Domitianus (usurper)
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| Domitianus | |
| Emperor of the Gallic Empire | |
| Reign | c. 271 |
|---|---|
| Full name | Imperator Caesar Domitianvs Pivs Felix Avgvstvs |
| Died | c. 271 |
| Predecessor | Victorinus |
| Successor | Tetricus I |
Domitianus (Latin: IMPERATOR CAESAR DOMITIANVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS, "Imperator Caesar Domitianus, Pious, Fortunate, Augustus"; d. c. 271) was a Roman military commander who declared himself emperor of the secessionist Gallic Empire (the provinces of Gaul and Britain) for a short time in about 271.
The only historical references for his existence were by Zosimus (i 49) and in the Historia Augusta (12.14). Neither source mentions he was an emperor with both referring to him as a high-ranking army officer punished for treason by the Emperor Aurelian.[1]
Non-literary evidence for Domitianus' existence and rule is limited to two coins, one discovered in the Loire area of France in 1900 and which was thought at the time to be a forgery, and one discovered by an amateur metal detectorist; fused in a pot with some 5,000 other coins of the period 250-275 — thus providing incontrovertible provenance — in the village of Chalgrove in Oxfordshire, England, in 2003.[2]
It is thought that Domitianus' rule may have lasted as little as a few days. He appears to have been liquidated for treason by the Emperor Aurelian, perhaps for having the coins made.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Mystery Roman emperor shows his face February 26, 2004
- ^ The coin, and its accompanying hoard, have been acquired by the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. On the reverse, it shows Concordia, and has the legend CONCORDIA MILITVM, a propagandistic claim that the army was united behind Domitian.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Victorinus |
Emperor of the Gallic Empire 271 |
Succeeded by Tetricus I |
