Aspar 145027 225159368 2008-07-12T05:25:59Z Srnec 494861 /* References */ confusion... '''Flavius Ardabur Aspar''' (''c.'' [[400]] - [[471]]), an [[Alans|Alan]], was [[patrician]] and [[magister militum]] ("Master of soldiers") of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]. Son of the magister [[Ardaburius]]<ref>Williams, p. 45.</ref>, Aspar played a crucial role in his father's expedition in [[424]] to defeat the western [[roman usurper|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 Province|Africa]]. Aspar attained the [[Roman consul|consul]]ship in 434 after campaigning in Africa.<ref name="bunson 38"/> However, Aspar could not become [[Roman Emperor|emperor]] because of his [[Arianism|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 (emperor)|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 [[Monarch|king]] of the [[Ostrogoths]]. Aspar had another son, [[Ermanaric]], with the sister of [[Theodoric Strabo]].<ref>Wolfram, p. 32.</ref> Aspar's wife was an Ostrogoth, as the Ostrogoth King Theodoric was her nephew.<ref name="bunson 38">Bunson, 38.</ref> A cistern attributed to him still exists today in [[Istanbul]]. ==Notes== <div class="references-small"><references/></div> ==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, Herwig, ''History of the Goths'', trans. Thomas J. Dunlap. University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0520069838. {{s-start}} {{s-bef | before=[[Theodosius II|Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus]] XIV,<br /> [[Petronius Maximus]]}} {{s-ttl | title=[[List of late imperial Roman consuls|Consul]] of the [[Roman Empire]] | years=[[434]] |regent1=Flavius Areobindus }} {{s-aft | after=[[Theodosius II|Imp. Caesar Flavius Theodosius Augustus]] XV,<br /> [[Valentinianus III|Imp. Caesar Flavius Placidus Valentinianus Augustus]] IV }} {{end}} ==External links== *[http://books.google.gr/books?id=QCIaBQTCg0IC&pg=PA167&lpg=PA167&dq=%22Aspar%22+%22Prosopography%22&source=web&ots=5PKdlj2Er3&sig=PIwNefzQzoCPkCKJfiLR6FZEZfk&hl=el#PPA164,M1- - Profile of Aspar in the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire] [[Category:Byzantine generals]] [[Category:471 deaths]] [[Category:Sarmatians]] [[Category:Imperial Roman consuls]] [[Category:Magistri militum]] [[Category:Late Antiquity]] [[Category:Alans]] {{Byzantine-stub}} {{Euro-mil-bio-stub}} [[bg:Аспар]] [[de:Aspar]] [[fr:Aspar]] [[is:Aspar]] [[it:Ardaburio Aspare]] [[hu:Flavius Ardabur Aspar]] [[pl:Flawiusz Ardaburiusz Aspar]] [[fi:Aspar]]