Gainas
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Gainas was an ambitious Gothic leader who served the Eastern Roman Empire during the reigns of Theodosius I and Arcadius.
Gainas began his military career as a common foot-soldier, but later commanded the barbarian contingent of Theodosius' army against the usurper Eugenius in 394. In 395, he combined his forces with those of Stilicho and Eutropius to bring about the fall of Rufinus. In 399 he replaced the Magister Militum Leo after the latter failed to put down invasions led by Ostrogothic chieftain Tribigild. Gainas too failed to put down the invasions, although he blamed his failure on Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius' palace chamberlain (cubicularius) Eutropius, whom he had executed.
Frustrated further by his inability to control the situation, Gainas ordered the removal of more ministers. Gainas' compromises with Tribigild led to rumors that he had colluded with his fellow Goth and, when he returned to Constantinople in 400, riots broke out and 7,000 of his fellow Goths were murdered by the populace who had been incited to action by the Empress Aelia Eudoxia.
In response, Gainas and his forces attempted to flee back across the Hellespont, but their rag-tag fleet was met and destroyed by a third Gothic chieftain, Fravitta. After this battle, Gainas and his few remaining forces were caught by the Huns under Uldin while trying to escape north of the Danube. Gainas was killed and his head was sent by Uldin to Arcadius ca. 400 as a gift.
Gainas' usurpation is the subject of the Egyptian Tale and the speech On Imperial Rule by Synesius of Cyrene.
[edit] Sources
- Alan Cameron and Jacqueline Long, Barbarian and Politics at the Court of Arcadius, Berkeley et Los Angeles, 1993.
- Alexander Kazhdan (éd.), The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, 3 vols., Oxford University Press, 1991 (ISBN 0-19-504652-8)
- (fr) André Piganiol, L'Empire chrétien, PUF, Paris, 1972.
