Gaius Sollius Modestus Sidonius Apollinaris (c. 430 – after 489), poet, diplomat, bishop, is "the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul" according to Eric Goldberg.^[1] He was one of four fifth- to sixth-century Gallo-Roman aristocrats whose letters survive in quantity: the others are Ruricius bishop of Limoges (died 507), Alcimus Ecdicius Avitus, bishop of Vienne (died 518) and Magnus Felix Ennodius of Arles, bishop of Ticinum (died 534). All of them were linked in the tightly-bound aristocratic Gallo-Roman network that provided the bishops of Catholic Gaul.^[2] Buddhagosha writes the Visuddhimagga in Sri Lanka (approximate date). ... Possible timing of King Arthurs victory over the Saxons. ... Ruricius (died shortly after 507), a bishop of Limoges who had ties to the Gallo-Roman gens of the Aviti,[1] was one of four fifth- to sixth-century Gallo-Roman aristocrats whose letters survive in quantity: the others are Sidonius Apollinaris, prefect of Rome in 468 and bishop of... This article is about the French commune. ... Alcimus Ecdicius Avitus, Saint Avitus, was bishop of Vienne in Gaul (ca 494 - February 5, 523 ?). Avitus was born of a prominent Gallo-Roman family closely related to the Emperor Avitus and other illustrious persons, and in which episcopal honors were hereditary (his father Isychius preceded him as bishop of... The Archbishopric of Vienne, named after its episcopal see Vienne in the Isère département of southern France, was a metropolitan Roman Catholic archdiocese. ... Magnus Felix Ennodius (AD 474 - July 17, 521), bishop of Pavia, Latin rhetorician and poet. ... This article covers the culture of Romanized areas of Gaul. ...

He was born in Lugdunum (Lyon). Belonging to a Gallo-Roman noble family, he was educated under the best masters, and particularly excelled in poetry and polite literature. His life and friendships put him in the center of 5th century Roman affairs. He married (about 452) Papianilla, the daughter of Avitus, who was consul and afterwards emperor. But Majorianus, in the year 457, having deprived Avitus of the empire and taken the city of Lyons, Apollinaris fell into the hands of the enemy. The reputation of his learning led Majorianus to treat him with the greatest respect. In return Apollinaris composed a panegyric in his honour (as he had previously done for Avitus), which won for him a statue at Rome and the title of count. In 467 the emperor Anthemius rewarded him for the panegyric which he had written in honour of him by raising him to the post of Urban Prefect of Rome, and afterwards to the dignity of patrician and senator. In 472, more for his political than for his theological abilities, he was chosen to succeed Eparchius in the bishopric of Auvergne (Clermont, now Clermont-Ferrand). Most of the previous holders of the benefice have been made saints in the Roman Catholic Church, including his recent predecessor, Saint Namatius (bishop 446-62), who laid the foundations of a proper cathedral. Sidonius Apollinaris was not a religious man; his election was probably due more to his influential contacts, and his tireless efforts on preserving his corner of Gaul for the Roman Empire. Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum (modern: Lyon) was an important Roman city in Gaul. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: (Franco-Provençal: Forward, forward, Lyon the best) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Rhône-Alpes Department Rhône (69) Subdivisions 9 arrondissements Intercommunality Urban Community of Lyon Mayor Gérard Collomb  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... This article covers the culture of Romanized areas of Gaul. ... Events Attila, king of the Huns, invades Italy Northern Wei Tai Wu Di is succeeded by Northern Wei Nan An Wang, then by Northern Wei Wen Cheng Di as ruler of the Northern Wei Dynasty in China. ... Avitus on a tremissis. ... Events February 7 - Leo I becomes East Roman emperor. ... Events April 12 - Anthemius elevated to Western Roman Emperor Births Leo II, Byzantine emperor Cerdic of Wessex (approximate date). ... Procopius Anthemius (c. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Auvergne coat of arms Auvergne (Occitan: Auvèrnha) was the name of an historically independent county in the center of France, as well as later a province of France. ... Clermont is the name of several places in the United States of America: Clermont, Florida Clermont, Georgia Clermont, Indiana Clermont, Iowa Clermont, New York Clermont County, Ohio Clermont is the name of several communes in France: Clermont, in the Ariège département Clermont, in the Haute-Savoie département... Clermont-Ferrand is a city of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of approximately 140,000. ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent. ...

