|
Aurelian
–
Roman Emperor
: 270-275 A.D. –
Bronze Antoninianus 22mm (3.88 grams) Siscia mint 272-274 A.D.
Reference: RIC 227c, C 113
IMPAVRELIANVSAVG – Radiate, draped and
cuirassed bust right.
IOVICONSERVATORI Exe:  S
– Aurelian standing right on left, holding scepter,
receiving globe
from
Jupiter
to right, holding scepter.
Royal/Imperial symbols of power
Ruling dynasties often exploit pomp and ceremony with the use of
regalia
:
crowns
,
robes,
orb (globe) and sceptres
, some of which are
reflections of formerly practical objects. The use of language mechanisms also
support this differentiation with subjects talking of “the crown” and/or of “the
throne
” rather than referring directly to
personal names and items.
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In
Roman mythology
,
Jupiter
or
Jove was the
king of the gods
, and the god of
sky and
thunder
. He
is
 the equivalent of Zeus
in the
Greek pantheon
. He was called Iuppiter (or Diespiter)
Optimus Maximus (“Father God the Best and Greatest”). As the patron deity of
ancient
Rome
, he ruled over laws and social order. He was the chief god of the
Capitoline Triad
, with sister/wife
Juno
. Jupiter is also the father of the god
Mars
with Juno. Therefore, Jupiter is the grandfather of
Romulus and Remus
, the legendary founders of Rome. Jupiter was venerated in
ancient Roman religion
, and is still venerated in
Roman Neopaganism
. He is a son of
Saturn
, along with brothers
Neptune
and
Pluto
.
He is also the brother/husband of
Ceres
(daughter of Saturn and mother of
Proserpina
),
brother of Veritas
(daughter of Saturn), and father of
Mercury
.
Lucius Domitius Aurelianus
(September
9, 214
or 215 –September or October 275), known in English as
Aurelian,
Roman
Emperorr
(270–275), was the second of several highly successful
“soldier-emperors” who helped the
Roman
Empire
regain its power during the latter part of the third century and the
beginning of the fourth.
During his reign, the Empire was reunited in its
entirety, following fifteen years of rebellion, the loss of two-thirds of its
territory to break-away empires (the
Palmyrene Empire
in the east and the
Gallic Empire
in the west) and devastating barbarian invasions. His
successes started the end of the empire’s
Crisis of the Third Century
.
//
Aurelian was an upwardly-mobile soldier who was eventually appointed
commander of the cavalry by Claudius II. With the aid of a sympathetic army he
revolted against the accession of Quintillus and a civil war was avoided when
the latter committed suicide following the growing popularity of his rival.
Aurelian was then hailed as emperor by the Senate and the rest of the legions
alike. His first mission was to strengthen the army by the introduction of the
strictest reforms and discipline as well as quelling the various uprisings that
had broken out over the last two decades. He thus spent the next five years
until cut down by his own Praetorian Guard at the height of his glory. It seems
Aurelian’s personal secretary, after being reprimanded by the emperor for
attempted extortion, felt an execution would follow. To guard against this
possibility, he concocted a story about Aurelian intending to execute his
personal guard and then rushed to share with them this manufactured evidence.
Naturally, afraid for their lives, they entered the emperor’s quarters and
effected a preemptive strike. Somehow or other it was soon afterward found out
that the formerly beloved emperor had no such motives and his secretary himself
was swiftly executed for treason. When news reached Rome of what had happened
Aurelian’s wife seems to have actually been left nominally in power while a new
emperor was selected, a period that may have lasted several months. Although
history is a little hazy in this matter, it would mark the first and only time a
Roman empress explicitly ruled the empire.
Rise to power
Aurelian was born in
Dacia ripensis
or
Sirmium
(now
Sremska Mitrovica
,
Serbia
),
to an obscure provincial family; his father was tenant to a senator named
Aurelius, who gave his name to the family.
Aurelian served as a general in several wars, and his success ultimately made
him the right-hand man and dux equitum (cavalry commander) of the army of
Emperor Gallienus
. In 268, his cavalry routed the powerful cavalry force of the
Goths
at the
Battle of Naissus
and broke the back of the most fearsome invasion of Roman
territory since Hannibal
. According to one source, Aurelian participated in the
assassination of Gallienus (268), and supported
Claudius II
for the purple.
