Item: i54264
Authentic Ancient Coin of:
Septimius Severus - Roman Emperor: 193-211 A.D. -
Silver Denarius 17mm (3.50 grams) Emesa mint: 194-195 A.D.
Reference: RIC 383b(var.)
IMPCAELSEPSEVPERTAVGCOSII - Laureate head right.
FORTVNREDVC - Fortuna standing left, holding palm and cornucopia. [RIC unlisted reverse legend].
You are buying the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Fortuna (Latin: Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) was the goddess of fortune and personification of luck in Roman religion. She might bring good luck or bad: she could be represented as veiled and blind, as in modern depictions of Justice, and came to represent life's capriciousness. She was also a goddess of fate: as Atrox Fortuna, she claimed the young lives of the princeps Augustus' grandsons Gaius and Lucius, prospective heirs to the Empire.
Her father was said to be Jupiter and like him, she could also be bountiful . As Annonaria she protected grain supplies. June 11 was sacred to her: on June 24 she was given cult at the festival of Fors Fortuna.
Cult
Fortuna and Pontos
Fortuna's Roman cult was variously attributed to Servius Tullius – whose exceptional good fortune suggested their sexual intimacy – and to Ancus Marcius. The two earliest temples mentioned in Roman Calendars were outside the city, on the right bank of the Tiber (in Italian Trastevere). The first temple dedicated to Fors was attributed to the Etruscan Servius Tullius, while the second is known to have been built in 293 BC as the fulfilment of a Roman promise made during later Etruscan wars The date of dedication of her temples was 24 June, or Midsummer’s Day, when celebrants from Rome annually floated to the temples downstream from the city. After undisclosed rituals they then rowed back, garlanded and inebriated. Also Fortuna had a temple at the Forum Boarium. Here Fortuna was twinned with the cult of Mater Matuta (the goddesses shared a festival on 11 June), and the paired temples have been revealed in the excavation beside the church of Sant'Omobono: the cults are indeed archaic in date. Fortuna Primigenia of Praeneste was adopted by Romans at the end of 3rd BC in an important cult of Fortuna Publica Populi Romani (the Official Good Luck of the Roman People) on the Quirinalis outside the Porta Collina. No temple at Rome, however, rivalled the magnificence of the Praenestine sanctuary.
File:Allegory of Fortune mg 0010.jpg
Fortuna lightly balances the orb of sovereignty between thumb and finger in a Dutch painting of ca 1530
(Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg)
Fortuna's identity as personification of chance events was closely tied to virtus (strength of character). Public officials who lacked virtues invited ill-fortune on themselves and Rome: Sallust uses the infamous Catiline as illustration – "Truly, when in the place of work, idleness, in place of the spirit of measure and equity, caprice and pride invade, fortune is changed just as with morality".
An oracle at the Temple of Fortuna Primigena in Praeneste used a form of divination in which a small boy picked out one of various futures that were written on oak rods. Cults to Fortuna in her many forms are attested throughout the Roman world. Dedications have been found to Fortuna Dubia (doubtful fortune), Fortuna Brevis (fickle or wayward fortune) and Fortuna Mala (bad fortune).
She is found in a variety of domestic and personal contexts. During the early Empire, an amulet from the House of Menander in Pompeii links her to the Egyptian goddess Isis, as Isis-Fortuna.[11] She is functionally related to the God Bonus Eventus, who is often represented as her counterpart: both appear on amulets and intaglio engraved gems across the Roman world.
Her name seems to derive from Vortumna
The cornucopia (from Latin cornu copiae) or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, nuts, other edibles, or wealth in some form. Originating in classical antiquity, it has continued as a symbol in Western art, and it is particularly associated with the Thanksgiving holiday in North America.
