Tonantius Ferreolus

Who was Tonantius Ferreolus?

Tonantius Ferreolus was the praetorian prefect of Gaul from 451. He lived in the Gard valley on his estate of Prusianum and possessed additional estates at Segondum in Rodez. His father and uncles were famous, and at least one of his ancestors during the 4th century was a patrician. He was either "personally related to" or "connected through relatives" with Sidonius Apollinaris, but see below. His mother was a clarissima femina and daughter of Flavius Afranius Syagrius, Consul in 382.

As praetorian prefect of Gaul he was instrumental in organizing Gaul for the successful defence against the invasion of Attila and the Hun army. At the same time he diplomatically restrained the Patrician and Magister Militum Flavius Aetius from levying excessive taxes against the people of the Gallic Prefecture, receiving public acclaim for his efforts. Following the defeat of the Huns by a Roman Gothic alliance, Ferreolus resisted the attempts of Visigothic king Theodoric to take advantage of the situation to obtain more territory or privileges in 452-453 when that king besieged Arles.