Two years later, when Claudius died his brother
Quintillus
seized power with support of the Senate. With an act typical of the
Crisis of the Third Century
, the army refused to recognize the new emperor,
preferring to support one of its own commanders: Aurelian was proclaimed emperor
in September 270 by the
legions
in Sirmium. Aurelian defeated Quintillus’ troops, and was recognized emperor by
the Senate after Quintillus’ death. The claim that Aurelian was chosen by
Claudius on his death bed
can be dismissed as propaganda; later, probably in 272, Aurelian put his own
dies imperii the day of Claudius’ death, thus implicitly considering
Quintillus a
usurper
.
With his base of power secure, he now turned his attention to Rome’s greatest
problems — recovering the vast territories lost over the previous two decades,
and reforming the res publica.
Conqueror and reformer
In 248, Emperor
Philipp
had celebrated the millennium of the city of Rome with great and
expensive ceremonies and games, and the empire had given a tremendous proof of
self-confidence. In the following years, however, the empire had to face a huge
pressure from external enemies, while, at the same time, dangerous civil wars
threatened the empire from within, with a large number of usurpers weakening the
strength of the state. Also the economical substrate of the state, the
agriculture and the commerce, suffered from the disruption caused by the
instability. On top of this an epidemic swept through the Empire around 250,
greatly diminishing manpower both for the army and for agriculture. The end
result was that the empire could not endure the blow of the capture of Emperor
Valerian
in 260: the eastern provinces found their protectors in the rulers
of the city of Palmyra
, in
Syria
Palmyrene Empire
, a separate entity from the Roman Empire, successful
against the Persian threat; the western provinces, those facing the
limes
of the
Rhine
seceded,
forming a third, autonomous state within the territories of the Roman Empire,
which is now known as
Gallic Empire
; the emperor, in Rome, was occupied with the internal menaces
to his power and with the defence of
Italia
and the Balkans. This was the situation faced by Gallienus and
Claudius, and the problems Aurelian had to deal with at the beginning of his
rule.
Reunification of the empire
The first actions of the new emperor were aimed at strengthening his own
position in his territories. Late in 270, Aurelian campaigned in northern
Italia
against the
Vandals
,
Juthungi
,
and Sarmatians
, expelling them from Roman territory. To celebrate these
victories, Aurelian was granted the title of Germanicus Maximus.
The authority of the emperor was challenged by several
usurpers
—
Septimius
,
Urbanus
,
Domitianus
, and the rebellion of
Felicissimus
— who tried to exploit the sense of insecurity of the empire
and the overwhelming influence of the armies in Roman politics. Aurelian, being
an experienced commander, was aware of the importance of the army, and his
propaganda, known through his coinage, shows he wanted the support of the
legions.
Defeat of the Alamanni
The burden of the northern barbarians was not yet over, however. In 271, the
Alamanni
moved towards Italia, entering the Po plain and sacking the villages; they
passed the
Po River
, occupied
Placentia
and moved towards Fano
.
Aurelian, who was in Pannonia to control
Vandals
‘
withdrawal, quickly entered Italia, but his army was defeated in an
ambush near Placentia
(January 271). When the news of the defeat arrived in
Rome, it caused great fear for the arrival of the barbarians. But Aurelian
attacked the Alamanni camping near the
Metaurus River
,
defeating them in the
Battle of Fano
, and forcing them to re-cross the Po river; Aurelian finally
routed them at
Pavia
. For this, he received the title Germanicus Maximus. However,
the menace of the German people remained high as perceived by the Romans, so
Aurelian resolved to build the walls that became known as the
Aurelian Walls
around
Rome.
The emperor led his legions to the Balkans, where he defeated and routed the
Goths beyond the Danube, killing the Gothic leader
Cannabaudes
, and assuming the title of Gothicus Maximus. However, he
decided to abandon the province of
Dacia
,
on the exposed north bank of the Danube, as too difficult and expensive to
defend. He reorganised a new province of Dacia south of the Danube, inside the
former Moesia
,
called Dacia Ripensis, with
Serdica
as the capital.
Conquest of the Palmyrene Empire
In 272, Aurelian turned his attention to the lost eastern provinces of the
empire, the so-called “Palmyrene
Empire” ruled by Queen
Zenobia
from
the city of Palmyra
.
Zenobia had carved out her own empire, encompassing
Syria
, Palestine
, Egypt
and large parts of
Asia Minor
. In the beginning, Aurelian had been recognized as emperor, while
Vaballathus
, the son of Zenobia, hold the title of rex and
imperator (“king” and “supreme military commander”), but Aurelian decided to
invade the eastern provinces as soon as he felt strong enough.
