Honorius was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius in 395, Honorius, under the regency of Stilicho, ruled the western half of the empire while his brother Arcadius ruled the eastern half. His reign over the Western Roman Empire was notably precarious and chaotic. In 410, Rome was sacked for the first time in almost 800 years.
Detail of Honorius as depicted on the consular diptych of Probus, AD 406
Marble bust of Honorius.
Aureus of Honorius
Honorius on the consular diptych of Anicius Petronius Probus (406)
The Roman emperor was the ruler and monarchical head of state of the Roman Empire, starting with the granting of the title augustus to Octavian in 27 BC. The term "emperor" is a modern convention, and did not exist as such during the Empire. Often when a given Roman is described as becoming emperor in English, it reflects his taking of the title augustus and later basileus. Another title used was imperator, originally a military honorific, and caesar, originally a surname. Early emperors also used the title princeps alongside other Republican titles, notably consul and pontifex maximus.
Bust of Augustus wearing the corona civica
Augustus depicted as a magistrate at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Cameo of Augustus in a quadriga drawn by tritons at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Denarius of Augustus (18 BC).