Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known simply as Boethius, was a Roman senator, consul, magister officiorum, polymath, historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He played a central role in the translation of the Greek classics into Latin and was a precursor to the Scholastic movement. Alongside Cassiodorus, he was one of the leading Christian scholars of the 6th century.

Born in Rome a few years after the abdication of the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, Boethius was orphaned and raised by Quintus Aurelius Memmius Symmachus. Fluent in both Latin and Greek, Boethius rose to prominence during the Ostrogothic Kingdom, becoming a senator by age 25 and a consul by age 33. He was later chosen as a personal advisor to Theodoric the Great.

Boethius sought to reconcile the teachings of Plato and Aristotle with Christian theology and aimed to translate the entirety of the Greek classics for Western scholars. His work includes numerous transcriptions and commentaries on Nicomachus, Porphyry, and Cicero, and he wrote extensively on music, mathematics, and theology. His translations, although unfinished due to his untimely death, were crucial for the survival of Aristotle's works into the Renaissance.

Boethius became unpopular within the Ostrogothic court for denouncing governmental corruption. After defending fellow consul Caecina Albinus from conspiracy charges, he was imprisoned by Theodoric in 523. While incarcerated, he wrote "On the Consolation of Philosophy", a philosophical treatise on fortune and death, which became one of the most influential works of the Early Middle Ages. He was executed in 524 and is considered a martyr in the Christian tradition.