Allegorical depiction of the Roman goddess Abundantia with a cornucopia, by Rubens (ca. 1630)
In Mythology
Mythology offers multiple explanations of the origin of the cornucopia. One of the best-known involves the birth and nurturance of the infant Zeus, who had to be hidden from his devouring father Cronus. In a cave on Mount Ida on the island of Crete, baby Zeus was cared for and protected by a number of divine attendants, including the goat Amalthea ("Nourishing Goddess"), who fed him with her milk. The suckling future king of the gods had unusual abilities and strength, and in playing with his nursemaid accidentally broke off one of her horns, which then had the divine power to provide unending nourishment, as the foster mother had to the god.
In another myth, the cornucopia was created when Heracles (Roman Hercules) wrestled with the river god Achelous and wrenched off one of his horns; river gods were sometimes depicted as horned. This version is represented in the Achelous and Hercules mural painting by the American Regionalist artist Thomas Hart Benton.
The cornucopia became the attribute of several Greek and Roman deities, particularly those associated with the harvest, prosperity, or spiritual abundance, such as personifications of Earth (Gaia or Terra); the child Plutus, god of riches and son of the grain goddess Demeter; the nymph Maia; and Fortuna, the goddess of luck, who had the power to grant prosperity. In Roman Imperial cult, abstract Roman deities who fostered peace (pax Romana) and prosperity were also depicted with a cornucopia, including Abundantia, "Abundance" personified, and Annona, goddess of the grain supply to the city of Rome. Pluto, the classical ruler of the underworld in the mystery religions, was a giver of agricultural, mineral and spiritual wealth, and in art often holds a cornucopia to distinguish him from the gloomier Hades, who holds a drinking horn instead.
Modern depictions
In modern depictions, the cornucopia is typically a hollow, horn-shaped wicker basket filled with various kinds of festive fruit and vegetables. In North America, the cornucopia has come to be associated with Thanksgiving and the harvest. Cornucopia is also the name of the annual November Wine and Food celebration in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Two cornucopias are seen in the flag and state seal of Idaho. The Great Seal of North Carolina depicts Liberty standing and Plenty holding a cornucopia. The coat of arms of Colombia, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, and the Coat of Arms of the State of Victoria, Australia, also feature the cornucopia, symbolising prosperity.
The horn of plenty is used on body art and at Halloween, as it is a symbol of fertility, fortune and abundance.
Base of a statue of
Louis XV of France
Lucius Septimius Severus (or rarely Severus I) (April 11, 145/146-February 4, 211) was a Roman general, and Roman Emperor from April 14, 193 to 211. He was born in what is now the Berber part of Rome's historic Africa Province.
Septimius Severus was born and raised at Leptis Magna (modern Berber, southeast of Carthage, modern Tunisia). Severus came from a wealthy, distinguished family of equestrian rank. Severus was of Italian Roman ancestry on his mother's side and of Punic or Libyan-Punic ancestry on his father's. Little is known of his father, Publius Septimius Geta, who held no major political status but had two cousins who served as consuls under emperor Antoninus Pius. His mother, Fulvia Pia's family moved from Italy to North Africa and was of the Fulvius gens, an ancient and politically influential clan, which was originally of plebeian status. His siblings were a younger Publius Septimius Geta and Septimia Octavilla. Severus’s maternal cousin was Praetorian Guard and consul Gaius Fulvius Plautianus.
In 172, Severus was made a Senator by the then emperor Marcus Aurelius. In 187 he married secondly Julia Domna. In 190 Severus became consul, and in the following year received from the emperor Commodus (successor to Marcus Aurelius) the command of the legions in Pannonia.
On the murder of Pertinax by the troops in 193, they proclaimed Severus Emperor at Carnuntum, whereupon he hurried to Italy. The former emperor, Didius Julianus, was condemned to death by the Senate and killed, and Severus took possession of Rome without opposition.
