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Our Family
Genealogy Pages
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 389 - 450 (61 years)
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| Name |
Aelia Galla Placidia Of The Western Roman Empire (Imp?ratrice Of Rome - 421-450) |
| Born |
389 |
Roma, Roma, Italy  |
| Gender |
Female |
| _UID |
9B92B963AC3141B4ADF9EA208FE3B3EDDDF7 |
| Buried |
450 |
Ravenna, Italy |
| Died |
27 Nov 450 |
Roma, Roma, Italy |
| Person ID |
I27926 |
Carney Wehofer Feb 2024 Genealogy |
| Last Modified |
5 Feb 2012 |
| Family 1 |
Athaulf (Ataulph) (King Of The Visigoths - 414-415), b. 355, d. Sep 415, Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (Age 60 years) |
| Married |
413-414 |
Narbonne, France |
| Children |
| | 1. Clotilde Of The VISIGOTHS, b. 414, d. Yes, date unknown |
| | 2. Theodosius, b. 415, Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain , d. 415, Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (Age 0 years) |
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| Last Modified |
29 Aug 2016 |
| Family ID |
F2051 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Notes |
- Galla was sister to the Roman Emperor. She was supported by the armiesof her nephew Theodosius II. After she defeated John and had himexecuted, her child Valentinian was crowned Augustus at Rome (towards theend of 425). As long as Valentinian III was a minor (425-437), GallaPlacidia, formerly the queen of the Goths, governed as regent for herson.
Galla Placida married the Master of the Soldiers Constantius (who ruledbriefly as co-Emperor with Honorius, Galla's brother) when he was at theheight of his career, and their son Valentinian III reigned in the West.When the Visigoths under King Alaric I sacked Rome in 410, they carriedoff Galla with them as hostage. She was of course returned, and laterwent on to rule the empire when her son was very young with the formaltitle of "piissima et perpetua Augusta mater" which translates to "mostpius and eternal Empress."
From Ralph W. Mathisen, University of South Carolina:
Galla's Youth (395-423 A.D.) - Aelia Galla Placidia, born in the eastcirca 388/390, was the daughter of the emperor Theodosius I (379-395) andhis second wife Galla. She was the half-sister of the emperors Honorius(393-423) (q.v.) and Arcadius (383-408). In the early 390s, she wasgranted her own household, which made her financially independent. In 394she was summoned to Milan, and there she witnessed the death of herfather in early 395. During her childhood she was named Most Noble Girl(Nobilissima Puella), and she seems to have been raised in the care ofher cousin Serena, the wife of the western general Stilicho. Shepresumably received a classical education; she also knew how to weave andembroider.
Galla Placidia's First Marriage - When the Visigoths attacked Rome in408, Placidia remained in the city, where, for whatever reasons, sheconcurred in the execution of Serena. By the time of the sack of Rome in410, Placidia seems already to have been in Gothic hands. She was carriedoff with them to Gaul, and in 414 she was married in a Roman weddingceremony to the Visigothic chieftain Athaulf at Narbonne. She may havebeen one of the causes of his eventual pro-Roman outlook. Shesubsequently traveled with the Goths to Spain and bore Athaulf a son,Theodosius, who died in infancy, thus destroying an opportunity for apossible Romano-Visigothic rapprochement.
Galla Placidia's Marriage to Constantius - In 416, after Athaulf's death,Placidia finally was restored to the Romans. In the next year, ratheragainst her will, she was wedded to the powerful Roman generalConstantius, to whom she bore two children, Justa Grata Honoria and thefuture emperor Valentinian III. In 419 she and her husband becameinvolved -- on the losing side -- in the controversy over the election ofa new bishop of Rome. She personally summoned the African bishops to asynod in Italy, and three of the letters she wrote in the matter stillsurvive. In 421, Constantius became co-emperor in the west and she wasmade Augusta (Empress); their elevations, however, were not recognized inthe east. After Constantius' death in the same year, she quarreled withher brother, and with her children sought refuge in Constantinople withher nephew, the eastern emperor Theodosius II (402-450).
