Boethius c. 480 – 524

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius was a 5th and 6th-century Roman senator, consul, and philosopher, one of the last representatives of classical learning in the Latin West and a foundational figure of medieval philosophy. His life was spent in service to the Ostrogothic king Theodoric in Italy, until political accusations led to his imprisonment and eventual execution in 524. His Consolation of Philosophy, written in prison while awaiting execution, is one of the most widely-read philosophical texts of the Middle Ages, dramatising in dialogue with Lady Philosophy the questions of fortune, providence, freedom, and happiness. His project of translating and commenting on the works of Plato and Aristotle was cut short, but his commentaries on Aristotle's logical works became standard texts in medieval education. He has been called the last of the Romans and the first of the scholastics.