Marcus Annius Florianus(died 276), also known asFlorian,wasRoman emperorfrom the death of his half-brother,Emperor Tacitus,in July 276 until his own murder in September of that year.
| Florianus | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||
| Roman emperor | |||||||||
| Reign | c.July–September 276 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Tacitus | ||||||||
| Successor | Probus | ||||||||
| Died | c.September 276[1] Tarsus,Cilicia | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Florianus was the maternal half-brother of Tacitus, who was proclaimed emperor in late 275 after the unexpected death of EmperorAurelian.After Tacitus died the following year, allegedly assassinated as a consequence of a military plot, Florianus proclaimed himself emperor, with the recognition of theRoman Senateand much of the empire. However, the new emperor soon had to deal with the revolt ofProbus,who rose up shortly after Florianus ascended the throne, with the backing of the provinces ofEgypt,Syria,Palestine,andPhoenicia.Probus took advantage of the terrain of theCilician Gates,and the hot climate of the area, to which Florianus' army was unaccustomed, to chip away at their morale. Florianus' army rose up against him and killed him.
History
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In late 275, Florianus' maternal half-brother,Tacitus,was proclaimed Roman Emperor after the unexpected death of EmperorAurelian.Soon after, Tacitus appointed Florianus aspraetorian prefect.[3][4]Tacitus then ordered Florianus to lead troops toPannonia,in order to repel raids into Roman territory by theGoths.[5]After Tacitus died suddenly in July 276, allegedly as a consequence of a military plot, Florianus swiftly proclaimed himself emperor, and was recognized as such by theRoman Senateand the western provinces.[6]Florianus then continued to campaign against the Goths, winning a major victory before the news reached him of the revolt ofProbus,who had served successfully as a commander under both Aurelian and Tacitus. Probus' revolt was supported by the provinces ofEgypt,Syria,Palestine,andPhoenicia.[6]
Probus took advantage of his control of Egyptian grain, which he used to swiftly cut off the supply of grain to the rest of the empire. He led his troops toAsia Minor,in order to defend theCilician Gates,allowing him to utilizeguerrilla tacticsto wage awar of attritionrather than a straightforward confrontation. Florianus led his troops toCilicia,andbilletedhis forces inTarsus.However, many of his troops, who were unaccustomed to the hot climate of the area, fell ill due to a summer heat wave. Upon learning of this, Probus launched raids around the city, in order to weaken the morale of Florianus' forces. This strategy was successful, and Florianus lost control of his army, which rose up against him and killed him.[6]Florianus' reign lasted less than three months, 88 days according to theChronograph of 354[7]and 80 days according toEutropius.[8]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^Peachin, Michael (1990).Roman Imperial Titulature and Chronology, A.D. 235–284.Amsterdam: Gieben. pp.46–47.ISBN90-5063-034-0.
- ^Cooley, Alison E.(2012).The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy.Cambridge University Press. p. 500.ISBN978-0-521-84026-2.
- ^Meijer 2004,p. 102.
- ^Hebblewhite 2016,p. 11.
- ^Bédoyère 2017,p. 259.
- ^abcMeijer 2004,p. 103.
- ^Filocalus,Chronograph of 354,Part 16:"Florian ruled 88 days. He was killed at Tharsus."
- ^Eutropius,9:16[usurped]."Florianus, who succeeded Tacitus, was on the throne only two months and twenty days, and did nothing worthy of mention.
Bibliography
edit- Bédoyère, Guy de la (2017).Praetorian: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Imperial Bodyguard.Yale University Press.ISBN9780300226270.
- Hebblewhite, Mark (2016).The Emperor and the Army in the Later Roman Empire, AD 235–395.Taylor & Francis.ISBN9781317034308.
- Meijer, Fik (2004).Emperors Don't Die in Bed.Routledge.ISBN9780415312011.
- Syvanne, Ilkka (2015).Military History of Late Rome 284-361.Pen and Sword.ISBN9781848848559.
External links
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Media related toFlorianusat Wikimedia Commons