Claudian is known as a poet of Late Antiquity who wrote his works primarily between 395 and 404 as the Western Roman Empire was experiencing great stress. Although he wrote many private poems, today he is best known for his panegyrics and invectives. He delivered public poems in Rome to a senate which included many adherents of a traditional paganism. His public poems before the court of Honorius, who became Emperor after the death of Theodosius in 395, were mostly delivered in the Christian Capital of Milan. All these public poems were command performances, beginning in January 395, after Theodosius had defeated the forces of the Western Emperor Eugenius, at the Frigidus. From 396 through 404 Claudian was supporting Honorius while giving special praise to Stilicho, a military leader…
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Citation: Christiansen, Pete. "Claudius Claudian". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 November 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=911, accessed 13 December 2024.]