After the defeat of the western usurper Johannes in 425, the easterngovernment belatedly recognized the claim of Placidia's son Valentinianto the western throne, but only at the price of part of the westernempire. The two accompanied the eastern army to Italy, where Johannes wasoverthrown and Valentinian was proclaimed Augustus of the west in 425.
Galla Placidia Augusta - Placidia served as Valentinian's regent for thefirst twelve years of the young emperor's reign. An early supporter ofthe new regime was the Count of Africa Boniface, who had not recognizedJohannes. A rival for influence was Aetius, who had the support of theHuns. But Placidia's initial choice for supreme general was a certainFelix, who in 430 was murdered on the orders of Aetius: according to onereport, Placidia herself had instructed Felix to kill Aetius. Meanwhile,in Africa Placidia's erstwhile ally Boniface had declared hisindependence, and after Placidia sent an army against him, Boniface wassaid to have responded by inviting the Vandals to come to his assistance.The Vandal threat became so great, however, that a reconciliation betweenBoniface and Placidia was reached. In 432, Boniface returned to Italy anddefeated his rival Aetius, but was killed in the process. After a briefperiod of exile, Aetius was restored to favor and became Patrician andMaster of Soldiers. The rise of Aetius, coupled with Valentinian'seventual majority, worked to reduce Placidia's direct authority, althoughshe continued in a position of influence up to her death.
Galla Placidia's Death - Galla Placidia was a devout Christian andpatroness of religion. She was involved in the building and restorationof several churches. In Rome, she assisted in the restoration of theBasilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls and contributed to embellishmentsof the church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. In Ravenna, she builtchurches of the Holy Cross and of St. John the Divine. The latter was theresult of a vow she had made in 423 when she and her children were caughtin a storm on the Adriatic Sea: the dedicatory inscription reads "GallaPlacidia, along with her son Placidus Valentinian Augustus and herdaughter Justa Grata Honoria Augusta, paid off their vow for theirliberation from the danger of the sea." Placidia also favored the churchof Ravenna in other ways, seeing to its elevation to the status ofarchbishopric. She also built a church of St. Stephen at Rimini.
Galla Placidia died at Rome on 27 November 450. Her final resting placeis unknown: there remains much doubt as to whether the so-calledMausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna is actually her tomb or not. It isreasonably certain that either she or her son was responsible for itsconstruction, but it probably was initially intended as a chapel of St.Laurence, not as a tomb. Galla Placidia exemplifies the strong-willedimperial women -- Pulcheria, the sister of Theodosius II, being anotherexample -- who exercised great influence in the fifth century in defaultof effective male leadership.
Bibliography -
Editions - Primary: For Placidia's extant correspondence, see OttoGuenther ed., Epistulae imperatorum pontificum aliorum inde ab a.CCCLXVII usque ad a. DLIII datae avellana quae dicitur collectio,C.S.E.L. vol 35 pt.1 (Vienna, 1895) nos.25,27-28 (pp.71-74).
Critical Studies -
Gerke, F., "L'Iconografia delle monete imperiale dall' Augusta GallaPlacidia." Corsi di cultura sull'arte ravennate e bizantina 13(1966):163-204
Nagl, Maria Assunta, Galla Placidia , Studien zur Geschichte und Kulturdes Altertums. New York, 1967.
Oost, Stewart I. "Galla Placidia and the Law." Classical Philology63(1968): 114-121.
________. "Some Problems in the History of Galla Placidia." ClassicalPhilology 60(1965): 1-10.
________. Galla Placidia Augusta. A Biographical Essay. Chicago, 1968.
Sirago, V.A. Galla Placidia e la trasformazione politica dell' Occidente.Louvain, 1961.
Copyright (C) 1996, Ralph W. Mathisen. This file may be copied on thecondition that the entire contents,including the header and thiscopyright notice, remain intact.
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| Sources |
- [SAuth] Jim Carney, compiled by James H Carney [(E-ADDRESS), & MAILING ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Buderim, Queensland 4556 AUSTRALIA.
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