2019-09-06 Fri

the Battle of the Frigidus. His Frankish magister militum Arbogast escapes but commits suicide two days later.

A former teacher of grammar and rhetoric, as well as magister scrinorum, Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor on 22nd August 392. He was the last Emperor to support Roman polytheism.

Following the death of Valentinian II, the Frankish general Arbogast, who had probably been the cause of Valentinian II's murder or suicide, elevated Eugenius to the purple (22 August 392). Though himself a Christian, he appointed pagan senators to key positions in the government, leading to conflict with the devoutly Christian Eastern Roman emperor Theodosius.

The battle of the Frigidus, was fought between 5-6 September. Because Eugenius pagan sympathies, the war assumed religious overtones, with Christianity, pitted against the last attempt at a pagan revival. The battle was the last serious attempt to contest the Christianization of the empire.

The above shown silver siliqua issued under his reign from Trier min. The obverse of a coin depicts the Eugenius wearing imperial insignia, celebrating the VIRTVS ROMANORVM, the "(military) virtue of the Romans". On the other hand, the reverse of a coin has Roma seated left on cuirass, Victory on globe in the right hand, spear in left.

Image Source: Heritage Auctions