The legions of Syria, however, had proclaimed Pescennius Niger emperor. At the same time, Severus felt it was reasonable to offer Clodius Albinus, the powerful governor of Britannia who had probably supported Didius against him, the rank of Caesar, which implied some claim to succession. With his rearguard safe, he moved to the East and crushed Niger's forces at the Battle of Issus. The following year was devoted to suppressing Mesopotamia and other Parthian vassals who had backed Niger. When afterwards Severus declared openly his son Caracalla as successor, Albinus was hailed emperor by his troops and moved to Gallia. Severus, after a short stay in Rome, moved northwards to meet him. On February 19, 197, in the Battle of Lugdunum, with an army of 100,000 men, mostly composed of Illyrian, Moesian and Dacian legions, Severus defeated and killed Clodius Albinus, securing his full control over the Empire.
Emperor
Severus was at heart a soldier, and sought glory through military exploits. In 197 he waged a brief and successful war against the Parthian Empire in retaliation for the support given to Pescennius Niger. The Parthian capital Ctesiphon was sacked by the legions, and the northern half of Mesopotamia was restored to Rome.
His relations with the Roman Senate were never good. He was unpopular with them from the outset, having seized power with the help of the military, and he returned the sentiment. Severus ordered the execution of dozens of Senators on charges of corruption and conspiracy against him, replacing them with his own favorites.
He also disbanded the Praetorian Guard and replaced it with one of his own, made up of 50,000 loyal soldiers mainly camped at Albanum, near Rome (also probably to grant the emperor a kind of centralized reserve). During his reign the number of legions was also increased from 25/30 to 33. He also increased the number of auxiliary corps (numerii), many of these troops coming from the Eastern borders. Additionally the annual wage for a soldier was raised from 300 to 500 denarii.
Although his actions turned Rome into a military dictatorship, he was popular with the citizens of Rome, having stamped out the rampant corruption of Commodus's reign. When he returned from his victory over the Parthians, he erected the Arch of Septimius Severus in Rome.
According to Cassius Dio, however, after 197 Severus fell heavily under the influence of his Praetorian Prefect, Gaius Fulvius Plautianus, who came to have almost total control of most branches of the imperial administration. Plautianus's daughter, Fulvia Plautilla, was married to Severus's son, Caracalla. Plautianus’s excessive power came to an end in 205, when he was denounced by the Emperor's dying brother and killed. The two following praefecti, including the jurist Aemilius Papinianus, received however even larger powers.
Campaigns in Caledonia (Scotland)
Starting from 208 Severus undertook a number of military actions in Roman Britain, reconstructing Hadrian's Wall and campaigning in Scotland.
He reached the area of the Moray Firth in his last campaign in Caledonia, as was called Scotland by the Romans.. In 210 obtained a peace with the Picts that lasted practically until the final withdrawal of the Roman legions from Britain, before falling severely ill in Eboracum (York).
Death
He is famously said to have given the advice to his sons: "Be harmonious, enrich the soldiers, and scorn all other men" before he died at Eboracum on February 4, 211. Upon his death in 211, Severus was deified by the Senate and succeeded by his sons, Caracalla and Geta, who were advised by his wife Julia Domna. The stability Severus provided the Empire was soon gone under their reign.
Accomplishments and Record
Though his military expenditure was costly to the empire, Severus was the strong, able ruler that Rome needed at the time. He began a tradition of effective emperors elevated solely by the military. His policy of an expanded and better-rewarded army was criticized by his contemporary Dio Cassius and Herodianus: in particular, they pointed out the increasing burden (in the form of taxes and services) the civilian population had to bear to maintain the new army.
Severus was also distinguished for his buildings. Apart from the triumphal arch in the Roman Forum carrying his full name, he also built the Septizodium in Rome and enriched greatly his native city of Leptis Magna (including another triumphal arch on the occasion of his visit of 203).
