Hypatius (consul 500)
Flavius Hypatius (Greek Ὑπάτιος; † January 19 532 in Constantinople Opel ) was an East Roman senator and nephew of the Emperor Anastasius. He was proclaimed rival emperor during the Nika revolt.
Life and career
Hypatius was one of the most influential aristocrats of the late late antiquity. Already in the year 500 he had the ordinary consulate wearing what he had, not least thanks to the patronage by his childless uncle, Emperor Anastasius, ( his two brothers clad volunteering in subsequent years ). As 502 a war broke out with the Sassanids, Hypatius was one of the generals, the 503, the vast Roman army commanded that should lead a counter-attack. The campaign failed, however, and they made Hypatius responsible for this, which is why he was called away from the Persian front.
Hypatius remained in the period following a loyal helper of his uncle, but this was during the severe crisis around 515, when the General Vitalian appealed against Anastasius, support hardly effective: on the contrary, he fell after a defeat in the hands of the enemy and had by his uncle to be ransomed with a high ransom. As a general, Hypatius remained life remarkably unsuccessful, and also in connection with religious riots in the Holy Land, he made no great figure. His prominent position he thus seems not own services, but the protection by Anastasius and his good contacts within the Eastern Roman aristocracy owes to have.
When his uncle died 518 Hypatius was not in Constantinople Opel, which is why he did not play a role in the regulation of succession. Although he may have felt ignored, he also held under the new emperor Justin I. highest offices. When around 525 the Persian king Kavadh I suggested to the emperor to adopt his son Khosrau I, was one of the Master of the Soldiers by orientem Hypatius to the negotiators of the Roman side. Following the report of the contemporary historian Prokopios of Caesarea, so sabotaged Hypatius aware of the negotiations. As punishment, he was relieved temporarily of his office of Justin.
Even after Justin's nephew Justinian became emperor 527, the patricius Hypatius one of the most influential men in the Roman Empire remained. Apparently, directed the hopes of those senators who did not agree with the new emperor, to him. Political power peak and the end of his life, then came in January 532, when he was proclaimed during the Nika revolt of the rebels on the Constantine forum for anti-emperor. The sources disagree about whether Hypatius the purple docked against his will, or just for show ( such as Prokopios ), or whether he intended as the true mastermind behind the revolt from the beginning after the Empire ( as Marcellinus Comes ). When Hypatius had gone with his followers into the hippodrome to receive the acclamations of the people, loyal to the emperor troops invaded in any case in the circus and taught at a bloodbath. Hypatius was arrested along with his brother Pompey and executed after a brief imprisonment on January 19, his body was thrown into the sea. Only some time later Justinian refunded their families most of their seized property back.