Aureolus

Usurper of the Roman Empire (died 268)

For other people named Aureolus, see Aureolus (disambiguation).

Aureolus

Usurper of the Roman Empire

Aureolus from Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum

Reign| 268 (against Gallienus)
Born| 220–230(?)
Dacia
Died| 268
Mediolanum, Italy

Aureolus was a Roman military commander during the reign of Emperor Gallienus before he attempted to usurp the Roman Empire. After turning against Gallienus, Aureolus was killed during the political turmoil that surrounded the Emperor's assassination in a conspiracy orchestrated by his senior officers. Aureolus is known as one of the Thirty Tyrants and is referenced in ancient sources including the Historia Augusta,[1] Zonaras' epitome[2] and Zosimus' Historia Nova.[3][4]

## Biography

[edit]

### Early life

[edit]

Aureolus was born in the Roman province of Dacia, north of the Danube, and prior to his military career served as a herdsman[5] as well as Master of the Imperial Horses ('Phronistes').[2] His nomen is often reported as Acilius, while his praenomen is thought to be either Marcus or Manius,[6] both of which were common praenomina within the Acilia gens. Although some historians such as John Platts, William A'Beckett and Angelo Paredi have thought the 'M' to stand for a second nomen Manlius.[7][8][9]

It is unclear whether Aurelous came to the attention of the Emperor Gallienus after enlisting in the army, or during his service as a groom. Gallienus was known to promote talent from outside the establishment, and Aureolus was one of the New Men who replaced senators in positions of high command in the army in the course of his reign.

### Career

[edit]

As a former Imperial Horsemaster, Aureolus developed a self-contained cavalry force to increase the effectiveness of the comitatus as a highly mobile field army under the Emperor's direct control. Aureolus was the first commander of this force under the Emperor, and was based at Mediolanum (Milan).[10]

Aureolus' cavalry was principally responsible for the defeat of the usurper Ingenuus at the Battle of Mursa (Osijek) in 258. In 261, he commanded the force which defeated the army of the usurpers Macrianus Major and Macrianus Minor in battle somewhere in the central Balkans. The army of the Macriani, which first supported usurper Ingenuus and then Regalianus, included inmates from garrisons in Danubian provinces and was estimated to be at least 30,000 strong.

The success of Aureolus in suppressing the Macriani is thought by some historians to have undermined the achievements of Gallienus. Other historians suggest that at this time Gallienus was attempting to crush the Gallic usurper Postumus, who murdered Gallienus's son Caesar Saloninus, and clear the Juthungi out of the Alpine province of Raetia where they posed a direct threat to Italy and Rome.

### Rebellion

[edit]

After the Macriani were defeated and the Danubian garrison forces who had supported them were pacified, Aureolus and the Emperor united to defeat Postumus and his Gallic Empire. It may have been as a result of this campaign that the province of Raetia was recovered from the Gallic Empire and Postumus's inscription on the Augsburg Altar was erased.[11] However, Postumus managed to evade complete defeat, which some historians blame on the alleged 'carelessness' of Aureolus. Other historians have suggested that Aureolus deliberately allowed the Gallic usurper to evade destruction to see Gallienus displaced as Emperor.

Zosimus[3] reported that Aureolus and two other officers conspired against Gallienus, but that all of them were punished and submitted, except Aureolus, who retained his anger against the emperor. The reasons for this are unknown, though it is speculated that as a Dacian Aureolus resented Gallienus for using the Dacian garrison to reinforce his field army for the defence of Italy, compounding the problems of barbarian incursions into Dacia. Despite his failure to destroy Postumus in Gaul, Aureolus was given sole responsibility for the campaign against the Macriani. However, when the Goths and Heruls invaded the Danubian provinces with an enormous force in 268, Aureolus was not even a senior officer of the Imperial comitatus that accompanied the Emperor against the marauders. He was instead made commander of the Raetian garrison while his cavalry went east with the Emperor under the command of Claudius (later the Emperor Claudius Gothicus) or Aurelian, who also became Emperor in due course.

