Boethius was born into one of Rome's oldest families. He served as consul under the Ostrogothic king Theodoric, translating Greek philosophy into Latin with the aim of preserving all of Plato and Aristotle for the Latin world. Accused of treason on fabricated charges, he was imprisoned in Pavia. In his cell he wrote The Consolation of Philosophy, a dialogue between himself and Lady Philosophy about fate, fortune, happiness, and the nature of God. It was the most widely read philosophical text of the Middle Ages after the Bible. He was executed in 524.
Appointed consul under the Ostrogothic king Theodoric. Boethius was the last great Roman to hold the office in any meaningful sense. He translated Aristotle's logic into Latin and dreamed of translating all of Plato and Aristotle. He never got the chance.