Asia Minor was recovered easily; every city but
Byzantium
Tyana
surrendered to him with little resistance. The fall of Tyana lent itself to a
legend; Aurelian to that point had destroyed every city that resisted him, but
he spared Tyana after having a vision of the great 1st century philosopher
Apollonius of Tyana
, whom he respected greatly, in a dream. Apollonius
implored him, stating: “Aurelian, if you desire to rule, abstain from the blood
of the innocent! Aurelian, if you will conquer, be merciful!” Whatever the
reason, Aurelian spared Tyana. It paid off; many more cities submitted to him
upon seeing that the emperor would not exact revenge upon them. Within six
months, his armies stood at the gates of Palmyra, which surrendered when Zenobia
tried to flee to the
Sassanid Empire
. The “Palmyrene Empire” was no more. Eventually Zenobia and
her son were captured and forced to walk on the streets of Rome in his triumph.
After a brief clash with the Persians and another in Egypt against usurper
Firmus
, he was
forced to return to Palmyra in 273 when that city rebelled once more. This time,
Aurelian allowed his soldiers to sack the city, and Palmyra never recovered from
this. More honors came his way; he was now known as Parthicus Maximus and
Restitutor Orientis (“Restorer of the East”).
Conquest of the Gallic Empire
In 274, the victorious emperor turned his attention to the west, and the “Gallic
EmpireeTetricus
was willing to abandon his throne and allow Gaul and Britain to return to the
empire, but could not openly submit to Aurelian. Instead, the two seem to have
conspired so that when the armies met at
Châlons-en-Champagne
that autumn, Tetricus simply deserted to the Roman camp
and Aurelian easily defeated the Gallic army facing him. Tetricus was rewarded
for his part in the conspiracy with a high-ranking position in Italy itself.
Aurelian returned to Rome and won his last honorific from the Senate —
Restitutor Orbis (“Restorer of the World”). In four years, he had secured
the frontiers of the empire and reunified it, effectively giving the empire a
new lease on life that lasted 200 years.
Reformations
Aurelian was a reformer, and settled many important functions of the imperial
apparatus, including the economy and the religion. He also restored many public
buildings, re-organized the management of the food reserves, set fixed prices
for the most important goods, and prosecuted misconduct by the public officers.
Religious reform
Aurelian strengthened the position of the Sun god,
Sol
(invictus)
or Oriens, as the main divinity of the Roman pantheon. His intention was to give
to all the peoples of the Empire, civilian or soldiers, easterners or
westerners, a single god they could believe in without betraying their own gods.
The center of the cult was a new temple, built in 271 in
Campus Agrippae
in Rome, with great decorations financed by the spoils
of the Palmyrene Empire. Aurelian did not persecute other religions. However,
during his short rule, he seemed to follow the principle of “one god, one
empire”, that was later adopted to a full extent by
Constantine
. On some coins, he appears with the title deus et dominus
natus (“God and born ruler”), also later adopted by Diocletian.
Lactantius
argued that Aurelian would have outlawed all the other gods if he had had enough
time.
Felicissimus’ rebellion and coinage reform
Aurelian’s reign records the only uprising of mint workers. The
rationalis
Felicissimus
, mintmaster at Rome, revolted against Aurelian. The revolt
seems to have been caused by the fact that the mint workers, and Felicissimus
first, were accustomed to stealing the silver used for the coins and producing
coins of inferior quality. Aurelian wanted to erase this practice, and put
Felicissimus under trial. The rationalis incited the mintworkers to
revolt: the rebellion spread in the streets, even if it seems that Felicissimus
was killed immediately, possibly executed. The Palmirene rebellion in Egypt had
probably reduced the
grain supply to Rome
, thus disaffecting the population with respect to the
emperor. This rebellion also had the support of some senators, probably those
who had supported the election of
Quintillus
,
and thus had something to fear from Aurelian. Aurelian ordered the urban
cohorts, reinforced by some regular troops of the imperial army, to attack the
rebelling mob: the resulting battle, fought on the
Caelian hill
, marked the end of the revolt,
even if at a high price (some sources give the figure, probably exaggerated, of
7,000 casualties). Many of the rebels were executed; also some of the rebelling
senators were put to death. The mint of Rome was closed temporarily, and the
institution of several other mints caused the main mint of the empire to lose
its hegemony.
antoninianii
containing 5% silver. They bore the mark XXI
(or its Greek numerals form KA), which meant that twenty of such
coins would contain the same silver quantity of an old silver
denarius
.
Considering that this was an improvement over the previous situation gives an
idea of the severity of the economic situation Aurelian faced. The emperor
struggled to introduce the new “good” coin by recalling all the old “bad” coins
prior to their introduction.
