Richomeres

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Flavius Richomeres (Richomer) was a Frank that lived in the late 4th century. He took service in de Roman army and made a career as comes, magister militum, and consul. He was married with Ascyla and they had a son Theudemeres, who became king of the Franks. He was uncle of Arbogastes.

Around the years 377 - 378 Richomeres was Comes Domesticorum of emperor Gratian and was transferred from Gaul to Thracia, where he was involved with the Gothic wars of emperor Valens. At Adrianopole he tried to persuade Valens to wait on Gratian for support. When the Gothic leader Fritigern demanded hostages to secure peace from the Romans he volunteerd and departed the Roman camp to bring the other hostages savely to Fritigern, but before he arrived some divisions of the two armies got out of control and engageged, enrolling so the famous Battle of Adrianople. Richomeres ended up at a battlefield behind enemies lines but he saved himself and survived. However the Roman army of Valens was completely destroyed and many officers fell including emperor Valens.

Around 383 he was general in het east (magister militum per orientum) and became consul in 384

In 388 Theodosius I sent him together with his nephew Arbogastes and Promotus and Timasius against Magnus Maximus, who was defeated.

From the year 388 he served as supreme commander in the Eastern Empire (comes et magister utriusque militiae) untill his death in 393. Richomeres was interested in literature and was acqainted with rethoricians as Libanius and Augustinus. He introduced the rethorician Eugenius to his nephwew Arbogastes. A few years later Arbogastes sized power in het West Roman Empire. After the death of Valentinian II Arbogastes promoted Eugenius to be his Emperor, while he himself remained the leader and generalissimo. In 393 Theodosius I organised a campaign against Arbogastes and Richomeres was asked to lead the cavalary. On the way from the East to the West he died before the battle against his nephew took place. Arbogastes lost the battle and committed suicide with his own sword.