Gerontius

Gerontius /dʒᵻˈrɒntiəs/, /ɡᵻˈrɒntiəs/ (Latinized Greek for 'old man') can refer to:

People:

Works:

In fiction

Gerontius is one of the names of the Old Took, a member hobbit in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings.

See also

Gerontius (general)

Gerontius (died 411) was a general of the Western Roman Empire, who initially supported the usurper Constantine III but later opposed him in favour of another usurper, Maximus of Hispania.

Life

Usurpation of Constantine III

Gerontius, probably a Briton by birth, was one of the supporters of Constantine III, a Roman general who revolted against the Western Roman Emperor Honorius in 407, conquering Britain, Gaul, Germania and Hispania.

In 408 he followed the son of Constantine, the newly appointed caesar Constans II, to Spain. This province was under Constantine's rule, but here some members of the House of Theodosius, the cousins of Honorius, Didymus and Verenianus, had rebelled. Gerontius, who was the actual commander-in-chief of the troops, fought the rebels in two battles. In the first he was defeated, but in the second he won an important victory in Lusitania, where he had recalled some troops from Gaul, and captured the rebel chiefs.

While Constantine returned to Gaul with the prisoners, Gerontius remained in Spain, in command of the local troops.

Gerontius (bishop of Milan)

Gerontius (Italian: Geronzio) was Archbishop of Milan from 462 to 465. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is 5 May.

Life

Almost nothing is known about the life and the episcopate of Gerontius. He was a pupil of the previous bishop Eusebius who suggested his name as his successor. Thus Gerontius was elected bishop of Milan in about 462.

According to the writings of Ennodius, bishop of Pavia in early 6th-century, Gerontius was distinguished for his generosity and charity during the difficult years of reconstruction after the devastating invasion of the Huns occurred in 452. Gerontius during his episcopate went on rebuilding many secondary churches destroyed by the Huns.

Gerontius died on 5 May 465 and his remains were interred in the city’s Basilica of St. Simplician. His feast is celebrated on his death date. A late tradition, with no historical basis, associates Gerontius with the Milan's family of the Bascapé.

Notes