Honorius
Imperator Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus
Flavius Honorius was the younger son of Theodosius I, aged ten when he became Western emperor in 395 under the guardianship of the great general Stilicho. His reign saw the catastrophic sack of Rome by the Visigoths under Alaric in 410, the first sack of the city in 800 years, while Honorius sat safely in Ravenna, to which he had moved the western court. Ancient sources portray him as incompetent, famously confusing news of Rome's fall with concern for his prize hen also named Roma. He had Stilicho executed in 408, removing the West's most effective defender.
The sack of Rome in 410 sent shockwaves through the Roman world; it prompted Augustine to write The City of God in response. Honorius's reign marks the acceleration of the Western empire's collapse, though the formal end was still 66 years away. His coins document the last generation of the western imperial mint system functioning at full capacity.
Key Events
Coinage
Honorius struck a large and well-documented coinage from the western mints. The GLORIA ROMANORVM, VIRTVS ROMANORVM, and SALVS REIPVBLICAE types follow the Theodosian formula. Ravenna mint issues are particularly documented after 402. His portrait solidus, showing a helmeted, armoured emperor facing three-quarters, is one of the most striking of the period.
Denominations
Notable Types
- GLORIA ROMANORVM (armoured emperor with standard)
- VIRTVS ROMANORVM types
- SALVS REIPVBLICAE (Victory and captive) types
- VICTORIA AVGGG types (joint with Arcadius and Theodosius II)
Common Reverses
Active Mints
Related Resources
Further Reading
- Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume X,
- Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume V,