Rome’s Christian Empress: Galla Placidia Rules at the Twilight of the Empire by Joyce E. Salisbury (review)

In studies on late antiquity, there has been a strong focus on the fourth century, on Constantine, and on the emergence of Christianity. This book by Joyce Salisbury is part of an increasing scholarly concentration on the fifth century, which in its own right can be seen as an age of transformation, different from the fourth century. In her book, Salisbury analyzes the life of Galla Placidia, daughter of the emperor Theodosius the Great and half-sister of Arcadius and Honorius, who succeeded their father in the East and West, respectively. The author stresses that Galla Placidia has not sufficiently been valued for her contributions to the functioning of the imperial house, especially in the West in the early decades of the fifth century. Therefore, it is Salisbury’s aim to give Galla Placidia a more appreciated place in history.

Chronologically, the book covers the era of the Theodosian dynasty (379–455 c.e.), which more or less also coincides with Galla Placidia’s life. On the one hand, the book is divided into seven chapters that are connected to different phases in Galla Placidia’s life. On the other hand, there are several themes that emerge frequently throughout the entire book and that can also be seen as leading factors for the structuring of the analysis: family dynamics within the Theodosian dynasty, the movement of non-Roman peoples into the empire’s territory especially in the West, the relations between the eastern and western courts, and developments within early Christianity.

Although little is known about Galla Placidia’s childhood, her early years seem to have been characterized by the male members of her family trying to consolidate the imperial position. When she was about seven years old, her father died and she ended up in the household of the general Stilicho and his wife Serena, who would accompany Honorius to the West. Though the ancient evidence is thin, Salisbury tries to show that Galla Placidia might not necessarily have been a welcome member of the family, particularly in the eyes of her half-brother Honorius, who might have felt threatened by her potential as ruler. It is certainly clear, for instance from coins, that the women of the Theodosian house were regarded as sources of imperial power and representation.

As soon as he started to rule, Honorius and his generals had to deal with non-Roman peoples on the move in the western half of the Roman Empire, in particular Alaric and his Goths. While Honorius set up his court in Ravenna, Serena and Galla Placidia were in Rome. When Alaric took Rome in 410, the Goths took Galla Placidia as a hostage. She traveled around with them for several years and even ended up marrying Alaric’s successor, Athaulf, in 414, with whom she had a child (who died early). Later in life she was accused of having developed a sympathy for the Goths, but as Salisbury argues, this period with the Goths must have been defining for Galla Placidia’s later conduct as empress of the Western Empire. Once her husband Athaulf died, Galla Placidia was handed back to her brother Honorius and thus moved to Ravenna. It is unclear how happy brother and sister were when they saw each other again. The extensive description of Ravenna at the beginning of Chapter Five is illustrative of several attempts by Salisbury throughout the book to provide the reader with a feeling for the locations, the people, and the world in which Galla Placidia lived. Many of these descriptions are not based on direct but indirect evidence, and are sometimes therefore speculative. In particular for a broader audience, these might be helpful in imagining the world of Galla Placidia.

Once back at court, Galla Placidia was forced to marry the magister militum Constantius, with whom she had two children, Honoria and Valentinian III. As the book shows, from...