A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology
William Smith, Ed.

---

Jo'vius

a bold and faithless intriguer, was Praefectus Praetorio of Illyricum, under the emperor Honorius, and was promoted to that office by Stilicho, who made use of him in his negotiations with Alaric. In A. D. 608, Jovius was appointed Patricius and Praefectus Praetorio of Italy, in consequence of the fall of the eunuch Olympius, who held the office of prime minister of Honorius. Through his intrigues, Jovius soon became sole master of the administration of the empire, and made great changes among its principal officers. When Rome was besieged by Alaric in A. D. 409, Honorius charged Jovius with arranging a peace. He accordingly went to Rimini for that purpose, and there had an interview with Alaric, with whom he was on friendly terms. Jovius proposed to Heraclius to settle the differences by appointing Alaric commander-in-chief of the Roman armies, and informed Alaric of this step, with which the Gothic king was of course quite satisfied. Honorius, however, declined conferring that important office upon the already too powerful Alaric, and wrote a letter to that effect to Jovius, who had the imprudence to read it aloud in presence of Alaric and his chiefs. Alaric had never demanded the supreme command of the Roman armies, but the refusal of the emperor was quite sufficient to rouse his anger, and the differences between him and Honorius now assumed a still more dangerous character. Jovius consequently returned to Ravenna, where he continned to exercise his important functions, though he lost much of his former influence. No sooner had Alaric induced Attalus to assume the purple, than the treachery of Jovius became manifest. Honorius having despatched him, Valens, the quaestor Potamius, and the notarius Julian to Rimini to effect an arrangement with Attalus,Jovius proposed to Attalus to divide the western empire with Honorius; but the usurper having declined the proposition, Joviussuddenlyabandoned the emperor, and made common cause with Attalus. After the unhappy issue of the rebellion of Attalus, Jovius fearlessly returned to Honorius, and had the impudence to assert that he had only joined the rebel for the purpose of causing his certain ruin. He escaped punishment. It is very doubtful whether this Jovius is the same with the quaestor Jovius mentioned by Ammianus Marcellinus (21.8.), in the year 361. (Zosim. v. p. 363, &c. ed. Paris; Olympiodor. apud Photium, p. 180, &c.)

[W.P]