Theocritus

Theocritus (Greek: Θεόκριτος; died 518) was a candidate to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire in 518. He lost to Justin I. Sources Theocritus is an obscure individual, primarily mentioned by two authors: John Malalas and Marcellinus Comes. The former mentions him as a domestikos (Greek: δομέστικος; a civil, ecclesiastic or military officer). The latter mentions him as the satelles (Latin: "attendant" or "guard") of Amantius. He is also mentioned in the accounts of Zacharias Rhetor, Evagrius Scholasticus, Jordanes, the Chronicon Paschale, Theophanes the Confessor and Joannes Zonaras. Both Malalas and the Chronicon mention him by the title of comes, making it likely that his full title was "comes domesticorum". Procopius does not mention him by name, but a passage of his sheds some light on the circumstances of his death. Candidate for the throne When Anastasius I (r. 491–518) died childless, without designating an heir, and without a reigning Augusta to supervise the election of a successor, the throne was up for grabs. According to Malalas, the powerful praepositus sacri cubiculi Amantius had intended to elect a comes domesticorum, commander of an elite guard unit of the late Roman Empire, by the name of Theocritus to the throne. Amantius hoped to secure the election for Theocritus by bribing Justin, the comes excubitorum (head of the imperial guards). Justin was supposed to share the money with his troops.