Severus and Christianity
Christians were persecuted during the reign of Septimus Severus. Severus allowed the enforcement of policies already long-established, which meant that Roman authorities did not intentionally seek out Christians, but when people were accused of being Christians they could either curse Jesus and make an offering to Roman gods, or be executed. Furthermore, wishing to strengthen the peace by encouraging religious harmony through syncretism, Severus tried to limit the spread of the two quarrelsome groups who refused to yield to syncretism by outlawing conversion to Christianity or Judaism. Individual officials availed themselves of the laws to proceed with rigor against the Christians. Naturally the emperor, with his strict conception of law, did not hinder such partial persecution, which took place in Egypt and the Thebaid, as well as in Africa proconsularis and the East. Christian martyrs were numerous in Alexandria (cf. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, ii. 20; Eusebius, Church History, V., xxvi., VI., i.). No less severe were the persecutions in Africa, which seem to have begun in 197 or 198 (cf. Tertullian's Ad martyres), and included the Christians known in the Roman martyrology as the martyrs of Madaura. Probably in 202 or 203 Felicitas and Perpetua suffered for their faith. Persecution again raged for a short time under the proconsul Scapula in 211, especially in Numidia and Mauritania. Later accounts of a Gallic persecution, especially at Lyon, are legendary. In general it may thus be said that the position of the Christians under Septimius Severus was the same as under the Antonines; but the law of this Emperor at least shows clearly that the rescript of Trajan had failed to execute its purpose.
The Principate
Julio-Claudian dynasty
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
16 January 27 BC to 19 August AD 14
Augustus
19 August 14 to 16 March 37
Tiberius
18 March 37 to 24 January 41
Caligula
Murdered by Praetorian Guard
24 January 41 to 13 October 54
Claudius
Poisoned by his wife Agrippina, mother of Nero
13 October 54 to 11 June 68
Nero
Made a slave kill him
Year of the Four Emperors (Civil War)
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
8 June 68 to 15 January 69
Galba
Murdered in favour of Otho
15 January 69 to 16 April 69
Otho
Committed suicide
2 January 69 to 20 December 69
Vitellius
Murdered in favour of Vespasian
Flavian dynasty
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
1 July 69 to 24 June 79
Vespasian
24 June 79 to 13 September 81
Titus
Possibly assassinated by Domitian
14 September 81 to 18 September 96
Domitian
Assassinated
Nervan-Antonian dynasty
Main article: Five Good Emperors
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
18 September 96 to 27 January 98
Nerva
Proclaimed emperor by senate
28 January 98 to 7 August 117
Trajan
11 August 117 to 10 July 138
Hadrian
10 July 138 to 7 March 161
Antoninus Pius
7 March 161 to 17 March 180
Marcus Aurelius
7 March 161 to March 169
Lucius Verus
Co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius
175
Avidius Cassius
Usurper; ruled in Egypt and Syria; murdered by his own army
177 to 31 December 192
Commodus
Assassinated
Year of the Five Emperors & Severan dynasty
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
1 January 193 to 28 March 193
Pertinax
Proclaimed emperor by senate; murdered by Praetorian Guard
28 March 193 to 1 June 193
Didius Julianus
Proclaimed emperor by Praetorian Guard; executed on orders of the Senate
9 April 193 to 4 February 211
Septimius Severus
Proclaimed emperor by Pannonian troops; accepted by senate
193 to 194/195
Pescennius Niger
Proclaimed emperor by Syrian troops, defeated in battle by Septimius Severus
193/195 to 197
Clodius Albinus
Proclaimed emperor by British troops, defeated in battle by Septimius Severus
198 to 8 April 217
Caracalla
Assassinated at the behest of Macrinus
209 to 4 February 211
Geta
Co-emperor with Caracalla; assassinated on orders of Caracalla
11 April 217 to June 218
Macrinus
Proclaimed himself emperor; executed on orders of Elagabalus
May 217 to June 218
Diadumenian
Junior co-emperor under Macrinus; executed
June 218 to 222
Elagabalus
Proclaimed emperor by army; murdered by his own troops
13 March 222 to ?March 235
Alexander Severus
Murdered by his own troops
Rulers during the Crisis of the Third Century
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
February/March 235 to March/April 238
Maximinus Thrax
Proclaimed emperor by the army; murdered by Praetorian Guard
earlyJanuary/March 238 to lateJanuary/April 238
Gordian I
Proclaimed emperor in Africa; committed suicide after Gordian II's death
earlyJanuary March 238 to lateJanuary/April 238
Gordian II
Proclaimed emperor with Gordian I, killed in battle
earlyFebruary 238 to earlyMay 238
Pupienus
Proclaimed joint emperor by senate; murdered by Praetorian Guard
earlyFebruary 238 to earlyMay 238
Balbinus
Proclaimed joint emperor by senate; murdered by Praetorian Guard
May 238 to February 244
Gordian III
Nephew of Gordian II; death unclear, probably murdered
240
Sabinianus
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; defeated in battle
February 244 to September/October 249
Philip the Arab
Proclaimed emperor after death of Gordian III; killed in battle by Decius
248
Pacatianus
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; murdered by his own soldiers
248 to 249
Iotapianus
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor in the east; murdered by his own soldiers
248? or 253?