Death
In 275, Aurelian marched towards Asia Minor, preparing another campaign
against the Sassanids: the deaths of Kings
Shapur I
(272) and Hormizd I
(273) in quick succession, and the rise to power of a weakened
ruler (Bahram I),
set the possibility to attack the Sassanid Empire.
On his way, the emperor suppressed a revolt in Gaul — possibly against
Faustinus, an officer or usurper of Tetricus — and defeated barbarian marauders
at Vindelicia
(Germany).
However, Aurelian never reached Persia, as he was murdered while waiting in
Thrace to cross into Asia Minor. As an administrator, Aurelian had been very
strict and handed out severe punishments to corrupt officials or soldiers. A
secretary of Aurelian (called Eros by y
Zosimus
) had
told a lie on a minor issue. In fear of what the emperor might do, he forged a
document listing the names of high officials marked by the emperor for
execution, and showed it to collaborators. The notarius Mucapor and other
high-ranking officiers of the
Praetorian Guard
, fearing punishment from the Emperor, murdered him in
September of 275, in Caenophrurium
, Thrace (modern Turkey).
Aurelian’s enemies in the Senate briefly succeeded in passing
damnatio memoriae
on the emperor, but this was reversed before the end
of the year and Aurelian, like his predecessor Claudius II, was deified as
Divus Aurelianus.
Ulpia Severina, wife of Aurelian and
Augusta
since 274, is said to have held the imperial role during the
short interregnum before the election of
Marcus Claudius Tacitus
to the purple.
The Principate
Julio-Claudian
dynasty
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
16 January 27 BC to 19 August AD 14
|
Augustus
|
|
|
19 August 14 to 16 March 37
|
Tiberius
|
|
|
18 March 37 to 24 January 41
|
Caligula
|
Murdered by Praetorian Guard
|
|
24 January 41 to 13 October 54
|
Claudius
|
Poisoned by his wife Agrippina, mother of Nero
|
|
13 October 54 to 11 June 68
|
Nero
|
Made a slave kill him
|
Year
of the Four Emperors (Civil War)
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
8 June 68 to 15 January 69
|
Galba
|
Murdered in favour of
Otho
|
|
15 January 69 to 16 April 69
|
Otho
|
Committed suicide
|
|
2 January 69 to 20 December 69
|
Vitellius
|
Murdered in favour of
Vespasian
|
Flavian
dynasty
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
1 July 69 to 24 June 79
|
Vespasian
|
|
|
24 June 79 to 13 September 81
|
Titus
|
Possibly assassinated by Domitian
|
|
14 September 81 to 18 September 96
|
Domitian
|
Assassinated
|
Nervan-Antonian
dynasty
Main article:
Five Good Emperors
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
18 September 96 to 27 January 98
|
Nerva
|
Proclaimed emperor by senate
|
|
28 January 98 to 7 August 117
|
Trajan
|
|
|
11 August 117 to 10 July 138
|
Hadrian
|
|
|
10 July 138 to 7 March 161
|
Antoninus Pius
|
|
|
7 March 161 to 17 March 180
|
Marcus Aurelius
|
|
|
7 March 161 to March 169
|
Lucius Verus
|
Co-emperor with
Marcus Aurelius
|
|
175
|
Avidius Cassius
|
Usurper; ruled in Egypt and Syria; murdered by his own army
|
|
177 to 31 December 192
|
Commodus
|
Assassinated
|
Year
of the Five Emperors &
Severan dynasty
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
1 January 193 to 28 March 193
|
Pertinax
|
Proclaimed emperor by senate; murdered by Praetorian Guard
|
|
28 March 193 to 1 June 193
|
Didius Julianus
|
Proclaimed emperor by Praetorian Guard; executed on orders of the Senate
|
|
9 April 193 to 4 February 211
|
Septimius Severus
|
Proclaimed emperor by
Pannonian
troops; accepted by
senate
|
|
193 to 194/195
|
Pescennius Niger
|
Proclaimed emperor by Syrian troops, defeated in battle by
Septimius Severus
|
|
193/195 to 197
|
Clodius Albinus
|
Proclaimed emperor by British troops, defeated in battle by
Septimius Severus
|
|
198 to 8 April 217
|
Caracalla
|
Assassinated at the behest of
Macrinus
|
|
209 to 4 February 211
|
Geta
|
Co-emperor with
Caracalla
; assassinated on orders
of
Caracalla
|
|
11 April 217 to June 218
|
Macrinus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor; executed on orders of
Elagabalus
