Edobichus ( el, {{lang, grc, Ἐδόβιχος or Ἐδόβιγχος ; died 411) was a general of the Roman usurper Constantine III. Although he was a native of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, according to

Zosimus Zosimus, Zosimos, Zosima or Zosimas may refer to: People * * Rufus and Zosimus (died 107), Christian saints * Zosimus (martyr) (died 110), Christian martyr who was executed in Umbria, Italy * Zosimos of Panopolis, also known as ''Zosimus Alchem ...

his ancestors were

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

, VI.2.4-5

Life

After the deaths of the generals

Nebiogastes Nebiogastes (Greek: Νεοβιγάστης or Νεβιγάστιος; died 407 AD) was a Roman military commander that supported the usurper Constantine III. Life Nebiogastes was an officer of the Western Roman army in Britain. In 407 the gener ...

and

Iustinianus Iustinianus (died 407 AD) was a Roman military commander who supported the usurper Constantine III. Life Iustinianus was an officer of the Western Roman army in Britain. In 407 the general Claudius Constantine ( Constantine III) rebelled agai ...

in 407, the Western usurper Constantine III appointed Edobichus and Gerontius as his ''

magistri 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 ...

'' (commanders-in-chief of the army). Upon their promotions, they forced Sarus, the general of the Western Emperor Honorius, to end his siege of Constantine in Valence and retreat into Italy. However Gerontius decided to betray Constantine, and in 409 he proclaimed

Maximus Maximus (Hellenised as Maximos) is the Latin term for "greatest" or "largest". In this connection it may refer to: * Circus Maximus (disambiguation) * Pontifex maximus, the highest priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome People Roman h ...

as emperor in

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hisp ...

. Upon hearing of this development, Constantine sent Edobichus to the Franks and the Germanic tribes across the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

to raise reinforcements. Meanwhile, Gerontius invaded southern Gaul, found Constantine at

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 ...

, and laid siege to the city until the Imperial general Constantius arrived on the scene and forced him to retreat. Despite being besieged now by Constantius, Constantine continued to hold Arles, having heard that Edobichus was nearby with the barbarian troops. When Edobichus crossed the Rhone with his troops, he encountered Constantius' force blocking his path. As he prepared to engage the Imperial force, Ulphilas fell upon his soldiers from behind and defeated them. Edobichus managed to flee the battlefield on horseback and fled to one Ecdichus who he believed was his friend. However Ecdicius, seeking a reward from Constantius slew Edobichus and brought his head to Constantius, but the Imperial general rewarded him only with praise. Edobichus' death convinced Constantine to end his resistance, and the usurper took priestly vows before surrendering to the general Constantius.Sozomen, IX.15.1

References

Further sources

* Gregory of Tours, ''Historia Francorum'', II.9. * ''

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 ...

'' II, "Edobichus", p. 386. 411 deaths Frankish warriors Magistri militum Year of birth unknown 5th-century Frankish people