Silbannacus
Usurper; details essentially unknown
249 to June 251
Decius
Killed in battle
249 to 252
Priscus
Proclaimed himself emperor in the east in opposition to Decius
250 to 250
Licinianus
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Rome; rebellion suppressed
early251 to June 251
Herennius Etruscus
Junior co-emperor under Decius; killed in battle
251
Hostilian
Son of Decius; died of plague
June 251 to August 253
Gallus
Proclaimed emperor by his troops after Decius's death; murdered by them in favour of Aemilianus
July 251 to August 253
Volusianus
Junior co-emperor under Gallus; murdered by army
August 253 to October 253
Aemilian
Proclaimed emperor by his troops; murdered by them in favour of Valerian
253 to June 260
Valerian
Proclaimed emperor by his troops; captured in battle by the Persians; died in captivity
253 to September 268
Gallienus
Junior co-emperor under Valerian to 260; probably murdered by his generals
260
Saloninus
Son of Gallienus; proclaimed emperor by army; murdered shortly after by troops of Postumus
June 260 (or 258)
Ingenuus
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after Valerian's capture; defeated in battle
260
Regalianus
Usurper; proclaimed emperor after Ingenuus's defeat; fate unclear
260 to 261
Macrianus Major
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by eastern army; defeated and killed in battle
260 to 261
Macrianus Minor
Usurper; son of Macrianus Major; defeated and killed in battle
260 to 261
Quietus
Usurper; son of Macrianus Major; defeated and killed in battle
261 to 261 or 262
Mussius Aemilianus
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after the defeat of the Macriani; defeated and executed
268 to 268
Aureolus
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after Gallienus's death; surrendered to Claudius II Gothicus; murdered by Praetorian Guard
268 to August 270
Claudius II Gothicus
Proclaimed emperor by the army
August 270 to September 270
Quintillus
Proclaimed himself emperor; cause of death unclear
August 270 to 275
Aurelian
Proclaimed emperor by army; murdered by the Praetorian Guard
271 to 271
Septimius
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Dalmatia; killed by his own soldiers
November/December 275 to July 276
Tacitus
Appointed emperor by the Senate; possibly assassinated
July 276 to September 276
Florianus
Brother of Tacitus, proclaimed emperor by the western army; murdered by his troops
July 276 to lateSeptember 282
Probus
Proclaimed emperor by the eastern army; murdered by his own soldiers in favour of Carus
280
Julius Saturninus
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by his troops; then killed by them
280
Proculus
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor at the request of the people of Lugdunum; executed by Probus
280
Bonosus
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; defeated by Probus and committed suicide
September 282 to July/August 283
Carus
Proclaimed emperor by Praetorian guard
spring 283 to summer 285
Carinus
Son of Carus; co-emperor with Numerian; fate unclear
July/August 283 to November 284
Numerian
Son of Carus; co-emperor with Carinus; probably murdered
Gallic Empire 260 to 274
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
260 to 268
Postumus
Declared himself emperor after Valerian's death; killed by his own troops
268 to 268
Laelianus
Proclaimed himself emperor in opposition to Postumus; defeated and killed by Postumus
269 to 269
Marius
Proclaimed himself emperor after Postumus's death
269 to 271
Victorinus
