Rufinus (consul)

Rufinus (Greek Ρουφῖνος; * 335 in Eauze in Aquitaine, † November 27 395 ) was an East Roman general and statesman.

Rufinus came under the reign of Theodosius I to the Eastern Roman court, where the Emperor was particularly taken by his religious zeal. Rufinus was promoted to Praetorian 392; simultaneously, he held together with Arcadius consulate. Rufinus took over 395 after Theodosius ' death, as guardian for his oldest son Arcadius, the government of the Eastern Roman Empire.

The help offered by the Western Roman army champion Stilicho against the Visigoths, who had risen after Theodosius ' death, he refused and left the Visigoths quartered in Illyria, in the expectation that they would pull from there against the West; whereupon Macedonia and Greece were destroyed by the marauding Goths. Rufinus wanted his daughter to marry Arcadius to attain a maximum level of Legitimacy for a claim to the throne. The plan was thwarted by the resistance of the minister Eutropius, who saw to it that Arcadius instead married to Eudoxia. Rufinus was, possibly on behalf of Stilicho, was murdered in November of 395 Gainas, commander of the troops which he had summoned to Constantinople Opel.

Rufinus was a Christian, he had successfully mediates between Ambrose of Milan and the emperor.