Galla Placidia, born in 390 A.D. was a Roman princess, daughter of Theodosius the Great. Upon his death, her half-brother Honorius became Emperor. He moved his capital to Ravenna when Rome was threatened by invading “barbarians”. Galla Placidia remained in the city and was taken prisoner by the Visigoths in 410, following the “sack of Rome” by Alaric, their leader. She subsequently married Aleric’s brother-in-law Athaulf, who became the king of the Visigoths upon Aleric’s untimely death. When he too died, at the hand of a resentful servant, Galla Placidia was ransomed by her half-brother Honorius and forced to marry one of his generals . . . . Eventually becoming the Empress.
If you visit Ravenna to see the mosaics, you will see her name on one of the most famous of the installations, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, with its stunning starry ceiling. And you will see her mentioned in some of the brief histories of Ravenna included in brochures and guides to the sites. But I never understood the big picture, and how she fit into it, until I read this article.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/misunderstood-roman-empress-willed-way-to-top-180981294/
The article has an interesting sidebar on Ravenna and also some relics of Placidia’s time in Rome, including the remains of the Baths of Diocletian which were discovered during the construction of a hotel on the site. Apparently these “remains” can be seen in the basement of the hotel, under protective glass. I might look into a stay there the next time we are in Rome, but at €780 a night we would have to limit it to one.
(And wonder why they were allowed to build the hotel there in the first place?)