|
|
May 217 to June 218
|
Diadumenian
|
Junior co-emperor under
Macrinus
; executed
|
|
June 218 to 222
|
Elagabalus
|
Proclaimed emperor by army; murdered by his own troops
|
|
13 March 222 to ?March 235
|
Alexander Severus
|
Murdered by his own troops
|
Rulers during the
Crisis of the Third Century
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
February/March 235 to March/April 238
|
Maximinus Thrax
|
Proclaimed emperor by the army; murdered by
Praetorian Guard
|
|
earlyJanuary/March
238 to lateJanuary/April 238
|
Gordian I
|
Proclaimed emperor in Africa; committed suicide after
Gordian II
‘s death
|
|
earlyJanuary
March 238 to lateJanuary/April 238
|
Gordian II
|
Proclaimed emperor with
Gordian I
, killed in battle
|
|
earlyFebruary
238 to earlyMay 238
|
Pupienus
|
Proclaimed joint emperor by senate; murdered by
Praetorian Guard
|
|
earlyFebruary
238 to earlyMay 238
|
Balbinus
|
Proclaimed joint emperor by senate; murdered by
Praetorian Guard
|
|
May 238 to February 244
|
Gordian III
|
Nephew of
Gordian II
; death unclear,
probably murdered
|
|
240
|
Sabinianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; defeated in battle
|
|
February 244 to September/October 249
|
Philip the Arab
|
Proclaimed emperor after death of
Gordian III
; killed in battle by
Decius
|
|
248
|
Pacatianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; murdered by his own soldiers
|
|
248 to 249
|
Iotapianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor in the east; murdered by his own
soldiers
|
|
248? or 253?
|
Silbannacus
|
Usurper; details essentially unknown
|
|
249 to June 251
|
Decius
|
Killed in battle
|
|
249 to 252
|
Priscus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor in the east in opposition to
Decius
|
|
250 to 250
|
Licinianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Rome; rebellion suppressed
|
|
early251
to June 251
|
Herennius Etruscus
|
Junior co-emperor under
Decius
; killed in battle
|
|
251
|
Hostilian
|
Son of
Decius
; died of plague
|
|
June 251 to August 253
|
Gallus
|
Proclaimed emperor by his troops after Decius’s death; murdered by them
in favour of Aemilianus
|
|
July 251 to August 253
|
Volusianus
|
Junior co-emperor under
Gallus
; murdered by army
|
|
August 253 to October 253
|
Aemilian
|
Proclaimed emperor by his troops; murdered by them in favour of
Valerian
|
|
253 to June 260
|
Valerian
|
Proclaimed emperor by his troops; captured in battle by the
Persians
; died in captivity
|
|
253 to September 268
|
Gallienus
|
Junior co-emperor under
Valerian
to 260; probably murdered
by his generals
|
|
260
|
Saloninus
|
Son of
Gallienus
; proclaimed emperor by
army; murdered shortly after by troops of
Postumus
|
|
June 260 (or 258)
|
Ingenuus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after
Valerian
‘s capture; defeated in
battle
|
|
260
|
Regalianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor after
Ingenuus
‘s defeat; fate unclear
|
|
260 to 261
|
Macrianus Major
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by eastern army; defeated and killed in
battle
|
|
260 to 261
|
Macrianus Minor
|
Usurper; son of
Macrianus Major
; defeated and
killed in battle
|
|
260 to 261
|
Quietus
|
Usurper; son of
Macrianus Major
; defeated and
killed in battle
|
|
261 to 261 or 262
|
Mussius Aemilianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after the defeat of the Macriani;
defeated and executed
|
|
268 to 268
|
Aureolus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after
Gallienus
‘s death; surrendered to
Claudius II Gothicus
; murdered by
Praetorian Guard
|
|
268 to August 270
|
Claudius II Gothicus
|
Proclaimed emperor by the army
|
|
August 270 to September 270
|
Quintillus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor; cause of death unclear
|
|
August 270 to 275
|
Aurelian
|
Proclaimed emperor by army; murdered by the
Praetorian Guard
|
|
271 to 271
|
Septimius
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in
Dalmatia
; killed by his own
soldiers
|
|
November/December 275 to July 276
|
Tacitus
|