Proclaimed emperor after Marius's death
270 to 271
Domitianus
Proclaimed himself emperor of the Gallic Empire
271 to 274
Tetricus I
Nominated heir to Victorinus
Britannic Empire 286 to 297
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
286 to 293
Carausius
Declared himself emperor; assassinated by Allectus
293 to 297
Allectus
Declared himself emperor after Carausius's death; defeated by Constantius Chlorus
Dominate
Tetrarchy and Constantinian dynasty
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
20 November 284 to 1 May 305
Diocletian
Declared emperor by the army after Numerian's death; Abdicated
1 April 286 to 1 May 305
Maximian
Made co-emperor ('Augustus') with Diocletian; abdicated
1 May 305 to 25 July 306
Constantius I Chlorus
Made junior co-emperor ('Caesar') under Maximian; became Augustus after his abdication
1 May 305 to May 311
Galerius
Made junior co-emperor ('Caesar') under Diocletian; became Augustus after his abdication
August 306 to 16 September 307
Severus II
Made junior co-emperor ('Caesar') under Constantius Chlorus; became Augustus after his death; executed by Maxentius
28 October 306 to 28 October 312
Maxentius
Son of Maximian; proclaimed Augustus by Praetorian Guard; defeated in battle by Constantine I
de jure: 307, de facto 312 to 22 May 337
Constantine I
Son of Constantius Chlorus; proclaimed Augustus by army
308-309?/311?
Domitius Alexander
Proclaimed emperor in Africa; defeated in battle by Maxentius
11 November 308 to 18 September 324
Licinius
Appointed Augustus by Galerius; deposed by Constantine I and executed
1 May 311 to July/August 313
Maximinus Daia
Made junior co-emperor ('Caesar') under Galerius; became Augustus after his death; defeated in battle by Licinius and committed suicide
December 316 to 1 March 317
Valerius Valens
Appointed co-Augustus by Licinius; executed by Licinius
July to 18 September 324
Martinianus
Appointed co-Augustus by Licinius; deposed by Constantine I and executed
337 to 340
Constantine II
Son of Constantine I; co-emperor with his brothers; killed in battle
337 to 361
Constantius II
Son of Constantine I; co-emperor with his brothers
337 to 350
Constans I
Son of Constantine I; co-emperor with his brothers, killed by Magnentius
January 350 to 11 August 353
Magnentius
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by the army; defeated by Constantius II and committed suicide
c. 350
Vetranio
Proclaimed himself emperor against Magnentius; recognized by Constantius II but then deposed
c. 350
Nepotianus
Proclaimed himself emperor against Magnentius, defeated and executed by Magnentius
November 361 to June 363
Julian
Cousin of Constantius II; made Caesar by Constantius, then proclaimed Augustus by the army; killed in battle
363 to 17 February 364
Jovian
Proclaimed emperor by the army after Julian's death
Valentinian dynasty
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
26 February 364 to 17 November 375
Valentinian I
Valentinian I Coins.htm
Proclaimed emperor by the army after Jovian's death
28 March 365 to 9 August 378
Valens
Made co-emperor in the east by his brother Valentinian I; killed in battle
September 365 to 27 May 366
Procopius
Usurper; Proclaimed himself emperor; defeated and executed by Valens
24 August 367 to 383
Gratian
Gratian Coins.htm
Son of Valentinian I; assassinated
375 to 392
Valentinian II
Valentinian II Coins.htm
Son of Valentinian I; deposed by Arbogast and died in suspicious circumstances
383 to 388
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus Coins.htm
