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¤ ARBITIO, FLAVIUS (4th century A.D.) A MAGISTER EQUITUM under CONSTANTIUS n,
JULIAN and VALENS, and one of the first magistri of the Empire to rise to prominence as the
traditional legionary commanders faded in the Roman system. Arbitio helped Constantius II against the
usurper Magnentius, at the battle of MURSA Major in 351, earning for himself considerable power. He
was made a senator and a consul in 355. Julian used his skills, naming him to preside over the
Commission of Chalcedon in 361. He retired but still wielded enough authority to help defeat Valens' rival
for the throne, Procopius, in 366 at Nacolea.
¤ ARBOGAST (d. 394 A.D.) Of Frankish and hence barbarian heritage, Arbogast was a MAGISTER
PEDITUM (master of soldiers) of tremendous power; finally defeated in 394, only when THEODOSIUS I,
the emperor of the East, brought an entire host to do so. A pagan, Arbogast had served under the
magister militum BAUTO as an able lieutenant in the reign of Gratian (367-383), traveling with his
master to aid Theodosius at Gratian's request.
The wars in the east launched Arbogast's career. Between 385 and 388 Bauto died, and the army called
upon Arbogast to take command. Theodosius put his new soldier to use against the usurper Maximus, with
his son Flavius Victor. In 388, pleased with this performance, Theodosius gave the new Western emperor,
VALENTINIAN II, into Arbogast's care. Valentinian deteriorated from ward to abject prisoner. Arbogast
kept him shut in at Vienne in Gaul and ruled the entire Western Empire in his name, placing colleagues and
servants in charge of the various imperial departments. Valentinian pleaded with
Theodosius for help, but the distant emperor refused to interfere in the affair. Desperate, Valentinian tried to
dismiss the general but was impotent in his own court. An assassination attempt was tried but failed, and on
May 15, 392, the emperor was found hanged by the neck, probably a suicide.
Arbogast became an imperial power broker, placing
Flavius Eugenius, a Christian, on the throne. Civil
war was imminent. Despite his pagan preferences, Arbogast had attempted to keep a Christian facade on
the Empire, refusing the Senate when it wished to restore the Altar of Victory in 384 and promoting
a
spirit of toleration for all religious beliefs. In 394, Theodosius marched west to finish the struggle. The
battle that ensued, that of FRIGIDUS, took place on the 5th and 6th of September and was the end of
paganism in the Empire. Theodosius was triumphant, and Arbogast was forced to kill himself.
¤ ARCADIUS, FLAVIUS (d. 408 A.D.) Eldest son of THEODOSIUS i, ruling in the East from 395 to
408 and an important figure in the division of the Empire into a definite East and West. Because
Honorius ruled the West independently, Arcadius can be called the first ruler of the "new" Eastern
Empire.