Faustinus was a 3rd-century CE political figure who launched a rebellion against the Gallic Emperor

Tetricus I Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus was the emperor of the Gallic Empire from 271 to 274 AD. He was originally the (governor) of Gallia Aquitania and became emperor after the murder of Emperor Victorinus in 271, with the support of Victorinus's mother, ...

. His full name and his year of birth are unknown. According to a small number of literary sources (

Aurelius Victor Sextus Aurelius Victor (c. 320 – c. 390) was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire. Victor was the author of a short history of imperial Rome, entitled ''De Caesaribus'' and covering the period from Augustus to Constantius II. The work ...

, Eutropius,Eutropius, ''Breviarium'' 9.10-13. and Polemius Silvius), Faustinus sparked a mutiny among Tetricus' troops. Polemius Silvius, ''Laterculus'' 49, cited in . At the time of his rebellion, Faustinus was a provincial governor (''

praeses ''Praeses'' (Latin ''praesides'') is a Latin word meaning "placed before" or "at the head". In antiquity, notably under the Roman Dominate, it was used to refer to Roman governors; it continues to see some use for various modern positions. ...

''),Aurelius Victor 35.4, cited in . presumably of

Gallia Belgica Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany. In 50 BC, a ...

since the capital of that province—

Augusta Treverorum Trier in Rhineland-Palatinate, whose history dates to the Roman Empire, is often claimed to be the oldest city in Germany. Traditionally it was known in English by its French name of Treves. Prehistory The first traces of human settlement in ...

—was where the rebellion began. Faustinus' revolt was formidable enough, according to the literary sources, to lead Tetricus to appeal to the central Roman emperor

Aurelian Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited ...

for aid against the usurper. The exact date of his rebellion is uncertain, but scholars generally agree on some time between late 273 CE and the summer of 274 CE. Some ancient sources suggest that Faustinus continued his revolt after Tetricus surrendered to

, who in this scenario would have defeated Faustinus in 274 CE. Faustinus may have owned property in Britain that was confiscated after the failure of his rebellion., cited in .

References

Sources

* {{cite web, url=http://www.roman-emperors.org/faustinu.htm , last=Polfer , first=Michel , title=Faustinus , date=1999 , website=De Imperatoribus Romanis 3rd-century Roman usurpers 3rd-century Gallo-Roman people Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Gallic Empire