Roman Emperor (Crisis of the Third Century)
Encyclopedia
The role of the Roman Emperor changed during the Crisis of the Third Century
(also known as the Anarchy of the 3rd Century), which marked the end of the Principate
(the early phase of Imperial Roman
government). A series of soldier
s (the Barracks Emperor
s) assumed the highest office, leading to the breakdown of the previous system
of imperial government under which the Emperor
had functioned within the fiction of preserving the old republican
form of government. The crisis came to a close with Diocletian
, who reformed the Imperial office
and initiated the period known as the Dominate
.
("the Thracian
") (reigned 235 – 238) was arguably the first "Barracks Emperor". Previous military Emperors (Vespasian
, Septimius Severus
) had come from noble or middle-class plebeian families, but Maximinus came from a lower-class family in a less-reputable part of the Empire and began as an enlisted soldier (miles). Remarkably, Maximinus never visited Rome while Emperor. Under his reign, the increasingly impotent Senate made some of their last attempts to control the Empire; the Senate backed two pairs of co-emperors from its own ranks against Maximinus.
He was commander of new recruits on the Rhine frontier when Alexander Severus was murdered by mutineers. Maximinus was acclaimed Emperor by his troops in March 235 and in January 238 put down a rebellion by the governor of Africa Proconsularis (modern Tunisia), Gordian I
and his son Gordian II
. Gordian I was a consul of distinguished lineage and reigned 20 days with his son as co-Emperor. Immediately afterward the Senate backed a second pair of co-Emperors, the patrician consuls Marcus Clodius Pupenius and Decius Caelius Calvinus Balbinus
, and Maximinus was murdered by his own troops in April that year. The senatorial co-Emperors were murdered by the Praetorian Guard a month later in May 238, after reigning for 99 days.
); that daughter was mother of emperor Gordian III
(Marcus Antonius Gordianus), 238 – 244.
The preceding Gordiani may be regarded as failed usurper
s rather than Emperors, but Gordian III's accession makes the family a quasi-dynasty.
(Marcus Iulius Philippus, 244-249) was a Syrian soldier and the second praetorian prefect
to have supplanted his Emperor (the first was Macrinus
) when Gordian III's own soldiers mutinied against him. He was once erroneously thought to have been a Christian. Philip installed his son, also called Marcus Julius Philippus, as co-Emperor in 247, but both were killed in 249 by partisans of Philippus's rebellious governor of Moesia and Pannonia, the consular Quintus Traianus Decius
.
Decius reigned from 249-251. He was a noble senator of distinguished career, and the first Emperor from the former Illyria
, and also the first Emperor to be killed in battle with a foreign enemy (the Goths
). His younger son Gaius Valens Hostilianus Messius (Hostilian
) was then adopted by and proclaimed co-Emperor with Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus
in June 251, but died of plague in July 251.
Trebonianus Gallus replaced Decius's son with his own, Gaius Vibius Volusianus
, but father and son co-Emperors were murdered in August 253 by partisans of Trebonianus Gallus's own rebellious governor of Moesia Superior, the consular Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus
, who was murdered by his own soldiers after a reign of 88 days. He was another African – from Jerba, off the coast of southern Tunisia.
(Valerian, 253-260), was from a particularly distinguished patrician, Etruria
n family, the Licinii. For his efforts to resolve the badly deteriorating situation in the East the Senate awarded him the titles Restitutor Orientis ("Restorer of the East"), Restitutor Generis Humanis ("Restorer of the Human Race") and Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World"). His reign, however, ended ignominiously; he was the first Emperor to be captured by a foreign enemy and was used as a footstool by Shapur I of Persia, who then had his skin stuffed and put on display. (The only other Emperor to be so humiliated was Rhomanos IV 800 years later in 1071.)
In the reign of Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus
(253-261) there were several rebellions. In 261 Postumus
established an independent so-called Gallic Empire
(composed of Gallia
, Britannia
, and Hispania
); Gallienus created a co-Emperor in all but name in Septimius Odenathus, king of Palmyra
, to whom he gave the titles Dux Romanorum ("Leader of the Romans") and Corrector Totius Orientis ("Corrector of the Whole East").
left his Dalmatian cavalry commander, Marcus Aurelius Claudius "Gothicus"
("conqueror of the Goths"), in charge. The Emperor from Illyricum
recovered Hispania
from the Gallic Empire
, but Septimius Odenathus's widow Zenobia
broke with him and began to seize power in the East for herself (in 272 she began styling herself "Zenobia Augusta
"). Lucius Domitius Aurelian
us built the first new wall around Rome, defeated Zenobia and recovered the lands of the Empire claimed by Palmyra, and reclaimed the remainder of the Gallic Empire; for his efforts at reunifying the Empire he was titled Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World"). Aurelianus's successor Marcus Claudius Tacitus
received a similar title, Restitutor Rei Publicae ("Restorer of the Republic").
