Honorius is remembered as a devastating failure of an emperor, though he inherited an already weak and precarious empire. This solidus features him in full military regalia, as well as a pearl diadem. Unfortunately for Honorius (and the Empire), these symbols were not entirely fitting; he was not much of a soldier, nor skilled in governance. Until he was an adult, his father’s trusted general Stilicho remained the brains and brawn behind the rule of Honorius, as he was not even ten years old upon receipt of the Western Empire and the title of Augustus. Stilicho was of both Roman and Vandal descent, which made him a strong military leader (much of the Roman army reflected a similar heritage by this point). Meanwhile, Honorius’ brother Arcadius presided over the Eastern Empire, and is the second Augustus referred to by the reverse legend of this coin, celebrating their unified rule (i.e., “The Concord of the Augusti”). While the East was holding together, the Western Empire was under constant attack on all sides from a variety of barbarian groups. While Stilicho kept them at bay for a time, after the death of Arcadius in 408 CE, Honorius became paranoid of Stilicho’s offer to go East and establish a new court. Under the influence of a minister named Olympius, he had Stilicho and his son executed, and Olympius proceeded to unleash a mass campaign against any remaining allies of the family, including his troops. This resulted in a mass revolt and defection of soldiers to Alaric, a recent threat to the Western empire driven out only by Stilicho himself. With fortified soldiers and no organized opposition waiting, due to Honorius’ shortsightedness, Alaric seized the opportunity to attack again. This time, he was successful. In 410 CE, Rome fell to the Visigoths. While Honorius miraculously died a natural death in the new capitol of Ravenna, this day marked the beginning of the death throes for the Western Roman Empire. KHK 2015.