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by troops; at one time recognized by Theodosius I, but then deposed and executed
c.386 to 388
Flavius Victor
Flavius Victor Coins.htm
Son of Magnus Maximus, executed on orders of Theodosius I
392 to 394
Eugenius
Eugenius Coins.htm
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by army under Arbogast; defeated in battle by Theodosius I
Theodosian dynasty
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
379 to 17 January 395
Theodosius I
Theodosius I Coins.htm
Made co-emperor for the east by Gratian
383 to 408
EAST
Arcadius
Arcadius Coins.htm
Appointed co-emperor with his father Theodosius I; sole emperor for the east from January 395
23 January 393 to 15 August 423
WEST
Honorius
Honorius Coins.htm
Appointed Augustus for the west by his father Theodosius I
407 to 411
WEST
Constantine III
Constantine III Coins.htm
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Britain; defeated by Constantius III
409 to 411
WEST
Constans II
Constans II Coins.htm
Usurper; made emperor by his father Constantine III; killed in battle
409 and 414 to 415
WEST
Priscus Attalus
Priscus Attalus Coins.htm
Usurper; twice proclaimed emperor by Visigoths under Alaric and twice deposed by Honorius
409 to 411
WEST
Maximus
Maximus Coins.htm
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Spain; abdicated
411 to 413
WEST
Jovinus
Jovinus Coins.htm
Usurper; proclaimed emperor after Constantine III's death, executed by Honorius
412 to 413
WEST
Sebastianus
Sebastianus Coins.htm
Usurper; appointed co-emperor by Jovinus, executed by Honorius
408 to 450
EAST
Theodosius II
Theodosius II Coins.htm
Son of Arcadius
421 to 421
WEST
Constantius III
Constantius III Coins.htm
Son-in-law of Theodosius I; appointed co-emperor by Honorius
423 to 425
WEST
Joannes
Johannes Coins.htm
Proclaimed western emperor, initially undisputed; defeated and executed by Theodosius II in favour of Valentinian III
425 to 16 March 455
WEST
Valentinian III
Valentinian III Coins.htm
Son of Constantius III; appointed emperor by Theodosius II; assassinated
Western Roman Empire
Reign
Incumbent
Notes
17 March 455 to 31 May 455
Petronius Maximus
Petronius Maximus Coins.htm
Proclaimed himself emperor after Valentinian III's death; murdered
June 455 to 17 October 456
Avitus
Avitus Coins.htm
Proclaimed emperor by the Visigoth king Theoderic II; deposed by Ricimer
457 to 2 August 461
Majorian
Majorian Coins.htm
Appointed by Ricimer; deposed and executed by Ricimer
461 to 465
Libius Severus
Libius Severus Coins.htm
Appointed by Ricimer; deposed and executed by Ricimer
12 April 467 to 11 July 472
Anthemius
Anthemius Coins.htm
Appointed by Ricimer; deposed and executed by Ricimer
July 472 to 2 November 472
Olybrius
Olybrius Coins.htm
Appointed by Ricimer
5 March 473 to June 474
Glycerius
Glycerius Coins.htm
Appointed by Gundobad; deposed by Julius Nepos
June 474 to 25 April 480
Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos Coins.htm
Appointed by eastern emperor Leo I; deposed in Italy by Orestes in 475; continued to be recognised as lawful emperor in Gaul and Dalmatia until his murder in 480
31 October 475 to 4 September 476
Romulus Augustus
(Romulus Augustulus)
Romulus Augustus Coins.htm
Son of Orestes; deposed by Odoacer; fate unknown
Further information: Barbarian kings of Italy
Eastern Roman Empire
For the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire) after Theodosius II, see: List of Byzantine Emperors
Theodosian dynasty (395–457)
See also: Theodosian dynasty
Name Reign Comments