Claudius II "Gothicus" died of plague in August 270. He was briefly succeeded by his brother Quintillus, who committed suicide in September and allowed the throne to pass to his own cavalry commander, Aurelianus, who was himself murdered by his Praetorian Guard. Tacitus was an elderly senator – probably a general brought out of retirement when it was realised that no-one stood ready to become Emperor after Aurelianus's death. Tacitus was murdered after six months and succeeded for 88 days by his praetorian prefect, Florianus, who became the third Emperor murdered in 276. Probus, a formidable general of unknown family from the Danube
frontier, became the next Emperor, only to be murdered at the instigation of his praetorian prefect Carus (see below).
family from Narbo, on the Mediterranean coast. It was another family which came to power through treachery; Marcus Aurelius Carus
, the founder of the extremely short-lived dynasty, had been his predecessor's praetorian prefect. Carus is the only Emperor to have been struck by lightning.
Crisis of the Third Century
The Crisis of the Third Century was a period in which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressures of invasion, civil war, plague, and economic depression...
(also known as the Anarchy of the 3rd Century), which marked the end of the Principate
Principate
The Principate is the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus to the Crisis of the Third Century, after which it was replaced with the Dominate. The Principate is characterized by a concerted effort on the part of the Emperors to preserve the...
(the early phase of Imperial Roman
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....
government). A series of soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s (the Barracks Emperor
Barracks emperor
A Barracks emperor was a Roman Emperor who seized power by virtue of his command of the army. Barracks emperors were especially common in the period from 235 through 284, during the Crisis of the Third Century. There were approximately fourteen barracks emperors in 33 years, producing an average...
s) assumed the highest office, leading to the breakdown of the previous system
Roman Emperor (Principate)
The office of Roman Emperor went through a complex evolution over the centuries of its existence. During its earliest phase, the Principate, the reality of autocratic rule was masked behind the forms and conventions of oligarchic self-government inherited from the Roman Republic...
of imperial government under which the Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
had functioned within the fiction of preserving the old republican
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
form of government. The crisis came to a close with Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, who reformed the Imperial office
Roman Emperor (Dominate)
The accession on November 20, 284, of Diocletian, the lower-class, Greek-speaking Dalmatian commander of Carus's and Numerian's household cavalry, marked a major departure from traditional Roman constitutional theory regarding the Emperor, who was nominally first among equals during the Principate...
and initiated the period known as the Dominate
Dominate
The Dominate was the "despotic" latter phase of government in the ancient Roman Empire from the conclusion of the Third Century Crisis of 235–284 until the formal date of the collapse of the Western Empire in AD 476. It followed the period known as the Principate...
.
Maximinus "Thrax"
Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus "Thrax"Maximinus Thrax
Maximinus Thrax , also known as Maximinus I, was Roman Emperor from 235 to 238.Maximinus is described by several ancient sources, though none are contemporary except Herodian's Roman History. Maximinus was the first emperor never to set foot in Rome...
("the Thracian
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
") (reigned 235 – 238) was arguably the first "Barracks Emperor". Previous military Emperors (Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
) had come from noble or middle-class plebeian families, but Maximinus came from a lower-class family in a less-reputable part of the Empire and began as an enlisted soldier (miles). Remarkably, Maximinus never visited Rome while Emperor. Under his reign, the increasingly impotent Senate made some of their last attempts to control the Empire; the Senate backed two pairs of co-emperors from its own ranks against Maximinus.
He was commander of new recruits on the Rhine frontier when Alexander Severus was murdered by mutineers. Maximinus was acclaimed Emperor by his troops in March 235 and in January 238 put down a rebellion by the governor of Africa Proconsularis (modern Tunisia), Gordian I
Gordian I
Gordian I , was Roman Emperor for one month with his son Gordian II in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors. Caught up in a rebellion against the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, he was defeated by forces loyal to Maximinus before committing suicide.-Early life:...
and his son Gordian II
Gordian II
Gordian II , was Roman Emperor for one month with his father Gordian I in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors. Seeking to overthrow the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, he died in battle outside of Carthage.-Early career:...
