Pompeius

Pompeius (Greek: Πομπήιος, died 532) was a politician of the Byzantine Empire and nephew of the Emperor Anastasius I (reigned 491–518). His family gained political prominence with the accession of Anastasius. Pompeius was consul in 501, and was elevated to the patricianate, probably by Anastasius. He held military office, serving in the Iberian War. He married a woman named Anastasia, and had at least one son. In 532, Pompeius' brother Hypatius was acclaimed emperor by the rioters during the Nika riots; after the riots were put down, both Hypatius and Pompeius were executed.

Family

He was a son of Secundinus and Caesaria. His mother was a sister of Anastasius I. His father served as Eparch of Constantinople (c. 492) and Roman consul in 511. Secundinus also held the rank of patrician. The main sources for the career of Secundinus are John of Antioch and Theophanes the Confessor. The latter preserved fragments of Theodorus Lector which cover Secundinus. Joannes Laurentius Lydus briefly mentions the consulship of Secundinus as a chronological reference.

John Malalas and Theophanes identify Secundinus as the father of Hypatius. Hypatius and Pompeius are identified as brothers by Procopius, therefore sharing the same parents.

Life

The Chronicon Paschale mentions Pompeius as Roman consul in 501, serving alongside Avienus. He is also known to have served as a military commander to the troops of the Diocese of Thrace during the reign of his uncle. His military career is considered part of a pattern of family patronage employed by most Emperors and Empresses of the period. The families promoted in this way could then remain influential long after the deaths of their imperial relatives.

Marcellinus Comes reports that Pompeius' house at Constantinople was burnt down during the anti-monophysite riots of 512. Considering Pompeius himself was a Chalcedonian, he was probably not specifically targeted. His religious affiliation was recorded by Cyril of Scythopolis and Theophanes. He was known to have been acquainted with Sabbas the Sanctified in 511–512. He also provided assistance to the deposed Patriarch Macedonius II of Constantinople during the latter's exile.

Romana by Jordanes records that Pompeius and his troops suffered defeat at a battle near Adrianople, facing foreign invaders. While the event can be dated to c. 517, the context is unclear. The invaders are not identified, though this could be part of the ongoing invasion of the Antae. This invasion is known to have taken place at approximately the same time.

While Cyril of Scythopolis, John Malalas and the Chronicon Paschale all agree that Pompeius held the rank of patrician during the late 520s, it is unknown when he gained the title. It is considered likely that this would be another act of favor from Anastasius, rather than Justin I or Justinian I. In any case, Malalas reports that patrician Pompeius was involved in the Iberian War. In 528, Pompeius led reinforcements consisting of Illyrians, Scythians, Thracians and Isaurians towards the Persian front. They presumably arrived late in the campaign season, because the text goes on to say that hostilities ceased for the winter. His military rank at the time is uncertain. Hypatius was the magister militum per Orientem, so Pompeius could have held the ranks of magister militum praesentales or magister militum vacans.

Pompeius figures prominently in Procopius' account of the Nika riots (532). Procopios writes of how Pompeius and his brother Hypatius were thrown out of the Imperial palace by an increasingly paranoid Justinian, who suspected that they may be plotting against him. The brothers profess their loyalty to the emperor, and fear that them being cast out would lead to the mob forcing them to vie for the throne, but Justinian insists on their departure. Greatrex writes that should either of the brothers be chosen by the people to become their new emperor, they would be faced with an impossible decision of either refusing, and being killed by the rioters, or accepting and becoming disloyal to Justinian, which would surely result in its own dire consequences. He argues that the decision by Justinian to force them to leave the palace can therefore be interpreted as a tactical choice to gather the rioters in the Hippodrome when they ‘crown’ their new emperor, making them easier to suppress. "

The Riots resulted in the executions of both Hypatius and Pompeius, with their bodies being thrown into the sea, and their property being taken by the state and given to the treasury.

Pompeius and Anastasia had at least one son, whose name is not known. Modern genealogical theories have suggested that the couple could be parents or ancestors to later Byzantine figures such as John Mystacon, Nicetas and Epiphania, the mother of Heraclius, but this remains unconfirmed.