Aemilianus (Latin: Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus Augustus; c. 207/213 – 253),
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.
He then moved quickly to Italy, where he defeated Emperor Trebonianus Gallus,
only to be killed by his own men when another general, Valerian, proclaimed
himself Emperor and moved against Aemilian with a larger army.
Origins and military career:
Aemilian was born in the Roman province of Africa. According to the
4th century source Epitome de Caesaribus, he was born at Girba (modern
Djerba, an island off the coast of Tunisia) and was a Moor; a reference
in the same source hints that he was born around 207. The 12th century
historian Joannes Zonaras, who calls him a Libyan (that is, coming from
western Egypt-eastern Libya) rather than a Moor, and another chronicle
of the 13th century hold that he was forty at the time of his death in
Regarding his lineage, there are two versions, both exaggerated: while
Eutropius and his translator Paeanius probably defame a failed usurper
when they say that he was from an insignificant family, John of Antioch
may refer to Aemilian's propaganda when he says that the usurper used his
ancestry to take power. Aemilian married Cornelia Supera, a woman
of African origin; the year of their marriage is unknown, but since both
were from the same place, it is possible they married before Aemilian left
During the reign of Trebonianus Gallus and his son Volusianus (251–253),
Aemilian was sent to the Balkans to command an army. His primary
responsibility was to assure peace along the Danube frontier, which had
been subject to several attacks by the Goths led by king Cniva.
Gallus secured the throne after the death of emperor Decius at the hands
of Cniva in the Battle of Abrittus, and later had to manage an outbreak
of plague that devastated Rome. He was not popular with the army,
mainly due to humiliating treaties signed in 251 with the Goths and King
Shapur I of Persia who attacked Syria. According to John of Antioch,
upon his appointment to the Moesian command, Aemilian was already envious
of Gallus and plotted treachery against him. He was also an opponent of
the Roman Senate, and his seditious plans are confirmed by Jerome and Jordanes.
Victory against the Goths, overthrow of Gallus, short
rule and death of Aemilian:
In 253, the Goths, led by king Cniva, claimed they had not received the
tribute due from the Romans according to the treaty of 251. They
crossed the border and attacked Cappadocia, Pessinus, and Ephesus.
Modern historians believe that this missing payment was not a change in
Roman policy, and the Goths were more likely trying to capitalize on their
military prowess. Aemilian had command of the army assigned to defend
the area, but the recent defeat at the Battle of Abrittus put his troops
on edge. Aemilian exhorted them, reminding them of Roman honor (according
to Zosimus) and promising tribute from the Goths (according to Zonaras).
The Romans took the Goths by surprise, killing most of them, followed by
an invasion of Goth territory resulting in booty and the liberation of
prisoners. The Roman soldiers, gathered by Aemilian, acclaimed him
Emperor. Jordanes claims, however, that Aemilian's troops plundered
Roman territory, rather than keep the tribute of the Goths.
With his few men, Aemilian left his province unguarded and moved quickly
towards Rome to meet the legitimate emperor Gallus before the latter could
receive reinforcements. While Aemilian descended upon Rome along
the Flaminian Way, Gallus and Volusianus had him proclaimed "enemy of the
State" by the Roman senate, then exited Rome to meet the usurper.
This strategy suggests that Aemilian's army was smaller than theirs, as
they probably did not expect reinforcements to come in time but trusted
their larger army to win the clash. The two armies met at Interamna
Nahars (modern Terni), at the southern end of the eastern branch of the
Flaminia, and Aemilian won the battle; Gallus and Volusianus fled to the
north with a few followers, probably as a delay tactic before the arrival
of reinforcements, but at Forum Flaminii (modern San Giovanni Profiamma),
on the western branch of Flaminia, they were killed by some of their own
guards, who thought that their betrayal could earn them a reward.
Aemilian continued towards Rome. The Roman senate, after a short
opposition, decided to recognize him as emperor. According to some
sources, Aemilian then wrote to the Senate, promising to fight for the
Empire in Thrace and against Persia, and to relinquish his power to the
Senate, of which he considered himself a general. Aemilian received
the titles of Pius, Felix and Pater Patriae, the tribunicia potestas, and
was elevated to the rank of pontifex maximus; he was not, however, elevated
to consulate (possibly a hint of his non-senatorial birth). His coinage
shows that his propaganda focused on his capability as a military commander—he
defeated the Goths when nobody thought this possible, and thus he was the
right man for the job of restoring the power of the Roman Empire.
However, Valerian, governor of the Rhine provinces, was on his way south
with an army which, according to Zosimus, had been called in as a reinforcement
by Gallus. But modern historians believe this army, possibly mobilized
for an incumbent campaign in the East, moved only after Gallus' death to
support Valerian's bid for power. Emperor Aemilian's men, fearful
of a civil war and Valerian's larger force, mutinied. They killed
Aemilian at Spoletium or at the Sanguinarium bridge, between Oriculum and
Narnia (half way between Spoletium and Rome), and recognized Valerian as
the new emperor. After Aemilian's death, which happened between late
July and mid-September, a damnatio memoriae against him was declared.
It is possible that the usurper Silbannacus was an officer left by Aemilian
in Rome before moving against Valerian, who later tried to become emperor
but then was killed.
The troubled administration of emperor Aemilian was perhaps best summed
up by Eutropius:
“Aemilianus came from an extremely insignificant
family, his reign was even more insignificant, and he was slain in the
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