. Gordian I was a consul of distinguished lineage and reigned 20 days with his son as co-Emperor. Immediately afterward the Senate backed a second pair of co-Emperors, the patrician consuls Marcus Clodius Pupenius and Decius Caelius Calvinus Balbinus
Pupienus and Balbinus
Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus and Decimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus were two Roman co-emperors elected by the Roman senate on April 22, 238 after the failure of Gordian I and Gordian II to defeat the usurper Maximinus Thrax.- Pupienus :Pupienus, born about 178, was an example of ascension in the...
, and Maximinus was murdered by his own troops in April that year. The senatorial co-Emperors were murdered by the Praetorian Guard a month later in May 238, after reigning for 99 days.
Gordianan dynasty
Gordian I's wife, Fabia Orestilla, bore him two sons (Gordian II and an unknown son) and a daughter (Antonia GordianaAntonia Gordiana
Antonia Gordiana was a prominent, wealthy and noble Roman woman that lived in the troubled and unstable 3rd century. She was the daughter of Roman Emperor Gordian I; sister to Roman Emperor Gordian II and mother to Roman Emperor Gordian III...
); that daughter was mother of emperor Gordian III
Gordian III
Gordian III , was Roman Emperor from 238 to 244. Gordian was the son of Antonia Gordiana and an unnamed Roman Senator who died before 238. Antonia Gordiana was the daughter of Emperor Gordian I and younger sister of Emperor Gordian II. Very little is known on his early life before his acclamation...
(Marcus Antonius Gordianus), 238 – 244.
The preceding Gordiani may be regarded as failed usurper
Roman usurper
Usurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority. Usurpation was endemic during roman imperial era, especially from the crisis of the third century onwards, when political instability became the rule.The...
s rather than Emperors, but Gordian III's accession makes the family a quasi-dynasty.
More instability
Philip the ArabPhilip the Arab
Philip the Arab , also known as Philip or Philippus Arabs, was Roman Emperor from 244 to 249. He came from Syria, and rose to become a major figure in the Roman Empire. He achieved power after the death of Gordian III, quickly negotiating peace with the Sassanid Empire...
(Marcus Iulius Philippus, 244-249) was a Syrian soldier and the second praetorian prefect
Praetorian prefect
Praetorian prefect was the title of a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief aides...
to have supplanted his Emperor (the first was Macrinus
Macrinus
Macrinus , was Roman Emperor from 217 to 218. Macrinus was of "Moorish" descent and the first emperor to become so without membership in the senatorial class.-Background and career:...
) when Gordian III's own soldiers mutinied against him. He was once erroneously thought to have been a Christian. Philip installed his son, also called Marcus Julius Philippus, as co-Emperor in 247, but both were killed in 249 by partisans of Philippus's rebellious governor of Moesia and Pannonia, the consular Quintus Traianus Decius
Decius
Trajan Decius , was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until they were both killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
.
Decius reigned from 249-251. He was a noble senator of distinguished career, and the first Emperor from the former Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
, and also the first Emperor to be killed in battle with a foreign enemy (the Goths
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....
). His younger son Gaius Valens Hostilianus Messius (Hostilian
Hostilian
Hostilian was Roman emperor in 251. Hostilian was born in Sirmium in Illyricum sometime after 230, as the son of the future emperor Decius by his wife Herennia Cupressenia Etruscilla...
) was then adopted by and proclaimed co-Emperor with Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus
Trebonianus Gallus
Trebonianus Gallus , also known as Gallus, was Roman Emperor from 251 to 253, in a joint rule with his son Volusianus.-Early life:Gallus was born in Italy, in a family with respected ancestry of Etruscan senatorial background. He had two children in his marriage with Afinia Gemina Baebiana: Gaius...
in June 251, but died of plague in July 251.
Trebonianus Gallus replaced Decius's son with his own, Gaius Vibius Volusianus
Volusianus
Volusianus , also known as Volusian, was a Roman Emperor from 251 to 253.He was son to Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus by his wife Afinia Gemina Baebiana. He is known to have had a sister, Vibia Galla....
, but father and son co-Emperors were murdered in August 253 by partisans of Trebonianus Gallus's own rebellious governor of Moesia Superior, the consular Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus
Aemilianus
Aemilianus , also known as Aemilian, was Roman Emperor for three months in 253.Commander of the Moesian troops, he obtained an important victory against the invading Goths and was, for this reason, acclaimed Emperor by his army...
, who was murdered by his own soldiers after a reign of 88 days. He was another African – from Jerba, off the coast of southern Tunisia.
Valerianan dynasty
The founder of the short-lived Valerianan dynasty, Publius Licinius ValerianusValerian (emperor)
Valerian , also known as Valerian the Elder, was Roman Emperor from 253 to 260. He was taken captive by Persian king Shapur I after the Battle of Edessa, becoming the only Roman Emperor who was captured as a prisoner of war, resulting in wide-ranging instability across the Empire.-Origins and rise...
