Policy of the imperial office towards the senatorial aristocracy in the 5th century in the western part of of the Late Roman Empire
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The emperors of the western part of the Late Roman Empire are traditionally viewed as the individuals with the highest standing on the social ladder of the Empire. However, many researchers believes that at least from the 4th century onwards their actual power and influence were gradually diminishing, as the military affairs used to be often in the hands of the highest ranking generals rather than the emperors themselves. The imperial office was of course aware of the fact as it can be seen in it’s own changing selfrepresentation and on the way the imperial propaganda worked. When the emperors and their office could not rely only on the army anymore, it is only logical that they would seek new opportunities and allies in order to maintain their position of power. One of such group of allies can be found in the senatorial aristocracy and the evidence mainly from the 5th century suggest the policy of the imperial office and emperors themselves were aimed towards the senators on many occasions. The main focus of this paper thus lies in describing the relationship between the imperial government and the senatorial aristocracy and in explaining how the imperial office reached out to the senatorial aristocracy with their policy. |
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