Regalianus
Encyclopedia
P. C Regalianus (died 260) was a Dacian general
who turned against the Roman Empire
and became himself emperor for a brief period, being murdered by the hands who raised him to power.
, and Aurelius Victor
and the Epitome
, which call him Regillianus. About his origin, the Tyranni Triginta
says he was a Dacia
n, a kinsman of Decebalus
. He probably was of senatorial rank, and had received military promotion from the Emperor Valerian
.
After the defeat and capture of Valerian in the east (260), the border populations felt insecure, and elected their own emperors to guarantee they would have leaders against the foreign threats. The population and the army of the province of Pannonia
had chosen Ingenuus
, and elected him emperor, but the lawful emperor, Gallienus, had defeated the usurper.
Gallienus had moved to Italia
, however, to deal with an invasion of the Alamanni
. The local population, facing the threat of the Sarmatians, elected Regalianus emperor, who raised his wife, Sulpicia Dryantilla
, who was of noble lineage, to the rank of Augusta
to strengthen his position. Regalianus bravely fought thereafter against the Sarmatians. Short time after his victory, he was killed by a coalition of his own people and of the Roxolani.
A few anecdotes survive about this man, in the brief biographical sketch of him given in the Book on Thirty Tyrants
in the Historia Augusta: it is stated for example that he was raised to the throne because of his name (Regalianus, "of a king" or "kingly"); when his soldiers heard this jest they greeted Regalianus as their emperor.
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
who turned against the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and became himself emperor for a brief period, being murdered by the hands who raised him to power.
Career
The main source of information is the unreliable Historia Augusta. Other sources are Eutropius, who calls him TrebellianusTrebellianus
Trebellianus , also Trebatius Priscus or Trebatius Testa, was a Roman usurper listed among the thirty tyrants in the Historia Augusta...
, and Aurelius Victor
Aurelius Victor
Sextus Aurelius Victor was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire.Aurelius Victor was the author of a History of Rome from Augustus to Julian , published ca. 361. Julian honoured him and appointed him prefect of Pannonia Secunda...
and the Epitome
Epitome
An epitome is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment....
, which call him Regillianus. About his origin, the Tyranni Triginta
Thirty Tyrants (Roman)
The Thirty Tyrants were a series of thirty rulers that appear in the Historia Augusta as having ostensibly been pretenders to the throne of the Roman Empire during the reign of the emperor Gallienus....
says he was a Dacia
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
n, a kinsman of Decebalus
Decebalus
Decebalus or "The Brave" was a king of Dacia and is famous for fighting three wars and negotiating two interregnums of peace without being eliminated against the Roman Empire under two emperors...
. He probably was of senatorial rank, and had received military promotion from the Emperor Valerian
Valerian (emperor)
Valerian , also known as Valerian the Elder, was Roman Emperor from 253 to 260. He was taken captive by Persian king Shapur I after the Battle of Edessa, becoming the only Roman Emperor who was captured as a prisoner of war, resulting in wide-ranging instability across the Empire.-Origins and rise...
.
After the defeat and capture of Valerian in the east (260), the border populations felt insecure, and elected their own emperors to guarantee they would have leaders against the foreign threats. The population and the army of the province of Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
had chosen Ingenuus
Ingenuus
Ingenuus was a Roman military commander, the imperial legate in Pannonia, who became a usurper to the throne of the emperor Gallienus when he led a brief and unsuccessful revolt in the year 260. Appointed by Gallienus himself, Ingenuus served him well by repulsing a Sarmatian invasion and securing...
, and elected him emperor, but the lawful emperor, Gallienus, had defeated the usurper.
Gallienus had moved to Italia
Italia (Roman province)
Italia was the name of the Italian peninsula of the Roman Empire.-Under the Republic and Augustan organization:During the Republic and the first centuries of the empire, Italia was not a province, but rather the territory of the city of Rome, thus having a special status: for example, military...
, however, to deal with an invasion of the Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
. The local population, facing the threat of the Sarmatians, elected Regalianus emperor, who raised his wife, Sulpicia Dryantilla
Sulpicia Dryantilla
Sulpicia Dryantilla was the wife of Regalianus, Roman usurper against Gallienus. Regalianus gave her the title of Augusta to legitimize his claim. Virtually nothing is known of her except that she was the daughter of Claudia Ammiana Dryantilla and Sulpicius Pollio, an accomplished senator and...
, who was of noble lineage, to the rank of Augusta
Augusta (honorific)
Augusta was the imperial honorific title of empresses. It was given to the women of the Roman and Byzantine imperial families. In the third century, Augustae could also receive the titles of Mater castrorum and Mater Patriae .The title implied the greatest prestige, with the Augustae able to...
to strengthen his position. Regalianus bravely fought thereafter against the Sarmatians. Short time after his victory, he was killed by a coalition of his own people and of the Roxolani.
A few anecdotes survive about this man, in the brief biographical sketch of him given in the Book on Thirty Tyrants
Thirty Tyrants (Roman)
The Thirty Tyrants were a series of thirty rulers that appear in the Historia Augusta as having ostensibly been pretenders to the throne of the Roman Empire during the reign of the emperor Gallienus....
in the Historia Augusta: it is stated for example that he was raised to the throne because of his name (Regalianus, "of a king" or "kingly"); when his soldiers heard this jest they greeted Regalianus as their emperor.