Appointed emperor by the Senate; possibly assassinated
|
|
July 276 to September 276
|
Florianus
|
Brother of
Tacitus
, proclaimed emperor by the
western army; murdered by his troops
|
|
July 276 to lateSeptember 282
|
Probus
|
Proclaimed emperor by the eastern army; murdered by his own soldiers in
favour of
Carus
|
|
280
|
Julius Saturninus
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by his troops; then killed by them
|
|
280
|
Proculus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor at the request of the people of
Lugdunum
; executed by
Probus
|
|
280
|
Bonosus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; defeated by
Probus
and committed suicide
|
|
September 282 to July/August 283
|
Carus
|
Proclaimed emperor by Praetorian guard
|
|
spring 283 to summer 285
|
Carinus
|
Son of Carus; co-emperor with
Numerian
; fate unclear
|
|
July/August 283 to November 284
|
Numerian
|
Son of Carus; co-emperor with
Carinus
; probably murdered
|
Gallic
Empire
260
to 274
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
260 to 268
|
Postumus
|
Declared himself emperor after
Valerian
‘s death; killed by his
own troops
|
|
268 to 268
|
Laelianus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor in opposition to Postumus; defeated and
killed by Postumus
|
|
269 to 269
|
Marius
|
Proclaimed himself emperor after Postumus’s death
|
|
269 to 271
|
Victorinus
|
Proclaimed emperor after Marius’s death
|
|
270 to 271
|
Domitianus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor of the
Gallic Empire
|
|
271 to 274
|
Tetricus I
|
Nominated heir to Victorinus
|
Britannic
Empire
286
to 297
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
286 to 293
|
Carausius
|
Declared himself emperor; assassinated by
Allectus
|
|
293 to 297
|
Allectus
|
Declared himself emperor after
Carausius
‘s death; defeated by
Constantius Chlorus
|
Dominate
Tetrarchy
and
Constantinian dynasty
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
20 November 284 to 1 May 305
|
Diocletian
|
Declared emperor by the army after Numerian’s death; Abdicated
|
|
1 April 286 to 1 May 305
|
Maximian
|
Made co-emperor (‘Augustus’) with
Diocletian
; abdicated
|
|
1 May 305 to 25 July 306
|
Constantius I Chlorus
|
Made junior co-emperor (‘Caesar’) under
Maximian
; became Augustus after
his abdication
|
|
1 May 305 to May 311
|
Galerius
|
Made junior co-emperor (‘Caesar’) under
Diocletian
; became Augustus after
his abdication
|
|
August 306 to 16 September 307
|
Severus II
|
Made junior co-emperor (‘Caesar’) under
Constantius Chlorus
; became
Augustus after his death; executed by
Maxentius
|
|
28 October 306 to 28 October 312
|
Maxentius
|
Son of
Maximian
; proclaimed Augustus by
Praetorian Guard
; defeated in
battle by
Constantine I
|
|
de jure:
307, de facto 312 to 22 May 337
|
Constantine I
|
Son of
Constantius Chlorus
; proclaimed
Augustus by army
|
|
308
–309?/311?
|
Domitius Alexander
|
Proclaimed emperor in Africa; defeated in battle by
Maxentius
|
|
11 November 308 to 18 September 324
|
Licinius
|
Appointed Augustus by
Galerius
; deposed by
Constantine I
and executed
|
|
1 May 311 to July/August 313
|
Maximinus Daia
|
Made junior co-emperor (‘Caesar’) under
Galerius
; became Augustus after
his death; defeated in battle by Licinius and committed suicide
|
|
December 316 to 1 March 317
|
Valerius Valens
|
Appointed co-Augustus by
Licinius
; executed by
Licinius
|
|
July to 18 September 324
|
Martinianus
|
Appointed co-Augustus by
Licinius
; deposed by
Constantine I
and executed
|
|
337 to 340
|
Constantine II
|
Son of
Constantine I
; co-emperor with his
brothers; killed in battle
|
|
337 to 361
|
Constantius II
|
Son of
Constantine I
; co-emperor with his
brothers
|
|
337 to 350
|
Constans I
|
Son of
Constantine I
; co-emperor with his
brothers, killed by
Magnentius
|
|
January 350 to 11 August 353
|
Magnentius
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by the army; defeated by
Constantius II
and committed
suicide
|
|
c.
350
|
Vetranio
|
Proclaimed himself emperor against
Magnentius
; recognized by
Constantius II
but then deposed
|
|
c.
