Afranius Syagrius (abt. 340 - aft. 382)

Descendants

Died after 0382 after about age 42 in Gaul [uncertain]

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Flavius Afranius Syagrius was a member of aristocracy in ancient Europe. Join: Medieval Project Discuss: medieval

Biography

Origins

The Syagrii family, of Gallo-Roman aristocrats came up in Lugdunum (Lyon, France), [4] and were prominent late fourth century Imperial administrators and politicians.

Flavius Afranius Syagrius (of the Afranii or Syagrii),[5][6] is possibly an ancestor of Charlemagne.^[1]

Disambiguation

During this time period, there are two (2) different men with the same name:

1. Flavius Afranius Syagrius (Afrenii family; ante 379: prefect of Italy; 379: proconsul in Africa; 381: prefect of Rome)[7][8]^[2]
2. and Flavius Syagrius (369: notarious, dismissed by Valentinian; 379: magister memoriae to Gratian)[9]

who are always referred to in official documents as either:

• Syagrius;
• or Fl. Syagrius

This makes it impossible to decide which man had a position in the Imperial Administration.

Note: The Afrenii,[10] Flavii,[11] and the Sygrii,[12] are distinguished from one another.

Imperial Administration

VERSION A

See Olszaniec (2013)'

Flavius Afranius Syagrius, was first appointed as Notarius in Gaul by Emperor Valentinian I about 369, but dismissed for bringing bad news of a Roman defeat by the barbarians, where he was apparently the only survivor. It was to be another 10 years before he held another position, when he was appointed as Magister officiorum in 379. He was then Praetorian Prefect in Galliarum (Gaul) and Italiae (Italy) from 18 June 380 to 30 August 382, and during that time was Consul in 381 with Flavius Eucherius.

During the same time period, the other Flavius Syagrius, was Proconsul of Africa in 379, Prafectus urbis Romae in 381 and Consul in 382 with Flavius Claudius Antonius.

Nothing more seems to be known about either of these two men after 382 and it is possible both died soon after that date. As they both must have served the Emperor Gratian, it is also possible that they lost their positions in the Administration because of the downfall and execution of Gratian in 383.^[3]

VERSION B

see Potter (2014), and Disambiguation.

Prof. Potter (2014), states that it was the commoner Flavius Syagrius, who was dismissed by Valentinian, and magister memoriae to Gratian in 379 CE. Afranius was prefect of Italy, proconsul in Africa, and prefect of Rome.

Parents

Marriage

Sources don't name a spouse(s) for Flavius Afranius Syagrius, but he appears to have had at least two (2) uknown children:

• dau. _____

m. _____ (unknown Ferroleus). Issue: Tonantius Ferreolus (1)[13]^[4]

• son. ____ (grandfather of another Syragius, correspondent of Sidonius Appollianaris)

Disputed Family

Although it is thought that perhaps the Syagrii were descendants of Flavius Afranius Hannibalianus,[14] there are no valid sources that describe this descent or the parents of Flavius Afranius Syagrius.

However some online genealogies have a range of different possible fathers;

• Clodereius

1. seems to have no basis in any primary documents.
2. possible confusion with Clodereius Avitus, who may have been the father-in-law of Tonantius Ferreolus

• Constantius II, Augusts

1. impossible: Syagrius is not his child.

• Aegidius[15]

1. seems to be confusing Flavius Afranius Syagrius (Afrenii family) and Flavius Syagrius of the Syagrii[16], last Roman military commander in Gaul (b. 430 - d. 486/7).^[5]

• There also may be a possible relationship between Flavius Afranius Syagrius and Aelia Flavia Flaccilla, first wife of Theodosius I, Augustus ... but it's partly dependent on which Syagrius was consul in 382.

Sources

1. ↑ He's listed among the Afranii gens, but his Wikipedia pages says he's from the Syagrii.[1][2]
2. ↑ he is only given this full name in the Letters of Sidonius Apollinaris
3. ↑ Demandt, quoted in Olszaniec, p. 386
4. ↑ Sidonius, Letters, I vii.[3]
5. ↑ It is possible, but by no means definite, that Flavius Syagrius of the Syagrii was a descendant of Flavius Afranius Syagrius perhaps via his mother.^{[citation needed]}

Olszaniec, S. (2013). Prosopographical studies on the court elite in the Roman Empire (4th century A.D.). Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikolaja Kopernika. Google Books. Retrieved 29 May 2015.

Potter, D.S. (2014). The Roman Empire at Bay, AD 180–395. Routledge. eBook.[17]

"Sidonius Apollinaris: Letters," (1915). Early Church Fathers: Additional Texts. O.M. Dalton (Trans.) and Roger Pearse (Ed). Web.[18]

Wikipedia: Flavius Afranius Syagrius (fl. 345-382)

Wikipedia >> (this link leads to Syagrius (consul 381) ... who Wikipedia says don't "confuse with Flavius Afranius Syagrius"