Theodosius I "the Great"
(Θεοδόσιος Α' ο Μέγας, Flavius Theodosius)Theodosius I Coins.htm 19 January 379 –
17 January 395 Born on 11 January 347. Aristocrat and military leader, brother-in-law of Gratian, who appointed him as emperor of the East. From 392 until his death sole Roman emperor
Arcadius
(Αρκάδιος, Flavius Arcadius)Arcadius Coins.htm 17 January 395 –
1 May 408 Born in 377/378, the eldest son of Theodosius I. Succeeded upon the death of his father
Theodosius II
(Θεοδόσιος Β', Flavius Theodosius) Theodosius II Coins.htm 1 May 408 –
28 July 450 Born on 10 April 401, the only son of Arcadius. Succeeded upon the death of his father. As a minor, the praetorian prefect Anthemius was regent in 408–414. He died in a riding accident
Marcian.jpg Marcian
(Μαρκιανός, Flavius Valerius Marcianus)
Marcian Coins.htm
450 – January 457 Born in 396. A soldier and politician, he became emperor after being wed by the Augusta Pulcheria, Theodosius II's sister, following the latter's death. Died of gangrene
Leonid dynasty (457–518)
See also: House of Leo
Name Reign Comments
Leo I "the Thracian"
(Λέων Α' ο Θράξ, Flavius Valerius Leo)
Leo I Coins.htm
7 February 457 –
18 January 474 Born in Dacia in 401. A common soldier, he was chosen by Aspar, commander-in-chief of the army. Died of dysentery
Leo (474)-coin.jpg Leo II
(Λέων Β', Flavius Leo)
Leo II Coins.htm
18 January –
17 November 474 Born in 467, the grandson of Leo I. Succeeded upon the death of Leo I. Died of an unknown disease, possibly poisoned
Zeno.png Zeno
(Ζήνων, Flavius Zeno)
Zeno Coins.htm
17 November 474 –
9 April 491 Born c.425 at Zenonopolis, Isauria, originally named Tarasicodissa. Son-in-law of Leo I, he was bypassed in the succession because of his barbarian origin. Named co-emperor by his son on 9 February 474, he succeeded upon the death of Leo II. Deposed by Basiliscus, brother-in-law of Leo, he fled to his native country and regained the throne in August 476.
Basiliscus.jpg Basiliscus
(Βασιλίσκος, Flavius Basiliscus)
Basiliscus Coins.htm
9 January 475 –
August 476 General and brother-in-law of Leo I, he seized power from Zeno but was again deposed by him. Died in 476/477
Anastasius I (emperor).jpg Anastasius I
(Αναστάσιος Α', Flavius Anastasius)
BYZANTINE - Anastasius Coins.htm
11 April 491 –
9 July 518 Born c. 430 at Dyrrhachium, Epirus nova. A palace official (silentiarius) and son-in-law of Leo I, he was chosen as emperor by empress-dowager Ariadne
Justinian Dynasty
Main article: Justinian Dynasty
Portrait Name Born Reigned Succession Died
Tremissis-Justin I-sb0058.jpg Justin I
FLAVIVS IVSTINVS AVGVSTVS c. 450 AD, Naissus July 9, 518 AD – August 1, 527 AD Commander of the palace guard under Anastasius I); elected as emperor with support of army August 1, 527 AD
Natural causes
Meister von San Vitale in Ravenna 004.jpg Justinian I
FLAVIVS PETRVS SABBATIVS IVSTINIANVS AVGVSTVS c. 482 AD, Tauresium, Dardania August 1, 527 AD – 13/14 November 565 AD Nephew and nominated heir of Justin I 13/14 November 565 AD
Natural causes
Solidus-Justin II-sb0391.jpg Justin II
FLAVIVS IVSTINIVS IVNIOR AVGVSTVS c. 520 AD, ? 13/14 November 565 AD – 578 AD Nephew of Justinian I 578 AD
Became insane; Tiberius II Constantine ruled as regent from December 574 and became emperor on Justin's death in 578
Roman Late Monogram Coins.htm
Roman AE4 Coins.htm
See also
Roman Republic
Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
Byzantine Empire
Britannic Empire
Gallic Empire
List of Roman usurpers
Roman usurper
Thirty Tyrants (Roman)