Chrocus or Crocus (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

260–306 AD) was a leader of the

Alamanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE, the Alemanni c ...

in the late 3rd to early 4th centuries. In 260, he led an uprising of the Alamanni against the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, traversing the Upper Germanic Limes and advancing as far as

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...

, and possibly as far as

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

, and he was possibly present at the Alamannic conquest of the French town of Mende. According to

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

' '' History of the Franks'', Chrocus was a famous king of his time and was responsible for a great deal of destruction throughout Gaul, most notably of all ancient temples located in Gaul, though this may have been exaggerated. One of the temples he allegedly tore down was called the ''Vasso Galatæ'', a marvelous structure that once stood in Clermont. Chrocus, with his troops, aided

Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

's proclamation as emperor. In 306, he was present as a general in Roman service at the death of

Constantius Chlorus Flavius Valerius Constantius ( – 25 July 306), also called Constantius I, was a Roman emperor from 305 to 306. He was one of the four original members of the Tetrarchy established by Diocletian, first serving as Caesar (title), ''caesar'' ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

, and called for his son Constantine to be declared the new Roman Emperor ('' Epitome de Caesaribus'' 41).

Literature

* Dieter Geuenich, ''Geschichte der Alemannen'', Kohlhammer Verlag Stuttgart 2004, /

External links

Crocus King of Alamanni, Vandals
{{Authority control 3rd-century births 4th-century deaths Alemannic monarchs Alemannic warriors 3rd-century Germanic people