Laelian (; la, Ulpius Cornelius Laelianus),Martindale, pg. 492 also incorrectly referred to as ''Lollianus'' and ''Aelianus'',Polfer, ''Laelianus'' was a

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 ...

against

Postumus Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus was a Roman commander of Batavian origin, who ruled as Emperor of the splinter state of the Roman Empire known to modern historians as the Gallic Empire. The Roman army in Gaul threw off its allegiance to Ga ...

, the emperor of the Gallic Empire. His revolt lasted from approximately late February to early June 269.Polfer, ''Laelianus''

Origins

Little is known about Laelian. He shares the same '' nomen'' as a prominent Hispano-Roman family, the

Ulpii The gens Ulpia was a Roman family that rose to prominence during the first century AD. The gens is best known from the emperor Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, who reigned from AD 98 to 117. The Thirtieth Legion took its name, ''Ulpia'', in his honor. ...

, that included

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

among its members, and may have been a relative.Polfer, ''Laelianus'' This is supported by the strong allusion to Hispania on an

aureus The ''aureus'' ( ''aurei'', 'golden', used as a noun) was a gold coin of ancient Rome originally valued at 25 pure silver ''denarii'' (sin. denarius). The ''aureus'' was regularly issued from the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 4th cen ...

he struck, which featured the design of Hispania reclining with a rabbit to her side. If he indeed was a relative, this may be the reason Hispania allied itself with

Claudius II Marcus Aurelius Claudius "Gothicus" (10 May 214 – January/April 270), also known as Claudius II, was Roman emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alemanni and decisively defeated the Goths at the Battle ...

, after the death of Laelian, seemingly without a struggle.

Rule

Laelian declared himself emperor at Moguntiacum (modern-day Mainz in Germany) in February/March 269, after repulsing a Germanic invasion. Although his exact position is unknown, he is believed to have been a senior officer under Postumus, either the ''

legatus A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer ...

'' of Germania Superior or the commander of Legio XXII ''Primigenia''.Polfer, ''Laelianus'' Laelian represented a strong danger to Postumus because of the two legions he commanded (''Primigenia'' in Moguntiacum and VIII ''Augusta'' in

Argentoratum Argentoratum or Argentorate was the ancient name of the city of Strasbourg. The name was first mentioned in 12 BC, when it was a Roman military outpost established by Nero Claudius Drusus. From 90 AD the Legio VIII Augusta was permanently stati ...

);Polfer, ''Laelianus'' Despite this, his rebellion lasted only about two months before he was executed, reputedly by his own soldiers, or by Postumus' troops after a siege of Laelian's capital.Martindale, pg. 492 The siege of Moguntiacum was also fatal for Postumus; it is said he was slain when he refused to allow his troops to plunder the city following its capture.Southern, pg. 118 Laelian (under the Latin name ''Lollianus'') is listed among the Thirty Tyrants in the '' Historia Augusta''.

References

Sources

Primary 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 ...

''Liber de Caesaribus''
* Eutropius
''Brevarium'', Book 9
* '' Historia Augusta''
The Thirty Tyrants

Secondary sources

* Southern, Pat. ''The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine'', Routledge, 2001 * Potter, David Stone, ''The Roman Empire at Bay, AD 180-395'', Routledge, 2004 * Jones, A.H.M., Martindale, J.R. ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. I: AD260-395'', Cambridge University Press, 1971 * Michel Polfer,

, ''De Imperatoribus Romanis''] (1999)

External links

* {{Authority control 269 deaths 3rd-century monarchs in Europe 3rd-century murdered monarchs Cornelii Gallic emperors Murdered Roman emperors Thirty Tyrants (Roman) Ulpii Year of birth unknown