Losing command of the elite cavalry is thought to have been a humiliating demotion for Aureolus, who deserted his Alpine command and invaded Italy and took his old base at Mediolanum. This treason caused Gallienus to break off his campaign against the Goths in the Balkans at a most critical moment to return to Italy to deal with Aureolus. Historians believe the longer-term consequences of Aureolus' rebellion opened Raetia to further invasion by the Alamanni who then went on to raid Italy itself in the early months of the reign of Claudius Gothicus. It may have been at this time that the Agri Decumates, the Roman lands north-east of the upper Rhine, were lost to the Empire.

From Mediolanum, Aureolus invited Postumus to challenge Gallienus for the Empire with his support. Using the Imperial mint in Mediolanum, Aureolus had coins struck bearing Postumus's image as Emperor with appeals to the faith of his former comrades of the cavalry on the reverse. Postumus ignored his invitation and Aureolus, unsupported by the Gallic usurper, was defeated by Gallienus in a battle on the river Adda east of Milan at a place known for centuries as Pontirolo (from Latin Pons Aureoli i.e. 'The Bridge of Aureolus'). He was then besieged in Mediolanum by Gallienus' military comitatus, including the cavalry which Aureolus had created.

### Death

[edit]

Following the conspiracy by the Praetorian Prefect, together with Aurelius Heraclianus, Claudius and Aurelian which saw Gallienus murdered, Aureolus as one of the Thirty Tyrants is thought to have attempted to take power himself.

Aureolus surrendered to Claudius Gothicus, who succeeded Gallienus as Emperor. Before Claudius could decide his sentence, Aureolus was murdered by Claudius' Praetorian Guard as revenge for his rebellion against Gallienus.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Magie, D., ed. (1953). Scriptores Historiae Augustae (Historia Augusta), 3 vols. London: Heinemann.
2. ^ a b Dindorf, L., ed. (1870). Zonaras, 'Epitome Historiarum'. Leipzig: Teubner.
3. ^ a b Mendelssohn, ed. (1967). Zozimus, 'Historia Nova'. Translated by Buchanan, J.; Davis, H.T. San Antonio, Texas: Trinity University Press.
4. ^ Bray, John (1997). Gallienus: A study in reformist and sexual politics. Adelaide: Wakefield Press.
5. ^ Zonaras, Op. Cit. xii, 24.
6. ^ Vagi, David L. (2000). Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, C. 82 B.C.–A.D. 480: History. Vol. 1 (illustrated ed.). Taylor & Francis. p. 389\. ISBN 9781579583163.
7. ^ Platts, John (1825). A New Universal Biography, Containing Interesting Accounts. Vol. 2\. Sherwood, Jones, and Company. p. 184.
8. ^ A'Beckett, William (1836). A Universal Biography: Including Scriptural, Classical and Mythological Memoirs, Together with Accounts of Many Eminent Living Characters: the Whole Newly Compiled and Composed from the Most Recent and Authentic Sources; in Three Volumes. Vol. 1\. Isaac, Tuckey, and Company. p. 295.
9. ^ Paredi, Angelo (1964). Saint Ambrose: His Life and Times. University of Notre Dame Press. p. 98\. ISBN 9780268002398. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
10. ^ Strobel, Karl (2007), "Strategy and Army Structure Between Septimius Severus and Constantine the Great", A Companion to the Roman Army, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 267–285, doi:10.1002/9780470996577.ch16, ISBN 978-0-470-99657-7, retrieved 2021-12-10
11. ^ RJB (2003). "Gallic Consuls". Forum Ancient Coins.

* v
* t
* e

Roman and Byzantine emperors and empresses regnant

Principate
27 BC – AD 235|

* Augustus
* Tiberius
* Caligula
* Claudius
* Nero
* Galba
* Otho
* Vitellius
* Vespasian
* Titus
* Domitian
* Nerva
* Trajan
* Hadrian
* Antoninus Pius
* Marcus Aurelius
* Lucius Verus
* Commodus
* Pertinax
* Didius Julianus
* Septimius Severus
* Caracalla
* Geta
* Macrinus (w. Diadumenian)
* Elagabalus
* Severus Alexander

