March 13, 2007

430-449 St Patrick Converts the Irish, Vandals & Huns


In this twenty year period St Patrick (pictured) returned to Ireland in 432 to convert the Irish to Christianity and, by legend, rid Ireland of snakes.

Patrick was the son of a town councilor living on the west coast of Britain who had been kidnapped by raiders at aged 16 and suffered 6 years of slavery in Ireland before escaping. He later became the inspiration for a group of Celtic monks who lived on the island of Iona, off the shore of western Scotland. Considering that it would be another 167 years before Augustine set off to convert the Anglo-Saxons in England, Patrick was way ahead of his time.

Theodius II was emperor of the east and Valentinian III was emperor of the the west.

In the year 430, the Roman general Boniface -- with the help of King Gaiseric of the Vandals -- had control of Africa. Realizing that Rome needed the grain from Africa to survive, Galla (Valentinian III's mother) made peace with Boniface but King Gaiseric disagreed, besieging Boniface in Hippo until an army arrived from Italy in 431.

The army was defeated but Boniface managed to escape to Italy. King Gaiseric continued to secure territory in Numidia and Aetius negotiated peace with him -- allowing him to retain Numidia and Mauritania in return for Africa -- but Gaiseric double-crossed Aetius by taking Carthage in 439 and Sicily in 440.

Both Theodius II in the east and Valentinian III in the west now submitted to Gaiseric's terms -- reversing the previous territorial arrangement and adding the betrothal of Valentinian III's daughter to Gaiseric's son.

Despite his treachery, Galla favored Boniface over Aetius and as a result the armies of the two men battled. Boniface won but later died, his son taking over, but Aetius prevailed with the help of King Rugila of the Huns and was restored to power in 434.

The Huns also helped Aetius with another Bergundian revolt, but when Attila murdered his brother Rugila and became King of the Huns, the situation changed dramatically.

In the East, Theodius II and his four sisters had no military crises thanks to the able government of the prefect Anthemius and were able to devote their lives to theology.

The Roman church had been appalled by the domination of the Alexandrian church, particularly its deposition of bishops who adhered to the western notion of the coexistence of two natures of Christ (divine and human) - but Theodius II ignored all complaints.

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