Herennius Etruscus
| Herennius Etruscus | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Antoninianus of Etruscus as emperor. Legend: imp c q her etr mes decio aug. | |||||||||
| Roman emperor | |||||||||
| Reign | May–June 251 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Philip the Arab | ||||||||
| Successor | Trebonianus Gallus | ||||||||
| Co-emperor | Decius | ||||||||
| Died | c. June 251 Abritus | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Father | Decius | ||||||||
| Mother | Herennia Etruscilla | ||||||||
Quintus Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius (died June 251), known simply as Herennius Etruscus, was briefly
Life
Quintus Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius was the son of Decius, a Roman general who later became emperor, and Herennia Etruscilla, his wife. His birth date is sometimes given between 220 and 230, but there is no way to confirm this. Etruscus was probably a young boy when he was proclaimed emperor in 251, as depicted in his coins.[1]
Decius became emperor after being sent to lead troops in the provinces of Pannonia and Moesia, where he was declared emperor by his troops in September 249, in opposition to Philip the Arab. He led his troops against Philip, their forces meeting in September 249, near Verona, Italy. In this battle, Philip was slain, after which the Roman Senate declared Decius emperor, and honored him with the name Traianus, a reference to Emperor Trajan.[2][3]
Both Herennius Etruscus and his younger brother Hostilian were elevated to caesars in 250,[4] and in May 251 Herennius Etruscus was elevated to Augustus, making him co-emperor under Decius.[2] He was also made consul for 251.[3]
In 249, the
Decius and Herennius Etruscus launched a counterattack in spring 251 and were initially successful in pushing back the Goths. However, Cniva set an ambush for them, in June 251, near Abritus (modern-day Razgrad, Bulgaria).[5][8] In this battle, both Decius and Herennius Etruscus were killed. The exact circumstances of the death of Herennius Etruscus are vague. The main source for the event, Aurelius Victor, says only that Herennius Etruscus was killed when he "pressed the attack too boldly". Aurelius Victor specifies that he was acting as an imperator, commanding troops from a distance but not physically engaging in the combat, rather than a commilito, who physically fought in the battle. After the news of his death reached Decius, he refused to be consoled, stating that the loss of one life was minor to a battle, and thus continued the combat, in which he was also slain. The death of Decius is similarly obscure, although it is agreed upon that he must have died either during the battle, as a commilito, during the retreat from the battle, or else was slain while serving as imperator.[2][9] The reserve forces of Trebonianus Gallus failed to reinforce the main army in time to save Decius and Herennius Etruscus, although whether this was due to treachery or misfortune is unknown.[10]
After the death of both Decius and Herennius Etruscus, and much of the Roman army with them, the remaining forces immediately elected
References
Primary
- Anonymous in their Epitome de Caesaribus. (29.3).[13]
- Aurelius Victor in his De Caesaribus (29.5).[9][14]
- Jordanes in his Getica (18.103).[14]
- Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius in his De Mortibus Persecutorum (4).[13]
- Epitome Historiarum (12.20).[13]
Citations
- ^ Wood 1987, p. 126.
- ^ a b c d e Adkins & Adkins 1998, p. 28.
- ^ a b Chrystal 2015, p. 193.
- ^ Salisbury & Mattingly 1924, p. 15.
- ^ a b c d e Bunson 2014, p. 297.
- ^ a b Bunson 2014, p. 256.
- ^ Taylor 2016, p. 140.
- ^ Ivanov & Stojanof 1985, p. 1.
- ^ a b Hebblewhite 2016, p. 24.
- ^ Vagi 2000, p. 337.
- ^ a b Salisbury & Mattingly 1924, p. 16.
- ^ Bunson 2014, p. 266.
- ^ a b c Taylor 2016, p. 46.
- ^ a b Hebblewhite 2016, p. 32.
Bibliography
- Adkins, Lesley; Adkins, Roy A. (1998). Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195123326.
- Bunson, Matthew (2014). Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire. New York: Facts On File. ISBN 9781438110271.
- Chrystal, Paul (2015). Roman Military Disasters: Dark Days & Lost Legions. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473873964.
- Hebblewhite, Mark (2016). The Emperor and the Army in the Later Roman Empire, AD 235–395. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317034308.
- Ivanov, Teofil; Stojanof, Stojan (1985). Abritus, its History and Archaeology. Razgrad, Bulgaria: Cultural and Historical Heritage Directorate. OCLC 15631456.
- Salisbury, F. S.; Mattingly, H. (1924). "The Reign of Trajan Decius". The Journal of Roman Studies. 14 (1–2): 1–23. S2CID 163083500.
- Taylor, Donathan (2016). Roman Empire at War: A Compendium of Roman Battles from 31 B.C. to A.D. 565. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473869110.
- Vagi, David L. (2000). Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, C. 82 B.C.--A.D. 480: History. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn. ISBN 9781579583163.
- Wood, Susan (1987). "Child-Emperors and Heirs to Power in Third-Century Portraiture". Ancient Portraits in the J. Paul Getty Museum: Volume 1. Getty. ISBN 9780892360710.
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