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Aegidius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Christian Saint Aegidius, of the 7th-8th century, see Saint Giles, and for the 13th century archbishop and theologist, see Giles of Rome.
Aegidius (unknown - 464) was a Gallo-Roman promoted as magister militum in Gaul under Aëtius around 450. Later he became supreme commander of the Roman army in Gaul. He was an ardent supporter of Majorian, whom he helped to catch power. When Majorian lost ground against Ricimer in the chaos of Gaul in the middle of the fifth century he rebelled against him and created a Roman rump state that became to be known as the Kingdom of Soissons.
Aegidius allied himself with Childeric I, Merovingian king of the Salian Franks of Tournai. According to Gregory of Tours, Aegidius even succeded the banished Childeric in the latter's kingdom for a while, but Childeric would later return.
The death of Aegidius occurred under unclear circumstances at the Loire in 464. He was succeeded first by the Comes Paulus, who was killed shortly afterwards by Childeric, and then by his son Syagrius.
There is a tradition, dating from Gildas, that the Britons, having been deprived of Roman military protection after 410, wrote to a "Roman commander Agitus", who may be Aegidius, or possibly Aëtius.