:''Jovinus is a Roman
cognomen, most often used for a 5th-century Roman usurper emperor. This article is about the Roman usurper. For the saint, see
Saint Jovinus. For the Frankish duke, see
Jovinus of Provence.'' For the 4th century Roman general and consul of Gaul whose sarcophage is in
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
see
Jovinus (consul)
Flavius Jovinus (around 310-370 AD), was a Roman general and consul of the Western Roman Empire. He was of Gaulic or Germanic origin, born and buried in Durocortorum (present day Reims).
He was named Magister equitum in Gaul by emperor Julian. ...
.
Jovinus was a
Gallo-Roman
senator and claimed to be
Roman Emperor (411–413 AD).
Following the defeat of the
usurper
A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as ...
known as
Constantine III, Jovinus was proclaimed emperor at
Mainz in 411, a puppet supported by
Gundahar
Gundaharius or Gundahar (died 437), better known by his legendary names Gunther ( gmh, Gunther) or Gunnar ( non, Gunnarr), was a historical king of Burgundy in the early 5th century. Gundahar is attested as ruling his people shortly after they ...
, king of the
Burgundians
The Burgundians ( la, Burgundes, Burgundiōnes, Burgundī; on, Burgundar; ang, Burgendas; grc-gre, Βούργουνδοι) were an early Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared in the middle Rhine region, near the Roman Empire, and ...
, and
Goar
Goar (born before 390, died between 446 and 450) was a leader of the Alans in 5th-century Gaul. Around the time that the Vandals and other Alans under Respendial crossed the Rhine in 405 or 406, Goar's band of Alans quickly joined the Romans, and ...
, king of the
Alans
The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the Al ...
. Jovinus kept his position in Gaul for two years, long enough to issue coinage that showed him wearing the imperial
diadem
A diadem is a type of Crown (headgear), crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty.
Overview
The word derives from the Ancient Greek, Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", fr ...
. He was supported by a number of local Gallo-Roman nobles who had survived Constantine's defeat.
Under the pretext of Jovinus' imperial authority, Gundahar and his Burgundians established themselves on the left bank of the Rhine (the Roman side) between the river
Lauter
Lauter may refer to:
People
* Lauter (surname)
Places
*Lauter, Saxony, town in the district of Aue-Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany
* Lauter, Bavaria, village in the district of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
Rivers
* Lauter (Baunach), tributary to th ...
and the
Nahe. Here they founded a kingdom with the old Romanized Gaulish settlement of Borbetomagus (
Worms) as its capital.
Jovinus' end came after the
Visigoths
The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...
under
Ataulf
Athaulf (also ''Athavulf'', ''Atawulf'', or ''Ataulf'' and ''Adolf'', Latinized as ''Ataulphus'') ( 37015 August 415) was king of the Visigoths from 411 to 415. During his reign, he transformed the Visigothic state from a tribal kingdom to a maj ...
left Italy (at
Priscus Attalus
Priscus Attalus (Greek: Πρίσκος Άτταλος, died after 416) was twice Roman usurper (in 409–10 and in 414–15), against Emperor Honorius, with Visigothic support. He was the last non-Christian pretender to the Roman imperial offi ...
' advice), ostensibly to join him, carrying with them as hostages the ex-emperor Attalus and
Galla Placidia
Galla Placidia (388–89/392–93 – 27 November 450), daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, was a mother, tutor, and advisor to emperor Valentinian III, and a major force in Roman politics for most of her life. She was queen consort t ...
, Honorius' half-sister. Then Ataulf attacked and killed
Sarus, who had also come to support Jovinus. Jovinus, offended at this act, then failed to consult Ataulf when he elevated his brother
Sebastianus
Sebastianus (died 413), a brother of Jovinus, was an aristocrat of southern Gaul. After Jovinus usurped the throne of the western Roman Emperor Honorius in Gaul in 411, he named Sebastianus as Augustus (co-emperor) in 412. Coins bearing Sebast ...
as co-emperor. Insulted, Ataulf allied his Visigoths with
Honorius, and they defeated Jovinus' troops. Sebastianus was executed. Jovinus fled for his life, but was besieged and captured in Valentia (
Valence, Drôme
Valence (, ; oc, Valença ) is a commune in southeastern France, the prefecture of the Drôme department and within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhône, about south of Lyon, along the railway lin ...
) and taken to Narbo (
Narbonne), where
Caius Posthumus Dardanus, the
praetorian prefect (governor) in Gaul, who had remained loyal to Honorius, had him executed. Jovinus' and Sebastianus' heads were afterwards sent to Honorius and mounted on the walls of
Ravenna (before being passed on to
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
, where they were put on permanent display with the heads of four other usurpers).
References
* Ralf Scharf:
Iovinus – Kaiser in Gallien', in: ''Francia'' 20 (1993), pp. 1–13.
* Drinkwater, J. F., "The Usurpers Constantine III (407-411) and Jovinus (411-413)", ''Britannia'', 29 (1998), p. 269-298
External links
*
{{Authority control
5th-century Roman emperors
413 deaths
5th-century Roman usurpers
5th-century murdered monarchs
Year of birth unknown
Executed Roman emperors
People executed by the Roman Empire
Senators of the Roman Empire