(Valerian, 253-260), was from a particularly distinguished patrician, Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
n family, the Licinii. For his efforts to resolve the badly deteriorating situation in the East the Senate awarded him the titles Restitutor Orientis ("Restorer of the East"), Restitutor Generis Humanis ("Restorer of the Human Race") and Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World"). His reign, however, ended ignominiously; he was the first Emperor to be captured by a foreign enemy and was used as a footstool by Shapur I of Persia, who then had his skin stuffed and put on display. (The only other Emperor to be so humiliated was Rhomanos IV 800 years later in 1071.)
In the reign of Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus
Gallienus
Gallienus was Roman Emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and alone from 260 to 268. He took control of the Empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
(253-261) there were several rebellions. In 261 Postumus
Postumus
Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus was a Roman emperor of Batavian origin. He usurped power from Gallienus in 260 and formed the so-called Gallic Empire...
established an independent so-called Gallic Empire
Gallic Empire
The Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....
(composed of Gallia
Gallia
Gallia may refer to:*Gaul , the region of Western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium and other neighbouring countries...
, Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
, and Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
); Gallienus created a co-Emperor in all but name in Septimius Odenathus, king of Palmyra
Palmyra
Palmyra was an ancient city in Syria. In the age of antiquity, it was an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 180 km southwest of the Euphrates at Deir ez-Zor. It had long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert...
, to whom he gave the titles Dux Romanorum ("Leader of the Romans") and Corrector Totius Orientis ("Corrector of the Whole East").
- GallienusGallienusGallienus was Roman Emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and alone from 260 to 268. He took control of the Empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
("Imp. Caesar P. Licinius Egnatius Gallienus P.F. Invictus Aug."; b. P. Licinius Egnatius Gallienus), 260 – 268. Note: Gallienus had been co-Emperor with Valerian (as "Imp. Caesar P. Licinius Egnatius Gallienus P.F. Invictus Aug.") from 253 until his own accession. - Cornelius Licinius Saloninus ValerianusSaloninusPublius Licinius Cornelius Saloninus Valerianus was Roman Emperor in 259 or 260.-Early life:Saloninus was born around the year 242. His father was the later emperor Gallienus, his mother Cornelia Salonina, a Greek from Bithynia...
, 260 (as "Imp. Caesar Cornelius Licinius Saloninus Valerianus P.F. Invictus Aug.")
Dynastic relationships
Valerian's wife, Egnatia Mariniana, bore him two sons (Egnatius Gallienus and Valerianus). Gallienus fathered three sons by his wife, Julia Cornelia Salonina (Valerianus, Saloninus, and Egnatius Marinianus).The crisis at its height
The murder of GallienusGallienus
Gallienus was Roman Emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and alone from 260 to 268. He took control of the Empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
left his Dalmatian cavalry commander, Marcus Aurelius Claudius "Gothicus"
Claudius II
Claudius II , commonly known as Claudius Gothicus, was Roman Emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alamanni and scored a crushing victory against the Goths at the Battle of Naissus. He died after succumbing to a smallpox plague that ravaged the provinces of...
("conqueror of the Goths"), in charge. The Emperor from Illyricum
Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum
The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.The administrative centre of the prefecture was Sirmium , and, after 379, Thessalonica...
recovered Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
from the Gallic Empire
Gallic Empire
The Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....
, but Septimius Odenathus's widow Zenobia
Zenobia
Zenobia was a 3rd-century Queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Roman Syria. She led a famous revolt against the Roman Empire. The second wife of King Septimius Odaenathus, Zenobia became queen of the Palmyrene Empire following Odaenathus' death in 267...
broke with him and began to seize power in the East for herself (in 272 she began styling herself "Zenobia Augusta
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
"). Lucius Domitius Aurelian
Aurelian
Aurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
us built the first new wall around Rome, defeated Zenobia and recovered the lands of the Empire claimed by Palmyra, and reclaimed the remainder of the Gallic Empire; for his efforts at reunifying the Empire he was titled Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World"). Aurelianus's successor Marcus Claudius Tacitus
Marcus Claudius Tacitus
Tacitus , was Roman Emperor from 275 to 276. During his short reign he campaigned against the Goths and the Heruli, for which he received the title Gothicus Maximus.-Biography:Tacitus was born in Interamna , in Italia...
received a similar title, Restitutor Rei Publicae ("Restorer of the Republic").
