Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius, (480–524 or 525 AD) was a great philosopher of the early 6th century.

He was born in Rome, to an ancient and important family which included emperors and consuls. Boethius, of the noble Anicius lineage, entered public life at a young age and was already a senator by the age of 25. Boethius himself was consul in 510 and in 522 he saw his two sons become consuls.

Boethius was imprisoned and eventually executed by King Theodoric the Great- who suspected him of conspiring with the Eastern Empire.

While jailed, Boethius composed his philosophical treatise on fortune, death, and many other issues in “Consolation of Philosophy.”

The Consolation became one of the most popular and influential works of the Middle Ages. He wrote this while in exile under house arrest or in prison while awaiting his execution. This work represented an imaginary dialogue between himself and philosophy, with philosophy being personified by a woman.

The book argues that despite the apparent inequality of the world, there is a higher power and everything else is secondary to that divine Providence.