Background
He was born about 376. He came from a family of humble origin, which, nonetheless, allowed him to start the administrative career.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Flavius Mallius Theodorus
Edit Profile
Flavius Mallius Theodorus was consul of the Roman Empire in 399, and author of an extant treatise on metres, De metris, one of the best of its kind. He also studied philosophy, astronomy and geometry, and wrote works on those subjects, which, together with his consulship, formed the subject of a panegyric by Claudian.
Career
Claudian says that Theodorus was member of the court of a Praetorian prefect, as lawyer; historians think this was probably the Praetorian prefect of Italy, and that this office should be dated to 376. He was then governor of an African province, probably around 377, followed by consularis of Macedonia.
Next Theodorus entered in the imperial court administration, with an office that historians identify as magister memoriae and date to 379, followed in 380 by the rank of comes sacrarum largitionum or, more probably, of comes rerum privatarum; in this office he received a law preserved in the Codex Theodosianus. He then became Praetorian prefect of Gaul, an office held in c. 382, then took a break for some years.
He allied to Stilicho and from 397 to 399 held the post of Praetorian prefect of Illyricum, Italy and Africa (several law conserved in the Codex Theodosianus were addressed to him in this period). In 399 he also held the consulate, together with Eutropius, a powerful and hated high officer of the Eastern court, who was killed that same year.