- Claudius II "Gothicus"Claudius IIClaudius II , commonly known as Claudius Gothicus, was Roman Emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alamanni and scored a crushing victory against the Goths at the Battle of Naissus. He died after succumbing to a smallpox plague that ravaged the provinces of...
("Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Claudius P.F. Invictus Augustus"; b. M. Aurelius Claudius), 268 – 270 - QuintillusQuintillusQuintillus , commonly known as Quintillus, was Roman Emperor for less than a year in 270.-Early Life and Election as Emperor:Quintillus was born at Sirmium in Illyricum. Originally coming from a low born family, Quintillus came to prominence with the accession of his brother Claudius II Gothicus to...
("Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Claudius Quintillus P.F. Invictus Aug."; b. M. Aurelius Claudius Quintillus), 270 - AurelianAurelianAurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
us ("Imp. Caesar L. Domitius Aurelianus P.F. Invictus Aug."; b. L. Domitius Aurelianus), 270 – 275 - TacitusMarcus Claudius TacitusTacitus , was Roman Emperor from 275 to 276. During his short reign he campaigned against the Goths and the Heruli, for which he received the title Gothicus Maximus.-Biography:Tacitus was born in Interamna , in Italia...
(Imp. Caesar M. Claudius Tacitus P.F. Aug."; b. M. Claudius Tacitus), 275 – 276 - FlorianusFlorianus-Biography: Florian was reportedly a maternal half-brother to the Emperor Marcus Claudius Tacitus. Appointed Praetorian Prefect in Tacitus's army in his campaign against the Goths, according to the available sources, he was chosen by the army in the West to succeed Tacitus in 276, without the...
("Imp. Caesar M. Annius Florianus P.F. Aug."; b. M. Annius Florianus), 276 - Probus ("Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Probus P.F. Aug."; b. M. Aurelius Probus), 276 – 282
Claudius II "Gothicus" died of plague in August 270. He was briefly succeeded by his brother Quintillus, who committed suicide in September and allowed the throne to pass to his own cavalry commander, Aurelianus, who was himself murdered by his Praetorian Guard. Tacitus was an elderly senator – probably a general brought out of retirement when it was realised that no-one stood ready to become Emperor after Aurelianus's death. Tacitus was murdered after six months and succeeded for 88 days by his praetorian prefect, Florianus, who became the third Emperor murdered in 276. Probus, a formidable general of unknown family from the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
frontier, became the next Emperor, only to be murdered at the instigation of his praetorian prefect Carus (see below).
Caran dynasty
The Caran dynasty was a GallicGallia
Gallia may refer to:*Gaul , the region of Western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium and other neighbouring countries...
family from Narbo, on the Mediterranean coast. It was another family which came to power through treachery; Marcus Aurelius Carus
Carus
Carus , was Roman Emperor from 282 to 283. During his short reign, Carus fought the Germanic tribes and Sarmatians along the Danube frontier with success. During his campaign against the Sassanid Empire he sacked their capital Ctesiphon, but died shortly thereafter...
, the founder of the extremely short-lived dynasty, had been his predecessor's praetorian prefect. Carus is the only Emperor to have been struck by lightning.
Caran emperors
- CarusCarusCarus , was Roman Emperor from 282 to 283. During his short reign, Carus fought the Germanic tribes and Sarmatians along the Danube frontier with success. During his campaign against the Sassanid Empire he sacked their capital Ctesiphon, but died shortly thereafter...
("Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Carus P.F. Aug."; b. M. Aurelius Carus), 282 – 283 - M. Aurelius CarinusCarinusCarinus , was Roman Emperor 282 to 285. The elder son of emperor Carus, he was appointed Caesar and co-emperor of the western portion of the empire upon his father's accession...
, 282 – 283 (as "Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Carinus P.F. Aug.") - NumerianNumerianNumerian , was a Roman Emperor from 282 to 284 with his older brother Carinus. They were sons of Carus, a general raised to the office of praetorian prefect under Emperor Probus in 282.-Reign:...
us ("Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Numerianus P.F. Aug."; b. M. Aurelius Numerius Numerianus) 283 – 284 - M. Aurelius CarinusCarinusCarinus , was Roman Emperor 282 to 285. The elder son of emperor Carus, he was appointed Caesar and co-emperor of the western portion of the empire upon his father's accession...
, 283 – 284 (as "Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Carinus P.F. Aug.") Note: Carinus had been co-Emperor with Carus from 282 to 283. - CarinusCarinusCarinus , was Roman Emperor 282 to 285. The elder son of emperor Carus, he was appointed Caesar and co-emperor of the western portion of the empire upon his father's accession...
("Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Carinus P.F. Aug."; b. M. Aurelius Carinus), 283 – 285