350
|
Nepotianus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor against
Magnentius
, defeated and executed
by
Magnentius
|
|
November 361 to June 363
|
Julian
|
Cousin of
Constantius II
; made Caesar by
Constantius, then proclaimed Augustus by the army; killed in battle
|
|
363 to 17 February 364
|
Jovian
|
Proclaimed emperor by the army after
Julian
‘s death
|
Valentinian
dynasty
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
26 February 364 to 17 November 375
|
Valentinian I
Valentinian I Coins.htm
|
Proclaimed emperor by the army after
Jovian
‘s death
|
|
28 March 365 to 9 August 378
|
Valens
|
Made co-emperor in the east by his brother
Valentinian I
; killed in battle
|
|
September 365 to 27 May 366
|
Procopius
|
Usurper; Proclaimed himself emperor; defeated and executed by
Valens
|
|
24 August 367 to 383
|
Gratian
Gratian Coins.htm
|
Son of
Valentinian I
; assassinated
|
|
375 to 392
|
Valentinian II
Valentinian II Coins.htm
|
Son of
Valentinian I
; deposed by
Arbogast
and died in suspicious
circumstances
|
|
383 to 388
|
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by troops; at one time recognized by
Theodosius I
, but then deposed and
executed
|
|
c.386
to 388
|
Flavius Victor
Flavius Victor Coins.htm
|
Son of Magnus Maximus, executed on orders of
Theodosius I
|
|
392 to 394
|
Eugenius
Eugenius Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by army under
Arbogast
; defeated in battle by
Theodosius I
|
Theodosian
dynasty
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
379 to 17 January 395
|
Theodosius I
Theodosius I Coins.htm
|
Made co-emperor for the east by
Gratian
|
|
383 to 408
EAST
|
Arcadius
Arcadius Coins.htm
|
Appointed co-emperor with his father
Theodosius I
; sole emperor for the
east from January 395
|
|
23 January 393 to 15 August 423
WEST
|
Honorius
Honorius Coins.htm
|
Appointed Augustus for the west by his father
Theodosius I
|
|
407 to 411
WEST
|
Constantine III
Constantine III Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Britain; defeated by
Constantius III
|
|
409 to 411
WEST
|
Constans II
Constans II Coins.htm
|
Usurper; made emperor by his father
Constantine III
; killed in battle
|
|
409 and 414 to 415
WEST
|
Priscus Attalus
Priscus Attalus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; twice proclaimed emperor by
Visigoths
under
Alaric
and twice deposed by
Honorius
|
|
409 to 411
WEST
|
Maximus
Maximus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Spain; abdicated
|
|
411 to 413
WEST
|
Jovinus
Jovinus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor after
Constantine III
‘s death, executed
by
Honorius
|
|
412 to 413
WEST
|
Sebastianus
Sebastianus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; appointed co-emperor by
Jovinus
, executed by
Honorius
|
|
408 to 450
EAST
|
Theodosius II
Theodosius II Coins.htm
|
Son of
Arcadius
|
|
421 to 421
WEST
|
Constantius III
Constantius III Coins.htm
|
Son-in-law of
Theodosius I
; appointed co-emperor
by
Honorius
|
|
423 to 425
WEST
|
Joannes
Johannes Coins.htm
|
Proclaimed western emperor, initially undisputed; defeated and executed
by
Theodosius II
in favour of
Valentinian III
|
|
425 to 16 March 455
WEST
|
Valentinian III
Valentinian III Coins.htm
|
Son of
Constantius III
; appointed emperor
by
Theodosius II
; assassinated
|
Western
Roman Empire
|
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
|
17 March 455 to 31 May 455
|
Petronius Maximus
Petronius Maximus Coins.htm
|
Proclaimed himself emperor after
Valentinian III
‘s death; murdered
|
|
June 455 to 17 October 456
|
Avitus
Avitus Coins.htm
|
Proclaimed emperor by the
Visigoth
king
Theoderic II
; deposed by
Ricimer
|
|
457 to 2 August 461
|
Majorian
Majorian Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Ricimer
; deposed and executed by
Ricimer
|
|
461 to 465
|
Libius Severus
Libius Severus Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Ricimer
; deposed and executed by
Ricimer
|
|
12 April 467 to 11 July 472
|
Anthemius
Anthemius Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Ricimer
; deposed and executed by
Ricimer
|
|
July 472 to 2 November 472
|
Olybrius
Olybrius Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Ricimer
|
|
5 March 473 to June 474
|
Glycerius
Glycerius Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Gundobad
; deposed by
Julius Nepos
|
|
June 474 to 25 April 480
|
Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos Coins.htm
|
Appointed by eastern emperor
Leo I
; deposed in Italy by
Orestes
in 475; continued to be
recognised as lawful emperor in Gaul and Dalmatia until his murder in
480
|
|
31 October 475 to 4 September 476
|
Romulus Augustus
(Romulus
Augustulus)
Romulus Augustus Coins.htm
|
Son of
Orestes
; deposed by
Odoacer
; fate unknown
|
Further information:
Barbarian kings of Italy
Eastern
Roman Empire
-
For
the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the
Byzantine Empire
) after
Theodosius II
, see:
List of Byzantine Emperors
Theodosian dynasty (395–457)
See also:
Theodosian dynasty
| Name |
Reign |
Comments |
| |
Theodosius I “the Great”
(Θεοδόσιος Α’ ο Μέγας, Flavius Theodosius)Theodosius
I Coins.htm |
19 January 379 –
17 January 395 |
Born on 11 January 347. Aristocrat and military leader,
brother-in-law of Gratian, who appointed him as emperor of the East.
