Crispus
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Crispus | |
---|---|
Constantine I | |
Mother | Minervina |
Religion | Greco-Roman religion |
Flavius Julius Crispus (
Crispus's
According to the Latin histories of
Early life
While Crispus’ year of birth is nowhere outright stated, he must have been born before 307.[3] By that time, his mother Minervina was either dead or set aside, as his father Constantine was married to Maximian’s daughter Fausta.
Constantine entrusted his eldest son’s education to Lactantius, one of the most important Christian teachers of that time.[3]
Career
By 313, there were two remaining augusti in control of the Roman Empire—Constantine in the west and his brother-in-law Licinius in the east. On 1 March 317, the two co-reigning augusti jointly proclaimed three new caesares: Crispus, alongside his younger half-brother Constantine II, and his first cousin Licinius Iunior.[4] Constantine appointed Crispus as Commander of Gaul.[5] The new caesar soon held residence in Augusta Treverorum (modern Trier), regional capital of Germania.
By October 322, Crispus was already married to a woman named Helena, as she bore him a child in that month. The Codex Theodosianus recorded Constantine’s celebration of the event.[3]
Crispus was leader in victorious military operations against the
Crispus spent the following years assisting Constantine in the war against by then hostile Licinius. In 324, Constantine appointed Crispus as the commander of his fleet which left the port of Piraeus to confront Licinius' fleet. The subsequent Battle of the Hellespont was fought at the straits of Bosporus. The 200 ships under the command of Crispus managed to decisively defeat the enemy forces, which were at least double in number. Thus Crispus achieved his most important and difficult victory which further established his reputation as a brilliant general.[6]
Following his navy activities, Crispus was assigned part of the legions loyal to his father. The other part was commanded by Constantine himself. Crispus led the legions assigned to him in another victorious battle outside Chrysopolis against the armies of Licinius.
The two victories were his contribution to the final triumph of his father over Licinius. Constantine was the only augustus left in the Empire. He honoured his son for his support and success by depicting his face in imperial coins, statues, mosaics, cameos, etc. Eusebius of Caesaria wrote for Crispus that he is "an Imperator most dear to God and in all regards comparable to his father,” going as far as to compare their relationship to God the Father and God the Son.[7]
Execution
In 326, Crispus' life came to a sudden end. On his father's orders he was executed, apparently without trial, at Pola, Istria, in the Augustan regio of Venetia et Histria.[8] According to Sidonius Apollinaris and Gregory of Tours, Crispus died through poison.[9][10] Soon afterwards, Constantine had his wife Fausta killed also, according to several sources in a hot bath or bathroom.[11] Both Crispus and Fausta suffered damnatio memoriae, their names being erased from inscriptions.[12]
The reason for these deaths remain unclear. The accounts of
Pohlsander observed that Crispus “must have committed, or at least must have been suspected of having committed, some especially shocking offense to earn him a sentence of death from his own father.”[3] J. W. Drijvers concludes that the true explanation will never be known.[18]
In literature
Crispus became a popular tragic hero after the success of Bernardino Stefonio's neo-Latin tragedy Crispus, which was performed at the
References
Citations
- ^ Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 409.
- ^ Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 233.
- ^ a b c d Hans Pohlsander, Crispus Caesar (317-326 A.D.)
- ^ Pohlsander 1984, p. 86.
- ^ a b Pohlsander 1984, p. 87.
- ^ Pohlsander 1984, p. 88.
- ^ Pohlsander 1984, p. 98.
- ^ Guthrie 1966, p. 325.
- ^ Pohlsander 1984, p. 100.
- ^ Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks I.36
- ^ Woods 1998, p. 71-72.
- ^ Woods 1998, p. 72.
- ^ Pohlsander 1984, p. 101.
- ^ a b Woods 1998, p. 73.
- ^ Pohlsander 1984, p. 104.
- ^ Pohlsander 1996, p. 53-54.
- ^ Woods 1998, p. 78–80.
- ^ Woods 1998, p. 74.
- ^ Marc Fumaroli, Heros et orateurs. Rhetoriques et dramaturgie corneliennes, Geneva: Droz, 1996
Sources
- Guthrie, Patrick (1966). "The Execution of Crispus". Phoenix. 20 (4): 325–331. JSTOR 1087057.
- ISBN 0-521-07233-6.
- Pohlsander, Hans A. (1984). "Crispus: Brilliant Career and Tragic End". Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte. 33 (1): 79–106. JSTOR 4435872.
- Pohlsander, Hans A. (1996). The Emperor Constantine. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-31938-2.
- Torino, Alessio (2008). Bernardinus Stephonius S.J. Crispus-tragoedia. Rome: Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
- Woods, David (1998). "On the Death of the Empress Fausta". Greece & Rome. 45 (1): 70–86. .