Flavius Philippus

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Flavius Philippus (fl. 340s-350s) was a Roman Empire officer under Emperor Constantius II.

Coin of Emperor Constantius II. Philippus rose in Constantius' consideration, up to receiving the rank of Praetorian Prefect for the East, possibly because of the influence of Constantius' eunuchs.

Son of a sausage-maker, Philippus rose in social levels becoming a notarius.^[1] In 344, he became Praetorian Prefect for the East under Emperor Constantius, allegedly because of the influence of the court eunuchs.^[2] Philippus obtained also the consulate in 348.

Coin of the usurper Magnentius who kept prisoner Philippus, when the Praetorian Prefect came to the usurper's camp to discover the military readiness of Constantius' enemy.

In 351, when Constantius was facing the rebellion of usurper Magnentius, Philippus was sent to the rebel camp, formally to negotiate a peace, but actually to discover the military readiness of the enemy.^[3] Philippus addressed the rebel army, accusing them of ingratitude towards the Constantinian dynasty, and proposing to Magnentius to leave Italy and to keep only Gaul. After Magnentius tried to conquer Siscia, Philippus was held prisoner by the usurper.^[4]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

[edit] Primary sources

• Libanius, Orationes, xlii, lxxii.
• Zosimus, Historia Nova, ii.46.2-4.

[edit] Secondary sources

• Morris, John; Arnold Hugh Martin Jones, and John Robert Martindale (1992). The prosopography of the later Roman Empire. Cambridge University Press, pp. 696-697. ISBN 0-521-07233-6.