Gaius Annius Anullinus (died 4th century) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

senator who was appointed

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

in AD 295.

Biography

A member of a family which originated in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and a pagan, Anullinus’ early career is unknown. A leading figure of Rome's urban aristocracy, he was possibly the son of the senator Anullinus, who allegedly freed the future

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Diocletian’s father from

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. He first appears as the '' consul posterior'' alongside Nummius Tuscus in 295. From 1 July 302 to 1 July 305, Anullinus was the

Proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Africa Proconsularis Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. During his time there, he implemented the edicts against the Christians as decreed by the emperor Diocletian. He travelled across the province, stopping at towns and holding judicial hearings, and enforcing the letter of the law. He ordered the execution of Felix,

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of Tibiuca, who refused to hand over copies of the Christian scriptures to the authorities. He oversaw the execution of the Martyrs of Abitinae and he also ordered the execution of

Crispina Saint Crispina (died 5 December, 304) was a virgin martyr of Africa who suffered during the Diocletian persecution. She was born at Thagara, a town in the Roman province of Numidia, located in Taoura, Algeria. (The Tabula Peutingeriana calls i ...

of Thagara, after presiding over a trial where she refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods. Anullinus passed sentence on the three virgins of Tuburga, and possibly

Perpetua Perpetua and Felicity ( la, Perpetua et Felicitas) were Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. Vibia Perpetua was a recently married, well-educated noblewoman, said to have been 22 years old at the time of her death, and mother of an infant son s ...

. Ultimately, however, he attempted to maintain some balance between convincing the imperial courts of his adherence in enforcing their decrees, and convincing the local population that he was doing his job only to the limited extent that was necessary, and not so zealously that it would impact his ability to govern the province peacefully. Regardless, after the persecutions were over, the monuments and buildings erected by him during his time as governor were purposely defaced by the local Christians. In 306, Anullinus was appointed ''

praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, an ...

'' (urban prefect) of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, a post he held from 19 March 306 to 27 August 307. Although he was appointed by the emperor

Severus Severus is the name of various historical and fictional figures, including: ;Emperors of the Roman empire *Septimius Severus (145–211), Roman emperor from 193 to 211 (rarely known as ''Severus I.'') *Severus Caracalla (188–217), Roman emperor f ...

, he eventually abandoned Severus and conspired with the Praetorian prefect and the ''tribunus fori suarii'' of the

Cohortes urbanae The ''cohortes urbanae'' (Latin meaning ''urban cohorts'') of ancient Rome were created by Augustus to counterbalance the enormous power of the Praetorian Guard in the city of Rome and serve as a police service. They were led by the Praefectus ur ...

, Lucianus, to install the

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 cent ...

Maxentius. Maxentius later appointed Anullinus Urban Prefect for a second time, apparently as an attempt to garner good fortune prior to his upcoming clash against his rival,

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

. Anullinus held the post from 27 October to 29 November 312. He was appointed the day before Maxentius was defeated by Constantine I at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, and greeted Constantine when he entered Rome on his second day as Prefect. Constantine kept him on in the office throughout November. Under Constantine, he continued his service to the state despite the change in regime. In 313, he was ordered by Constantine to restore the properties of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. but continued his persecution of the

Donatist Donatism was a Christian sect leading to a schism in the Church, in the region of the Church of Carthage, from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and the ...

s. In the lead-up to the

Council of Arles Arles (ancient Arelate) in the south of Roman Gaul (modern France) hosted several councils or synods referred to as ''Concilium Arelatense'' in the history of the early Christian church. Council of Arles in 314 The first council of Arles"Arles, S ...

in 314, Anullinus reported on Caecilianus, the bishop of Carthage. Sometime during the reign of Maxentius,Chastagnol, p. 48 Anullinus and 12 other senators each contributed 400,000 sesterces, probably for the construction of a building in Rome.

References

Sources

* Chastagnol, André, ''Les Fastes de la Prefecture de Rome au Bas-Empire'' (1962) * Martindale, J. R.; Jones, A. H. M, ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Vol. I AD 260–395, Cambridge University Press (1971) * * Potter, David, S., ''The Roman Empire at Bay: AD 180-395'' (2004) * Shaw, Brent D., ''Sacred Violence: African Christians and Sectarian Hatred in the Age of Augustine'' (2011) {{DEFAULTSORT:Anullinus, Gaius Annius 3rd-century Romans 4th-century Romans Imperial Roman consuls Late Roman Empire political office-holders Roman governors of Africa Urban prefects of Rome Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Annii Diocletianic Persecution

Biography

See also

References

Sources