Aspar

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Flavius Ardabur Aspar (c. 400 - 471), an Alan, was patrician and magister militum ("Master of soldiers") of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Son of the magister Ardaburius^[1], Aspar played a crucial role in his father's expedition in 424 to defeat the western usurper, Joannes of Ravenna, and to install Galla Placidia and her son, Valentinian III, in his place. He also helped to negotiate a peace treaty with Geiseric after the Vandal invasion of Africa.

Aspar attained the consulship in 434 after campaigning in Africa.^[2] However, Aspar could not become emperor because of his Arian religion. Instead, he played the role of kingmaker with his subordinate, Marcian, who became emperor by marrying Theodosius II's sister Pulcheria. However, Marcian's successor Leo I eventually turned on him. In 471 Aspar was killed together with his son Ardabur in an assault by palace eunuchs. This came about because Ardabur attempted to bribe Leo's soldiers, the Isaurian Excubitors, with no success, and Leo viewed both son and father with suspicion.

Aspar was the teacher of Theodoric the Great, who later became king of the Ostrogoths. Aspar had another son, Ermanaric, with the sister of Theodoric Strabo.^[3] Aspar's wife was an Ostrogoth, as the Ostrogoth King Theodoric was her nephew.^[2] A cistern attributed to him still exists today in Istanbul.

[edit] Notes

^ Williams, p. 45.
^ ^a ^b Bunson, 38.
^ Wolfram, p. 32.

[edit] References

Bunson, Matthew (1994). Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire. New York: Facts on File Inc.
Williams, Stephen, and Gerard Friell, The Rome That Did Not Fall, Routledge, 1999, ISBN 0415154030.
Wolfram, Thomas J. and Dunlap, Herwig Wolfram, History of the Goths, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0520069838.

Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus XIV, Petronius Maximus	Consul of the Roman Empire 434 with Flavius Areobindus	Succeeded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus XV, Imp. Caesar Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Augustus IV