Marcellus (usurper)
Encyclopedia
Marcellus was an officer of the Roman Empire
, supporter of usurper Procopius
and usurper himself for a short time.
There are two versions of the history of his usurpation, the first told by Ammianus Marcellinus
, a contemporary historian, the second exposed by Zosimus
, an historian of the beginning of the 6th century.
underlines the fact that Marcellus was a relative of Procopius
(a member of the Constantinian dynasty
). In 365 Procopius rebelled against emperor Valens
, taking the purple; Marcellus became his protector and was entrusted with the defence of Nicaea. When, in 366, Procopius was killed, Marcellus killed Serenianus
, a cruel general of Valens' who had been captured by Procopius at Cyzicus
, and then conquered Chalcedon
.
Procopius had based his usurpation on his bond with the Constantinian family and on the support by some barbaric peoples; Marcellus tried to exploit his own bond to Procopius and to consolidate an alliance with Gothic
tribes, and proclaimed himself emperor, but his rule was short. Valens' magister militum
, Equitius
, came to know about Procopius' death and attacked Marcellus, capturing him. After few days, Marcellus and some of his supporters were put to death.
, Marcellus was sent by Procopius
from Constantinople
into Bithynia
, to counter the cavalry unit under Serenianus
' command and loyal to Valens
. Serenianus occupied Cyzicus
, but Marcellus put the city under siege and took it, forcing Serenianus to flee; after a short pursue in Lydia
, Marcellus killed him.
After Procopius' death, Valens captured Marcellus. According to Zosimus and John of Antioch
, Marcellus was suspected of planning a usurpation, as he had been found with the regalia
of Procopius; thus Valens ordered his death and that of his family and his supporters.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, supporter of usurper Procopius
Procopius (usurper)
Procopius was a Roman usurper against Valens, and member of the Constantinian dynasty.- Life :According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Procopius was a native and spent his youth in Cilicia, probably in Corycus. On his mother's side, Procopius was related, a maternal cousin, to Emperor Julian, since...
and usurper himself for a short time.
There are two versions of the history of his usurpation, the first told by Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. He wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from Antiquity...
, a contemporary historian, the second exposed by Zosimus
Zosimus
Zosimus was a Byzantine historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury.- Historia Nova :...
, an historian of the beginning of the 6th century.
Ammianus Marcellinus' version
Ammianus MarcellinusAmmianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. He wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from Antiquity...
underlines the fact that Marcellus was a relative of Procopius
Procopius (usurper)
Procopius was a Roman usurper against Valens, and member of the Constantinian dynasty.- Life :According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Procopius was a native and spent his youth in Cilicia, probably in Corycus. On his mother's side, Procopius was related, a maternal cousin, to Emperor Julian, since...
(a member of the Constantinian dynasty
Constantinian dynasty
The Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus to the death of Julian in 363. It is named after its most famous member, Constantine the Great who became the sole ruler of the empire in 324...
). In 365 Procopius rebelled against emperor Valens
Valens
Valens was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 364 to 378. He was given the eastern half of the empire by his brother Valentinian I after the latter's accession to the throne...
, taking the purple; Marcellus became his protector and was entrusted with the defence of Nicaea. When, in 366, Procopius was killed, Marcellus killed Serenianus
Serenianus
Serenianus was an officer of the Roman Empire, involved in the death of Caesar Constantius Gallus and in the usurpation of Procopius.- Biography :...
, a cruel general of Valens' who had been captured by Procopius at Cyzicus
Cyzicus
Cyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula , a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic...
, and then conquered Chalcedon
Chalcedon
Chalcedon , sometimes transliterated as Chalkedon) was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor, almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari . It is now a district of the city of Istanbul named Kadıköy...
.
Procopius had based his usurpation on his bond with the Constantinian family and on the support by some barbaric peoples; Marcellus tried to exploit his own bond to Procopius and to consolidate an alliance with Gothic
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
tribes, and proclaimed himself emperor, but his rule was short. Valens' magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
, Equitius
Equitius
Saint Equitius was an abbot of the 6th century. He was born between 480 and 490 in the region of Valeria Suburbicaria . Gregory the Great refers to Equitius in his Dialogues , and states that Equitius was a follower of Saint Benedict of Nursia...
, came to know about Procopius' death and attacked Marcellus, capturing him. After few days, Marcellus and some of his supporters were put to death.
Zosimus' version
According to ZosimusZosimus
Zosimus was a Byzantine historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury.- Historia Nova :...
, Marcellus was sent by Procopius
Procopius (usurper)
Procopius was a Roman usurper against Valens, and member of the Constantinian dynasty.- Life :According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Procopius was a native and spent his youth in Cilicia, probably in Corycus. On his mother's side, Procopius was related, a maternal cousin, to Emperor Julian, since...
from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
into Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
, to counter the cavalry unit under Serenianus
Serenianus
Serenianus was an officer of the Roman Empire, involved in the death of Caesar Constantius Gallus and in the usurpation of Procopius.- Biography :...
' command and loyal to Valens
Valens
Valens was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 364 to 378. He was given the eastern half of the empire by his brother Valentinian I after the latter's accession to the throne...
. Serenianus occupied Cyzicus
Cyzicus
Cyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula , a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic...
, but Marcellus put the city under siege and took it, forcing Serenianus to flee; after a short pursue in Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
, Marcellus killed him.
After Procopius' death, Valens captured Marcellus. According to Zosimus and John of Antioch
John of Antioch
John of Antioch was Patriarch of Antioch and led a group of moderate Eastern bishops during the Nestorian controversy. He is sometimes confused with John Chrysostom, who is occasionally also referred to as John of Antioch. John gave active support to his friend Nestorius in the latter's dispute...
, Marcellus was suspected of planning a usurpation, as he had been found with the regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
of Procopius; thus Valens ordered his death and that of his family and his supporters.