Monaxius

Flavius Monaxius (floruit 408-420) was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, praefectus urbi of Constantinople, Consul and twice praetorian prefect of the East.

Biography

From 17 January 408 to 26 April 409 he was praefectus urbi of Constantinople. Towards the end of his term, there was a shortage of food in the city, caused by delay in the shipment of grain from Alexandria to the capital, and the population revolted, burning the praetorium and dragging Monaxius' carriage around the streets.^[1] Grain supplies directed to other cities were sent to Constantinople, and the overall grain supply for the capital was re-organised. Monaxius also created an emergency fund, partially formed by senatorial contribution, to buy grain in case of shortage.^[2]

He was praetorian prefect of the East between 10 May and 30 November 414^[3] and then a second time between 26 August 416 and 27 May 420; during his second tenure, he dedicated a church in Perinthus. Also, on October 5, 416, he issued an edict that removed the authority of Cyril of Alexandria over the parabolani.^[4] In 419 he held the consulship; after this year, four of his servants became monks at the monastery of Saint Hypatius against his will.

Notes

1. Codex Theodosianus, xiv.16.1 was issued as a consequence of this riot.
2. Stephen Williams, Gerard Friell, John Gerard Paul Friell, The Rome that did not fall: the survival of the East in the fifth century, Routledge, 1999, ISBN 0-415-15403-0, p. 27.
3. It looks like that this short tenure was caused by the fact that Monaxius was in contrast with the young Pulcheria, sister of the Emperor and real ruler of the Empire (Christopher Haas, Alexandria in Late Antiquity, JHU Press, 1997, ISBN 0-8018-5377-X, p. 301).
4. María Dzielska, Hypatia of Alexandria, Harvard University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-674-43776-4, p. 97.

Sources

• CIL III, 14207,05
• Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin, John Robert Martindale, John Morris, The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, "Fl. Monaxius", Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, 1992, ISBN ISBN 0-521-20159-4, pp. 764-765.