Though Boethius is most noted for his
intellectual
contributions, he was also a noted statesman. In 510
he became consul of Rome during the Gothic occupation
of the city. Later he became chief minister to
Theodoric, the Gothic ruler of Italy. In 523, he was
accused of treason and imprisoned in Pavia. In 524,
he was executed.
His political career notwithstanding, he has been
cheifly remembered for his intellectual contributions
to the West. He studied at Athens, and translated the
works of Aristotle and Porphyry which became the
standard textbooks of logic in the medieval West. He
greatest work, however, was his De consolatione
Philosophiae which was written during his
imprisonment. The Consolation made Boethius
the leading philosopher of his age and it has been
suggested that this book was the most widely read
book after the Bible in Western Europe until this
century. In 1883 he was officially canonized as a
martyr of the Roman Catholic Church with a confirmed
cult.
Boethius, being perhaps the most remembered
Anicii of all time, has a number of online
biographies and commentaries dedicated to him. Among
the better ones I have found are this one which emphasizes his role in
music theory, a biography, and the article
discussing him in the electronic Catholic
Encyclopedia.
