Acacius ( el, ) was a Byzantine

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

of Armenia Prima (First Armenia), c. 536–539 in the reign of

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renova ...

(r. 527–565). The main source about him is

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gen ...

.Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 8-9

Biography

considers Acacius and his son Adolius to have been natives of

Roman Armenia Roman Armenia refers to the rule of parts of Greater Armenia by the Roman Empire, from the 1st century AD to the end of Late Antiquity. While Armenia Minor had become a client state and incorporated into the Roman Empire proper during the 1st c ...

: "Adolius, the son of Acacius ... This Adolius was an

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 ...

by birth, and he always served the emperor while in the palace as privy counsellor (those who enjoy this honour are called by the Romans " silentiarii"), but at that time he was commander of some Armenians. And these men did as directed."Procopius, History of the Wars, Book 2, Chapter 21 Acacius is first mentioned when he brought forth accusations of treason against his friend Amazaspes.

arranged for Acacius to kill Amazaspes. Procopius reports that Justinian "gave over the villages to Amazaspes, the nephew of Symeon, and appointed him ruler over the Armenians. This Amazaspes, as time went on, was denounced to the Emperor Justinian by one of his friends, Acacius by name, on the ground that he was abusing the Armenians and wished to give over to the

Persians The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian. ...

Theodosiopolis and certain other fortresses. After telling this, Acacius, by the emperor's will, slew Amazaspes treacherously, and himself secured the command over the Armenians by the gift of the emperor."Procopius, History of the Wars, Book 2, Chapter 3 On 18 March 536, a law of Justinian reformed the administration of Armenia. Acacius was already governor of Armenia Interior/Armenia Magna; his title was probably

consularis ''Consularis'' is a Latin adjective indicating something pertaining to the position or rank of consul. In Ancient Rome it was also used as a noun (plural ''consulares'') to designate those senators who had held the office of consul or attained co ...

of Armenia Magna. The reorganization named him governor of the new province of Armenia Prima (First Armenia) and gave him the title of

. Further legal documents of 536 mention Acacius. He is called in "Latin" "proconsul Armeniae Primae" and in Greek as anthypatos of Armenia ( el, ). One of these legal documents clarifies that the women of Armenia share the same rights of

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officia ...

as the rest of the Roman (Byzantine) women. Acacius proved highly unpopular with the population of his province, gaining a reputation for cruelty and greed. He was assassinated in 538/539. Procopius reports about him: "And being base by nature, he caciusgained the opportunity of displaying his inward character, and he proved to be the most cruel of all men toward his subjects. For he plundered their property without excuse and ordained that they should pay an unheard-of tax of four centenaria. But the Armenians, unable to bear him any longer, conspired together and slew Acacius and fled for refuge to Pharangium." Another passage of Procopius names

Artabanes Artabanes ( el, , Armenian: ''Artawan'', from Parthian ''Artawân'', '' fl.'' 538–554) was an East Roman (Byzantine) general of Armenian origin who served under Justinian I (r. 527–565). Initially a rebel against Byzantine authority, he fl ...

as the killer.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Acacius Year of birth unknown 530s deaths 6th-century Byzantine people Byzantine people of Armenian descent Assassinated Byzantine people