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Execution of Boethius

Type Event Region Europe Time 524

In 524 CE the Roman philosopher and statesman Boethius was executed in Pavia, Italy, on charges of conspiring against Ostrogothic king Theodoric;…

Timeline

  1. 522–523Ravenna · Emilia-RomagnaTheodoric's relations with Byzantium deteriorated, and suspicion deepened within the Ostrogothic court toward the Roman senatorial faction and Arian clergy. Boethius's defense of his colleague Albinus angered the king, and the political situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
  2. 523–524Pavia · LombardyBoethius was charged with conspiring with the Byzantine emperor Justin I, sacrilege, and sorcery, and was imprisoned and tried. His father-in-law Symmachus was also implicated, and the political standing of the Roman senatorial class suffered a heavy blow.
  3. 524Pavia · LombardyBoethius was executed in Pavia by hanging or by beating followed by strangulation (accounts differ slightly), dying at about age 44. His death is seen as a tragic end to the classical cultural tradition and also prompted the Church to shift its attitude toward Theodoric.

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