Fulvius Macrianus (), also called Macrianus Major, was a
Roman usurper
Roman usurpers were individuals or groups of individuals who obtained or tried to obtain power by force and without legitimate legal authority. Usurpation was endemic during the Roman imperial era, especially from the crisis of the third centu ...
. He was one of
Valerian's fiscal officers.
[J. Bray (1997), p.95] More precisely, sources refer to him as being in charge of the whole state accounts (''
A rationibus'') or, in the language of a later age, as Count of the Treasury (''Comes Sacrarum Largitionum'') and the person in charge of markets and provisions. It seems almost certain that he was an
Equestrian. The ''
Historia Augusta
The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, Caesar (title), designated heirs and Roman usurper, usurpers from 117 to 284. S ...
'' claims that he was the foremost of Valerian's military commanders, but that is most likely a gross exaggeration, if not entirely fictitious.
He followed Valerian during his ultimately catastrophic campaign against the Persians in 259 or 260; however, he remained at
Samosata
Samsat (, Ottoman Turkish صمصاد ''Semisat''), formerly Samosata () is a small town in the Adıyaman Province of Turkey, situated on the upper Euphrates river. It is the seat of Samsat District.[battle of Edessa
The Battle of Edessa took place between the armies of the Roman Empire under the command of Emperor Valerian (emperor), Valerian and the Sasanian Empire under Shapur I, in Edessa, Mesopotamia, Edessa (now the Turkish city of Urfa) in 260. The ...]
and his role in the events before and after the battle is questionable. After Valerian's capture by
Sassanid Emperor Shapur I
Shapur I (also spelled Shabuhr I; ) was the second Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran. The precise dating of his reign is disputed, but it is generally agreed that he ruled from 240 to 270, with his father Ardashir I as co-regent u ...
, Valerian's son
Gallienus
Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empire. He ...
became sole emperor, but was occupied with his own problems in the West. Macrianus grabbed the opportunity. With the support of
Balista, one of Valerian's military commanders, and with the influence that possession of the treasury of Valerian brought, Macrianus managed to have his two sons
Macrianus Minor and
Quietus
Titus Fulvius Junius Quietus (died 261) was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Gallienus.
History
Quietus was the son of Fulvius Macrianus and a noblewoman, possibly named Junia. According to ''Historia Augusta'', he was a military trib ...
elevated to the throne. He himself was not able to assume the purple because he was deformed in one of his legs.
Quietus and Balista stayed in the East to secure their rule. Macrianus Major and Minor marched the eastern army from
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
to
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, but were defeated in
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
in 261 by
Aureolus
Aureolus was a Roman military commander during the reign of Emperor Gallienus before he attempted to usurp the Roman Empire. After turning against Gallienus, Aureolus was killed during the political turmoil that surrounded the Emperor's assass ...
. Macrianus and his son were killed in the battle. According to
Joannes Zonaras, their army was encircled by Aureolus and surrendered, except for the Pannonian legions. Macrianus asked to be killed with his son to avoid delivery to Aureolus. Quietus was later murdered by
Odaenathus
Septimius Odaenathus (Greek language, Greek: Ὀδαίναθος, Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡠𐡣𐡩𐡮𐡶 (file:Dynt.png, 35px), ; ; 220 – 267) was the founder king (malik) of the List of Palmyrene monarchs, Palmyrene Kingdom who ruled fr ...
of
Palmyra
Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...
.
[ Watson, Alaric. Aurelian and the Third Century, Taylor & Francis Group, 1999. Chapter 2: A Divided Empire ]
Notes
References
*Bray, John. ''Gallienus : A Study in Reformist and Sexual Politics'', Wakefield Press, Kent Town, 1997,
*Potter, David S. ''The Roman Empire at Bay AD 180–395'', Routledge, Oxon, 2004.
*
Joannes Zonaras, ''Epitome Historiarum'', ed. L. Dindorf, Leipzig, 1870, vol. 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Major, Macrianus
261 deaths
Thirty Tyrants (Roman)
Gallienus usurpers
Year of birth unknown
Fulvii
People of the Roman–Sasanian Wars
3rd-century Roman usurpers
Generals of Valerian