Crisis
235–284|

* Maximinus I
* Gordian I
* Gordian II
* Pupienus
* Balbinus
* Gordian III
* Philip I (w. Philip II)
* Decius (w. Herennius Etruscus)
* Trebonianus Gallus (w. Hostilian & Volusianus)
* Aemilianus
* Silbannacus (?)
* Valerian
* Gallienus (w. Saloninus)
* Claudius II
* Quintillus
* Aurelian
* Tacitus
* Florianus
* Probus
* Carus
* Carinus
* Numerian

Later Roman Empire
284–641|

* Diocletian
* Maximian
* Galerius
* Constantius I
* Severus II
* Constantine I
* Maxentius
* Licinius
* Maximinus II
* Valerius Valens
* Martinian
* Constantine II
* Constantius II
* Constans I
* Magnentius
* Nepotianus
* Vetranio
* Julian
* Jovian
* Valentinian I
* Valens
* Procopius
* Gratian
* Theodosius I
* Valentinian II
* Magnus Maximus (w. Victor)
* Eugenius

| Western Empire
395–476|

* Honorius
* Constantine III (w. Constans II)
* Priscus Attalus
* Constantius III
* Joannes
* Valentinian III
* Petronius Maximus
* Avitus
* Majorian
* Severus III
* Anthemius
* Olybrius
* Glycerius
* Julius Nepos
* Romulus Augustulus

|

Eastern Empire
395–641|

* Arcadius
* Theodosius II
* Marcian
* Leo I
* Leo II
* Zeno
* Basiliscus (w. Marcus)
* Anastasius I
* Justin I
* Justinian I
* Justin II
* Tiberius II Constantine
* Maurice (w. Theodosius)
* Phocas
* Heraclius

Eastern/
Byzantine Empire
641–1453|

* Constantine III
* Heraclonas (w. Tiberius)
* Constans II
* Constantine IV (w. Heraclius & Tiberius)
* Justinian II
* Leontius
* Tiberius III
* Justinian II (w. Tiberius)
* Philippicus
* Anastasius II
* Theodosius III
* Leo III
* Constantine V
* Artabasdos (w. Nikephoros)
* Leo IV
* Constantine VI
* Irene
* Nikephoros I
* Staurakios
* Michael I Rangabe (w. Theophylact & Staurakios)
* Leo V (w. Constantine)
* Michael II
* Theophilos (w. Constantine)
* Michael III (w. Thekla)
* Basil I (w. Constantine)
* Leo VI
* Alexander
* Constantine VII
* Romanos I Lekapenos (w. Christopher, Romanos (?), Stephen & Constantine Lekapenos)
* Romanos II
* Nikephoros II Phokas
* John I Tzimiskes
* Basil II
* Constantine VIII
* Zoe
* Romanos III Argyros
* Michael IV
* Michael V
* Constantine IX Monomachos
* Theodora
* Michael VI Bringas
* Isaac I Komnenos
* Constantine X Doukas
* Eudokia Makrembolitissa
* Romanos IV Diogenes (w. Leo & Nikephoros)
* Michael VII Doukas (w. Andronikos, Konstantios & Constantine Doukas)
* Nikephoros III Botaneiates
* Alexios I Komnenos (w. Constantine Doukas)
* John II Komnenos (w. Alexios)
* Manuel I Komnenos
* Alexios II Komnenos
* Andronikos I Komnenos (w. John)
* Isaac II Angelos
* Alexios III Angelos
* Alexios IV Angelos
* Alexios V Doukas
* Theodore I Laskaris (w. Nicholas)
* John III Vatatzes
* Theodore II Laskaris
* John IV Laskaris
* Michael VIII Palaiologos
* Andronikos II Palaiologos (w. Irene)
* Michael IX Palaiologos
* Andronikos III Palaiologos
* John V Palaiologos (w. Anna)
* John VI Kantakouzenos (w. Matthew)
* Andronikos IV Palaiologos
* John VII Palaiologos (w. Andronikos V)
* Manuel II Palaiologos
* John VIII Palaiologos
* Constantine XI Palaiologos

See also|

* Gallic emperors (260–274)
* Palmyrene emperors (271–273)
* Britannic emperors (286–296)
* Trapezuntine emperors (1204–1461)
* Thessalonian emperors (1224–1242)
* Empresses
* Augustae
* Usurpers
* Classical
* Eastern

Italics indicates a junior co-emperor, underlining indicates an emperor variously regarded as either legitimate or a usurper
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template