Macrianus Minor

Names
	Titus Fulvius Junius Macrianus
Regnal name
	Imperator Caesar Titus Fulvius Iunius Macrianus Augustus

Macrianus Minor
Macrianus Minor
Usurper of the Roman Empire
	Macrianus on a coin ; celebrating Eternal Rome.
Reign	260-261 (with Quietus)
Predecessor	Gallienus
Successor	Gallienus
Died	261; Illyricum
Names
Names
	Titus Fulvius Junius Macrianus
Regnal name
	Imperator Caesar Titus Fulvius Iunius Macrianus Augustus
Father	Macrianus Major
Mother	Junia (possibly)

Titus Fulvius Junius Macrianus (died 261), also known as Macrianus Minor, was a Roman usurper. He was the son of Fulvius Macrianus, also known as Macrianus Major.^[2]

Career

Although his father was from an equestrian family,^{[citation needed]} Macrianus Minor's mother was of noble birth and of senatorial descent and her name, possibly, was Junia. According to the often unreliable Historia Augusta, he had served as military tribune under Valerian.^[2]

Macrianus, his father and his brother Quietus, were in Mesopotamia in 260, for the Sassanid campaign of Emperor Valerian, when the Roman army was defeated, and the emperor was captured.^[3] With help from his father, who kept the imperial treasure, and by the influence of Balista, Valerian's praefect, Macrianus gained the imperial office together with his brother Quietus,^[3] through the election by the army, in contrast with the lawful Emperor Gallienus, son and co-emperor with Valerian, who was far in the West. The two emperors and brothers were recognized in the eastern part of the Empire, having a stronghold in Egypt, the grain supplying province for the city of Rome.

After having temporarily secured the Persian frontier, Macrianus Major and Macrianus Minor moved to the West to attack and eliminate their rival Gallienus.^{[citation needed]} They were however defeated in autumn 261 by Aureolus,^[2] and later killed by their own soldiers at the father's request.^{[citation needed]}

Cultural depictions

Macrianus appears in Harry Sidebottom's historical fiction novel series as one of the series' antagonists.^{[citation needed]}.

References

^ The coinage of Macrianus and of his brother and co-emperor Quietus celebrated the army, the confidence in victory, and the foreseen arrival of happy times. All of these themes were very important in a time of emergency, when the Roman Empire had lost its Emperor in battle against the Sassanid Empire, and the army was deep in enemy territory.
^ ^a ^b ^c Jones, pg. 528
^ ^a ^b Körner, http://www.roman-emperors.org/galusurp.htm#Note%202

Sources

Media related to Macrianus Minor at Wikimedia Commons

Körner, Christian, "Usurpers in the east: The Macriani and Ballista", s.v. "Usurpers under Gallienus", De Imperatoribus Romanis Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
Jones, A.H.M., Martindale, J.R. The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. I: AD260-395, Cambridge University Press, 1971

Political offices

Preceded by

Publius Cornelius Saecularis ,
Gaius Junius Donatus,
Postumus,
Honoratianus

Consul of the Roman Empire
261
with Quietus ,
Postumus,
Gallienus,
Lucius Petronius Taurus Volusianus

Succeeded by

Gallienus ,
Nummius Faustianus

[1] The coinage of Macrianus and of his brother and co-emperor Quietus celebrated the army, the confidence in victory, and the foreseen arrival of happy times. All of these themes were very important in a time of emergency, when the Roman Empire had lost its Emperor in battle against the Sassanid Empire, and the army was deep in enemy territory.

[jones_528-2] Jones, pg. 528

[remp_galusurp_2-3] Körner, http://www.roman-emperors.org/galusurp.htm#Note%202

[1]

[2]

[3]

Authority control databases
International	VIAF GND
People	DDB

Epstein Files Full PDF

Career

Cultural depictions

See also

References

Sources