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%0 Thesis
%A London, Christoph
%T Den Kaiser erziehen : Bildungskonzepte, -praktiken und ihre Rezeption zur Zeit der Valentinianisch-Theodosianischen Kinderkaiser (367-455)
%I Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
%V Dissertation
%C Aachen
%M RWTH-2023-07380
%P 1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen, Diagramme
%D 2023
%Z Veröffentlicht auf dem Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University
%Z Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2023
%X During the Late Roman Empire, during the 4th and 5th century, a total of six so-called “Child Emperors” were raised to power, all of them belonging to the Valentinian-Theodosian Dynasty: Gratian (367), Valentinian II (375), Arcadius (383), Honorius (392), Theodosius II (402), and Valentinian III (425). These emperors ascended to power at ages ranging from nine months to eight years and were unable to fulfil the traditional expectations placed on a Roman ruler in fields such as the military, administration, and jurisdiction. Due to the necessity of educating and preparing already reigning emperors for their duties, sources increasingly discuss aspects of imperial education. This study primarily focuses on historiographical and panegyrical accounts and investigates the educational practices described for each emperor, as well as how the topic of imperial education is conceptualised and represented in different contexts and discourses. As child emperor rule and related phenomena formed part of the political reality of the Roman Empire for almost 90 years, the development of concepts and ideas can be traced diachronically. The political decentralisation of the late Roman Empire, with two, often competing imperial courts in the Latin West and Greek East, also provides an opportunity for synchronous observations. Already during the early Principate, authors such as Suetonius and Tacitus had expressed great interest in the education and intellectual achievements of individual emperors. As Roman rulers were recruited less frequently from the educated senatorial elite from the 3rd century onwards and mostly had a military background, education became a criterion to evaluate the suitability and legitimacy of an emperor. Historians of Late Antiquity such as Aurelius Victor, Eutropius, or Ammianus Marcellinus demanded an adequate education of the emperors they portrayed. Education also became an important aspect of imperial praise in panegyric speeches of Late Antiquity. This study shows that the era of the Valentinian-Theodosian Child Emperors can be divided into three periods, representing three distinct strategies in handling aspects of imperial education. The first phase which can be understood as "Formative Period" (367–384/392) commenced with the elevation of Gratian as the first Child Emperor. In the absence of genuine accomplishments in the customary fields of representation, the imperial court propagated the virtues of a ruler who received an education befitting his status and who was, at the same time, in the process of being prepared for an active military rule. References to imperial education also served as a compensatory strategy in the designation of Valentinian Galates and the elevation of Arcadius in the Eastern part of the Empire. Influential figures, who formed part of provincial and urban elites, were able to exert considerable influence as teachers and educators of the Child Emperors. However, conceptual differences between the Western and the Eastern part of the Empire can be identified. During the "Latent Period" (392-402), the significance of educational discourses diminished. A familiarity with the phenomenon of Child Emperors' rule had set in, which made the frequent need for legitimisation obsolete. Additionally, early attempts of Child Emperors to exert an active rule after reaching adulthood had failed, leading to the establishment of long-term regency arrangements and the portrayal of Child Emperors in an increasingly passive role. Simultaneously, genuinely Christian criteria gained increasing importance in expressing imperial virtues due to the advancing Christianisation of the imperial office. This development reached its culmination in the Ädaptive Period" (402-455), during which the education of emperors was primarily conceptualised as preparation for religious and ceremonial contexts. Furthermore, education remained a crucial criterion for justifying the influence of imperial women. Conversely, the increasingly passive conduct of the emperors was attributed to a lack of education and intelligence.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)11
%9 Dissertation / PhD Thesis
%R 10.18154/RWTH-2023-07380
%U https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/962413