Pescennius Niger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pescennius Niger | ||
|---|---|---|
| Usurper of the Roman Empire | ||
 |
||
| Coin of Pescennius Niger | ||
| Reign | 193 - 194 | |
| Born | c. 140 | |
| Died | 194 | |
| Predecessor | Didius Julianus | |
| Successor | Septimius Severus | |
| Dynasty | None | |
Pescennius Niger (c. 140–194) was a Roman usurper from 193 to 194. The name "Niger" means "black", contrasting him with one of his rivals for the throne, Clodius Albinus, whose name means "white". (Niger born of an Italian equestrian family as is written in Cassius Dio's Book 75 and described as a "black man" in some translations. Since the ethnic make-up of Italians during that era consisted of Indo-European and Etruscan stock it may imply simply skin tone rather than racial background. However, it is probably just a pun on his name, as Cassius Dio says that a priest prophecied that a "black man" would seize the throne and meet his end by violence, and people decided that it referred to Niger due to his name.)
Niger, an Italian of the equestrian order, was a governor of Syria who was proclaimed emperor by the eastern legions after the murder of Pertinax and the auctioning off of the imperial title to Didius Julianus. Among the provinces that fell under his direct control was Aegyptus, and he also enjoyed support from the government of Asia. Although these lands contained great wealth, another rebel general, Septimius Severus, succeeding in taking Rome first, and he then marched east to confront Niger. Niger was defeated at Cyzicus and Nicea (193) and then, definitively, at Issus (194); forced to retreat to Antioch, Niger was killed while attempting to flee to Parthia.
Contents |
[edit] References
- Southern, Pat. The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine. London and New York: Routledge, 2001.
[edit] Primary sources
[edit] Secondary material
[edit] External links
Media on Pescennius Niger in the Wikicommons.
| Preceded by Didius Julianus; |
Year of the Five Emperors 193 in competition with Septimius Severus and Clodius Albinus |
Succeeded by Septimus Severus |
