May and 30 November 414 and then a second time between 26 August 416 and 27 May 420; during his second tenure, he dedicated a church in

Perinthus Perinthus or Perinthos ( grc, ἡ Πέρινθος) was a great and flourishing town of ancient Thrace, situated on the Propontis. According to John Tzetzes, it bore at an early period the name of Mygdonia (Μυγδονία). It lay 22 miles wes ...

. Also, on October 5, 416, he issued an edict that removed the authority of Cyril of Alexandria over the parabolani. Maria Dzielska, ''Hypatia of Alexandria'', Harvard University Press, 1996, , p. 97. In 419 he held the consulship; after this year, four of his servants became monks at the monastery of Saint Hypatius against his will.

Notes

Sources

* * Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin, John Robert Martindale, John Morris, ''

The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...

'', "Fl. Monaxius", Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, 1992, , pp. 764–765. {{end 5th-century Byzantine people 5th-century Roman consuls Imperial Roman consuls Praetorian prefects of the East Urban prefects of Constantinople