Chapter 3 The venatio in the Emperor’s Presence? The consistorium and the Military Men of the Late Roman Empire in the West
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Abstract
This article focuses on the role that the powerful and professional social group the magistri militum played in the politics of the imperial privy council (the consistorium) and explores their impact on the redefinition of Late Roman imperial office. These men were experienced battle commanders, skilled in matters of war and warfare. However, they were often unprepared for the social environment of the consistorium, which was characterized by a wide array of competitive relationships between specific power groups. First, this article portrays the function of the fourth-century consistorium, and its relationship with the emperor, by using the accounts of Ammianus Marcellinus. The second part explores the issue of venatio, intra-factional competition and cooperation within the privy council, and the consequences it had for the military men involved. Lastly, the article deals with the shift of military power from the emperor to the generals which happened at the turn of the fourth century. This allowed the magister militum to step into the emperor’s traditional role of commander-in-chief and monopolize control of the military. This monopoly gave the holder control over the government, making him the most powerful man in the empire. The analysis is set within the “barbarization” discourse, as the article presents the hostility between the individuals or groups as a part of factional manoeuvrings, rather than a backlash towards the non-Roman origin of the military commanders. Finally, by setting the analysis within the wider context of socio-political changes in Late Roman society, the article explores the impact that the competitive relationships in the emperor’s proximity had on the government of the Roman empire in the West.