Tonantius Ferreolus (c. 390 – 475) was the
praetorian prefect of Gaul
The Praetorian Prefecture of Gaul ( la, praefectura praetorio Galliarum) was one of four large prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.
History
The prefecture was established after the death of Constantine I in 337, when th ...
(''praefectus praetorio Galliarum'') from 451.
Life
Tonantius Ferreolus lived in the
Gard valley on his estate of Prusianum and possessed additional estates at Segodunum in
Rodez. His father was
Ferreolus, a Roman Senator. One of his ancestors during the 4th century was a
patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
.
[Martindale, 1980, p. 466.] He was possibly related to
Sidonius Apollinaris
Gaius Sollius Modestus Apollinaris Sidonius, better known as Sidonius Apollinaris (5 November of an unknown year, 430 – 481/490 AD), was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from 5th-century Gaul ...
. His mother was a ''clarissima femina'' and daughter of
Afranius Syagrius
Afranius Syagrius ( 345–382) was a Roman politician and administrator.
Life
Afranius was a member of the Roman aristocratic family of the Syagrii, which originated in Lyon.[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 ...]
in 382.
[Sidonius Apollinaris, 1915]
As praetorian prefect of Gaul he was instrumental in organizing Gaul for the successful defence against the invasion of
Attila and the Hun army. At the same time he diplomatically restrained the Patrician and
Magister Militum
(Latin for "master of soldiers", plural ) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, ...
Flavius Aetius
Aetius (also spelled Aëtius; ; 390 – 454) was a Roman general and statesman of the closing period of the Western Roman Empire. He was a military commander and the most influential man in the Empire for two decades (433454). He managed pol ...
from levying excessive taxes against the people of the Gallic Prefecture, receiving public acclaim for his efforts. Following the defeat of the Huns by a Roman-Gothic alliance, Ferreolus resisted the attempts of Visigothic king
Thorismund
Thorismund (also Thorismod or Thorismud, as manuscripts of our chief source confusingly attestJordanes, ''De origine actibusque Getarum'' (''Getica'') 81, 174, 190, 201 and elsewhere.) ( 420–453), became king of the Visigoths after his father Th ...
to take advantage of the situation to obtain more territory or privileges in 452–453 when that king besieged
Arles
Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
. He was associated with
Thaumastus and Petronius in conducting the impeachment of
Arvandus
Arvandus was a Gaul who rose through the hierarchy of Imperial Roman society to twice be appointed Praetorian prefect of Gaul.
On the first occasion, 461, he was appointed by Emperor Libius Severus. This appointment ended when Severus died in 46 ...
, a successor in the Gallic Prefecture who had behaved extortionately toward the people of Gaul and who had written a letter to Visigothic King
Euric
Euric (Gothic: ''* Aiwareiks'', see '' Eric''), also known as Evaric, or Eurico in Spanish and Portuguese (c. 420 – 28 December 484), son of Theodoric I, ruled as king (''rex'') of the Visigoths, after murdering his brother, Theodoric II, ...
encouraging that monarch to break with his allegiance to Emperor
Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius (died 11 July 472) was western Roman emperor from 467 to 472.
Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: ...
and partition Gaul with the Burgundians, presumably with Arvandus' connivance. This prosecution was successful in obtaining a conviction though Arvandus was reprieved, to some extent, it would appear, through the good offices of Sidonius Apollinaris, from execution and he was merely exiled. Ferreolus was apparently living a life of religious contemplation after 469 though there is no indication he ever took orders.
[ He is the first clearly attested historical person bearing either the name Ferreolus or Tonantius - there are two much earlier martyrs of the name. However his father's marriage into the ]Syagrii The Syagrii were an aristocratic family in late antique Gaul during the fourth and fifth centuries. The family was particularly associated with Gallia Lugdunensis (Lyons), and their family seat was located in the area of Augustodunum (Autun).
Impo ...
and his own patrician ancestry suggest that the family was well known and powerful under a different name or names during the third and fourth centuries at least. The family was to retain considerable importance and exert considerable influence in Gaul for over a century and perhaps two after the fall of the Roman Empire.
He had married Papianilla, herself ''clarissima femina'', born c. 415, a niece of Emperor Avitus
Eparchius Avitus (c. 390 – 457) was Roman emperor of the West from July 455 to October 456. He was a senator of Gallic extraction and a high-ranking officer both in the civil and military administration, as well as Bishop of Piacenza.
He o ...
and the first cousin of another Papianilla, wife of Sidonius Apollinaris, and they had many children, among whom Tonantius Ferreolus.[ She was a partner who shared his troubles, according to Sidonius.][ Tonantius Ferreolus had at least three sons: Tonantius Ferreolus who was a Gallo-Roman Senator at Narbonne, Ruricius who became Bishop of Uzes between Probatius and ]Firminus
Fermin (also Firmin, from Latin ''Firminus''; Spanish ''Fermín'') was a legendary holy man and martyr, traditionally venerated as the co-patron saint of Navarre, Spain. His death may be associated with either the Decian persecution (250) or Dio ...
and at least one son whose name is not attested. It is not known whether he had any daughters or whether more than these two sons survived to adulthood.
He had issue:
* Tonantius Ferreolus (senator)
* Unattested son.
* Unattested daughter married to Aspasius of Auch.
* Ruricius (d. 506, 507 or shortly after 507), Bishop of Uzès
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
. He was called Bishop of Uzes in the ''Life of Firminus'' and based on the existence of "Ruricius of Uzes" of the ''Life of Firminus'', Stanford Mommaerts and Prof. David Kelley postulated that "Ruricius of Uzes" was a brother of Tonantius, a son of Papianilla, wife of the elder Tonantius and that Ruricius of Limoges was her brother and Tonantius' uncle. This is still the position of a significant number of researchers however Mathisen and Settipani have concluded that the octogenarian Bishop Ruricius referred to in the ''Life of Firminus'' is in fact Ruricius of Limoges. Settipani has suggested that Papianilla was the sister of Hiberia, wife of Ruricius of Limoges and daughter of Gallo Roman Senator Ommatius of Clermont. Given that a Ferreolus would succeed Ruricius and his descendants to the Episcopal chair of Limoges and commission the epitaphs of Ruricius I and II (hence he was a kinsman and probably a descendant),[Mathisen, 1999, p. 48.] it is likely there are aspects of the relationship between the Ruriciids and Ferreoli that are not yet explained by either theory.
References
Sources
*Sidonius Apollinaris
Gaius Sollius Modestus Apollinaris Sidonius, better known as Sidonius Apollinaris (5 November of an unknown year, 430 – 481/490 AD), was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from 5th-century Gaul ...
, ''The Letters of Sidonius'' (Oxford: Clarendon, 1915), pp. clx-clxxxiii
* Settipani, Christian. "Ruricius, premier évêque de Limoges et ses alliances familiales." ''Francia'', 18 (1991).
*Christian Settipani, ''Continuité gentilice et continuité sénatoriale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque impériale'', "Mythe et Realite, Addenda I - III (juillet 2000- octobre 2002)" (n.p.: Prosopographica et Genealogica, 2002).
* Martindale, J. R., ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume II AD 395 - 527'', Cambridge University Press, 1980.
* Mathisen, Ralph Whitney. "The Ecclesiastical Aristocracy of Fifth Century Gaul: A Regional Analysis of Family Structure." Doctoral Dissertation, University of Wisconsin. University Microfilms (1979).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferreolus, Tonantius
390s births
475 deaths
5th-century Gallo-Roman people
Praetorian prefects of Gaul
Year of birth uncertain