Cassiodorus (3)
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Cassiodorus (3): (fl. late 5th / early 6th Centuries AD). Roman statesman. He was the son of Cassiodorus (2) and the father of Cassiodorus (4). A native of Bruttium, he began his political career at a time when the Western Roman Empire had collapsed. Between AD 476 and 490, he held the offices of CRP (comes rei privatae) and CSL (comes sacrarum largitionum) under Odoacer. In cAD 490, he wisely abandoned Odoacer, becoming a supporter of Theodoric the Great, thus allowing him to continue advancing his political career under the new Ostrogoth Kingdom. Sometime between AD 490 and 493, Cassiodorus held the post of Consularis Siciliae (governor of Sicily). Through his efforts he was able to keep Sicily loyal to Theodoric during the latter’s war with Odoacer. Later, sometime between 491 and 506, he was Corrector Bruttii et Lucaniae. After this he was promoted to become the Praetorian Prefect of Italy. In AD 507 he received the honor of patricus (= Patrician) and eventually became part of Theodoric’s court. Cassiodorus maintained his family’s large ancestral estates in his native Bruttium. The quality of the horses he bred there were of such high quality that he became a supplier of mounts to the Gothic cavalry.