On the capture of that city by the Goths in 474 he was imprisoned, as he had taken an active part in its defence; but he was afterwards restored by Euric, king of the Goths, and continued to govern his bishopric as before until his death. Events January 18 - Leo II briefly becomes Byzantine emperor. ... Euric, also known as Evaric, Erwig, or Eurico in Spanish, (c. ...

His extant works are his Panegyrics on different emperors (in which he draws largely upon Statius, Ausonius and Claudian), which document several important political events. Carmen 7 is a panegyric to his father-in-law Avitus on his inauguration as emperor. Carmen 5 is a panegyric to Majorian, which offers evidence that Sidonius was able to overcome the natural suspicion and hostility towards the man who was responsible for the death of his father-in-law. Carmen 2 is a panegyric to the emperor Anthemius, part of Sidonius' efforts to be appointed Urban Prefect of Rome; and nine books of Letters and Poems, whose chief value consists in the light they shed on the political and literary history of the 5th century. The Letters, which are very stilted, also reveal Apollinaris as a man of genial temper, fond of good living and of pleasure. A letter of Sidonius's addressed to Riothamus, "King of the Brittones" (c. 460) is of particular interest, since it provides evidence that a king or military leader with ties to Britain lived around the time frame of King Arthur. The best edition is that in the Monumenta Germaniae Historica (Berlin, 1887), which gives a survey of the manuscripts. A Panegyric is a formal public speech delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally high studied and undiscriminating eulogy. ... Claudius Claudianus, Anglicized as Claudian, was the court poet to the Emperor Honorius and Stilicho. ... Majorian on an bronze coin. ... Procopius Anthemius (c. ... Riothamus (also spelled Riotimus, Rigothamus, Rigotamos), was a military leader and considered King of the Brittones (c. ... Events March 27 night - Swabians invade the Gallic city of Lugo. ... A bronze Arthur in plate armour with visor raised and with jousting shield wearing Kastenbrust armour (early 15th century) by Peter Vischer, typical of later anachronistic depictions of Arthur. ... The Monumenta Germaniae Historica (frequently abbreviated MGH in bibliographies and lists of sources) is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published sources for the study of German history (broadly conceived) from the end of the Roman Empire to 1500. ...

Sidonius' relations have been traced over several generations, from his paternal grandfather's time in the narrative of a family's fortunes from prominence in late Roman time into subsequent decline in the 6th century under the Franks. The 6th century is the period from 501 - 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... This article is about the Frankish people and society. ...

Notes

References

Apollinaris Sidonius (the names are commonly inverted by the French) is the subject of numerous monographs, historical and literary. See A. Molinier, Sources de l'histoire de France, no. 136 (vol. i.). Samuel Dill, Roman Society in the Fifth Century, and Thomas Hodgkin, Italy and her Invaders (vol. vii.), contain interesting sections on Apollinaris. See also Teuffel and Ebert's histories of Latin literature. August Molinier (September 30, 1851 - May 19, 1904) was a French historian. ... Thomas Hodgkin (July 29, 1831 - 1913), British historian, son of John Hodgkin (1800-1875), barrister and Quaker minister, and Elizabeth Howard (daughter of Luke Howard). ...

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

• Eric J. Goldberg, The Fall of the Roman Empire Revisited: Sidonius Apollinaris and His Crisis of Identity
• Biographical introduction to the Letters, O.M. Dalton (1915)
• Complete English translation of the Letters of Sidonius Apollinaris, O.M. Dalton (1915)
• Sidonius Apollinaris, dedicated site, with complete Latin text of the correspondence, Joop A. van Waarden (2003-....)