Boethius, Ancius Manlius Severinus

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Boethius, Ancius Manlius Severinus (c.480–524) ( Anicius Manlius Severinus) Roman statesman and philosopher under Emperor Theodoric. He attempted to eliminate corruption, but was imprisoned on a charge of conspiracy. In prison at Pavia, where he was subsequently tortured and executed, he wrote On the Consolation of Philosophy (523). Next to the Bible, this was medieval Europe's most influential book.