Honorius, The Weak Roman Emperor Who Watched The City Burn
Gabe the Pianist/Wikimedia CommonsHonorius became emperor when he was just 10 years old, which may explain why his rule was so weak and chaotic.
Honorius is considered to be one of Rome’s worst emperors not because of his cruelty, madness, or greed, but because of his ineptitude.
Born in 384 as Flavius Honorius, Honorius was the son of Emperor Theodosius I. He became the Western Roman Emperor (by then, Rome was divided into East and West) in 395 at the age of 10.
From that point, it didn’t take long for things to go wrong.
Rome was increasingly threatened by outside tribes, and Honorius was unable to defend the city (or offer much help to Roman outposts in places like Spain). Then, in 410, Rome was violently sacked for the first time in 800 years by the Visigoth King Alaric I and his forces.
Public DomainHonorius is considered to be one of Rome’s worst emperors because he was in power when the city was sacked for the first time in 800 years.
Though Honorius did send thousands of soldiers to defend Rome, a story — likely apocryphal — later emerged that he was totally oblivious to the invasion. As the legend goes, Honorius was told that Rome had perished and confused the city with his favorite rooster, who was named Roma.
The 410 sack of Rome did not mark the end of the Roman Empire — this came in 476 or 1453, depending on who you ask — but it did perhaps mark the beginning of the end. Honorius did not live much longer afterward.
He died in 423 after an illness.