From 392 until his death sole Roman emperor |
| |
Arcadius
(Αρκάδιος, Flavius Arcadius)Arcadius
Coins.htm |
17 January 395 –
1 May 408 |
Born in 377/378, the eldest son of Theodosius I.
Succeeded upon the death of his father |
| |
Theodosius II
(Θεοδόσιος Β’, Flavius Theodosius)
Theodosius II Coins.htm |
1 May 408 –
28 July 450 |
Born on 10 April 401, the only son of Arcadius.
Succeeded upon the death of his father. As a minor, the praetorian
prefect
Anthemius
was regent in 408–414. He
died in a riding accident |
|
Marcian
(Μαρκιανός, Flavius Valerius Marcianus)
Marcian Coins.htm
|
450 – January 457 |
Born in 396. A soldier and
politician, he became emperor after being wed by the Augusta
Pulcheria
, Theodosius II’s sister,
following the latter’s death. Died of
gangrene
|
Leonid
dynasty (457–518)
See also:
House of Leo
| Name |
Reign |
Comments |
| |
Leo I “the Thracian”
(Λέων Α’ ο Θράξ, Flavius Valerius Leo)
Leo I Coins.htm
|
7 February 457 –
18 January 474 |
Born in
Dacia
in 401. A common soldier, he was
chosen by Aspar
, commander-in-chief of the army.
Died of dysentery |
|
Leo II
(Λέων Β’, Flavius Leo)
Leo II
Coins.htm
|
18 January –
17 November 474 |
Born in 467, the grandson of Leo I. Succeeded upon the
death of Leo I. Died of an unknown disease, possibly poisoned |
|
Zeno
(Ζήνων, Flavius Zeno)
Zeno Coins.htm
|
17 November 474 –
9 April 491 |
Born c.425 at
Zenonopolis
,
Isauria
, originally named Tarasicodissa.
Son-in-law of Leo I, he was bypassed in the succession because of his
barbarian origin. Named co-emperor by his son on 9 February 474, he
succeeded upon the death of Leo II. Deposed by Basiliscus,
brother-in-law of Leo, he fled to his native country and regained the
throne in August 476. |
|
Basiliscus
(Βασιλίσκος, Flavius Basiliscus)
Basiliscus Coins.htm
|
9 January 475 –
August 476 |
General and brother-in-law of Leo I, he seized power
from Zeno but was again deposed by him. Died in 476/477 |
|
Anastasius I
(Αναστάσιος Α’, Flavius Anastasius)
BYZANTINE – Anastasius
Coins.htm
|
11 April 491 –
9 July 518 |
Born c. 430 at
Dyrrhachium
,
Epirus nova
. A palace official (silentiarius)
and son-in-law of Leo I, he was chosen as emperor by empress-dowager
Ariadne
|
Justinian Dynasty
Main article:
Justinian Dynasty
| Portrait |
Name |
Born |
Reigned |
Succession |
Died |
|
Justin I
FLAVIVS IVSTINVS AVGVSTVS |
c. 450 AD,
Naissus
|
July 9, 518 AD – August 1, 527 AD |
Commander of the palace guard under
Anastasius I)
; elected as emperor with
support of army |
August 1, 527 AD
Natural causes |
|
Justinian I
FLAVIVS PETRVS SABBATIVS IVSTINIANVS AVGVSTVS |
c. 482 AD,
Tauresium
,
Dardania
|
August 1, 527 AD – 13/14 November 565 AD |
Nephew and nominated heir of
Justin I
|
13/14 November 565 AD
Natural causes |
|
Justin II
FLAVIVS IVSTINIVS IVNIOR AVGVSTVS |
c. 520 AD, ? |
13/14 November 565 AD – 578 AD |
Nephew of
Justinian I
|
578 AD
Became insane;
Tiberius II Constantine
ruled as regent
from December 574 and became emperor on Justin’s death in 578 |
Roman Late Monogram Coins.htm
Roman AE4 Coins.htm
See also
-
Roman Republic
-
Roman Empire
-
Western Roman Empire
-
Byzantine Empire
-
Britannic Empire
-
Gallic Empire
-
List of Roman usurpers
-
Roman usurper
-
Thirty Tyrants (Roman)
|
