Marcus Aurelius Carinus (died 285) was Roman Emperor from 283 to 285. The eldest son of the Emperor Carus, he was first appointed '' Caesar'' in late 282, then given the title of ''

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

'' in early 283, and made co-emperor of the western part of the Empire by his father. Official accounts of his character and career, which portray him as dissolute and incompetent, have been filtered through the propaganda of his successful opponent

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

Reign

After the death of Emperor

Probus Probus may refer to: People * Marcus Valerius Probus (c. 20/30–105 AD), Roman grammarian * Marcus Pomponius Maecius Probus, consul in 228 * Probus (emperor), Roman Emperor (276–282) * Probus of Byzantium (–306), Bishop of Byzantium from 293 t ...

in a spontaneous mutiny by the army in 282, his

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect (; ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief ai ...

, Carus, ascended to the throne. When he left for the Persian war, he elevated his two sons to the title of Caesar. The elder, Carinus, was left to manage the affairs of the West in his absence, and was later elevated to the rank of

, while the younger, Numerian, accompanied his father to the East. Carinus acquitted himself well, at least at first, showing some merit in suppressing unrest in

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

and against the

Quadi The Quadi were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people during the Roman era, who were prominent in Greek and Roman records from about 20 AD to about 400 AD. By about 20 AD they had a kingdom centred in the area of present-day western Slovakia, north ...

,Gibbon, p. 296 but the young emperor soon left the defence of the Upper

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

to his legates and returned to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, where the surviving accounts, which demonise him, claim he indulged in all manner of extravagance and excess. He is said to have married and divorced nine different women during his short reign in Rome and to have made his private life notorious. He is said to have persecuted many who he felt had treated him with insufficient respect before his elevation, to have alienated the Senate by his open dislike and contempt, and to have prostituted the imperial dignity with the various low entertainments he introduced at court. When Carus heard of his son's behaviour in the capital, he declared his intention of removing him from office and replacing him with Constantius Chlorus, who was already known for his ability and virtue. Carus, however, died soon afterwards in the midst of the Persian War, and his two sons jointly succeeded him. On his return to Rome, Carinus organised the annual games, the ''

Ludi Romani The ''Ludi Romani'' ("Roman Games"; see '' ludi'') was a religious festival in ancient Rome held annually, starting in 366 BC, from September 12 to September 14. In the 1st century BC, an extra day was added in honor of the deified Julius Caesa ...

'', on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, Numerian was forced to abandon his father's ambitious campaign in the east by the soldiers, who were superstitious about Carus' death, supposedly caused by a bolt of lightning. Numerian led his army back to Rome, where a triumph awaited him, leaving the Persians astonished at the inexplicable retreat of a victorious army. Numerian's health, however, was broken by the climate, and unable to bear the heat of the sun, he was carried on a covered litter on the march. Arrius Aper, the praetorian prefect, took charge in his name, but his ambitious temper aroused the troops' suspicions. At Heraclea in Thrace, they broke into the imperial tent and found Numerian dead.

, commander of the bodyguard, confirmed that Numerian had been murdered by the Praefect, and after executing the Praefect, he was proclaimed Emperor by the soldiers. Carinus immediately left Rome and headed east to meet Diocletian. On his way through

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...

he overthrew the usurper Sabinus Julianus and in July 285 met Diocletian's army at the Battle of the Margus River (modern Morava River) in

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballi ...

Death in 285

Historians disagree about what happened next. According to one account, his troops prevailed at the Battle of the Margus River, but Carinus was murdered by a tribune whose wife he had seduced. Another account describes the battle as a complete victory for Diocletian and claims that Carinus' army deserted him. This account may be supported by the fact that Diocletian kept Carinus' Praetorian Guard commander, Titus Claudius Aurelius Aristobulus, in service.

Character

Carinus has the reputation of being one of the worst Roman emperors. This infamy may have been encouraged by Diocletian. The unreliable ''

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 ...

'' has Carinus marrying nine wives. After his death, Carinus' memory was officially condemned in the Roman procedure known as '' damnatio memoriae''. His name and that of his wife were erased from inscriptions.

Family tree

References

Primary sources

* Anonymous, '' Epitome de Caesaribus'' * Aurelius Victor * Eutropius, *

Life of Carus, Carinus and Numerian
* Joannes Zonaras, Compendium of Histor
extract: Zonaras: Alexander Severus to Diocletian: 222–284

Secondary sources

In literature

* Mor Jokai's ''A Christian but a Roman'' is set in Carinus' Rome

External links

{{Authority control 285 deaths 3rd-century murdered monarchs 3rd-century Roman emperors 3rd-century Roman consuls Crisis of the Third Century Murdered Roman emperors Aurelii 3rd-century births Year of birth unknown Roman emperors to suffer posthumous denigration or damnatio memoriae Sons of Roman emperors Caran dynasty Ancient assassinated people Damnatio memoriae