Marcus Macrinius Vindex 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

'' eques'' who held a number of senior positions during the reign of the Emperor

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

, including

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 ...

. The family origins of the Macrinii Vindices are unusual. The '' nomen'' Macrinus, may be of Celtic origin;

Anthony Birley Anthony Richard Birley (8 October 1937 – 19 December 2020) was a British ancient historian, archaeologist and academic. He was one of the leaders of excavations at of the Roman fortress at Vindolanda and also published several books on Roman ...

notes the name "may have been of Celtic origin, perhaps from Cologne".Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius: A Biography'', revised edition (London: Routledge, 1987), p. 156 Birley also notes the possibility – "however remote" – that Vindex came from

Camulodunum Camulodunum ( ; ), the Roman Empire, Ancient Roman name for what is now Colchester in Essex, was an important Castra, castrum and city in Roman Britain, and the first capital of the province. A temporary "wikt:strapline, strapline" in the 1960s ...

(modern

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

) in

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 ...

. Of interest is

Marcus Macrinius Avitus Catonius Vindex Marcus Macrinius Avitus Catonius Vindex ( 134 – 176) was a Roman senator who was active during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Originally a member of the equestrian order, Vindex demonstrated courage and intelligence that led to his award of ''do ...

, an ''eques'' who was adlected into the

Roman senate The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Sena ...

and advanced to the

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

Géza Alföldy Géza Alföldy (June 7, 1935 – November 6, 2011) was a Hungarian historian of ancient history. Life Géza Alföldy was born in Budapest. He studied at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Budapest from 1953 to 1958, where he i ...

is confident that this Vindex was the father of the younger Vindex, while Birley merely states that the older Vindex "perhaps" was the father of the younger. There is a third known member of this gens, Macrinius Regulus, who is thought by some to be the brother of this Vindex. The first known office Vindex is known to have been appointed to was

procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * Procurator (Ancient Rome), the title of var ...

Dacia Porolissensis Roman Dacia ( ; also known as ; or Dacia Felix, ) was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today all in Romania, except the last regio ...

; evidence points to him holding this from 24 September 151 through 27 September 154. In 169 Vindex was appointed the colleague of praetorian prefect

Marcus Bassaeus Rufus Marcus Bassaeus Rufus was a Roman senator, who held a number of appointments during the reigns of the emperors Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. The most notable of these were ''praefectus vigilum'', ''praefectus'' or governor of Roman ...

. Both were selected to help with the threat posed by the

Marcomanni The Marcomanni were a Germanic people who lived close to the border of the Roman Empire, north of the River Danube, and are mentioned in Roman records from approximately 60 BC until about 400 AD. They were one of the most important members of th ...

on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

frontier; the previous praetorian prefect,

Titus Furius Victorinus Titus Furius Victorinus (died 168 AD) was a Roman '' eques'' who held a number of appointments during the reigns of the Emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. The most prominent of these offices were ''praefectus vigilum'', ''praefectus'' or ...

, had been killed the year before in battle with these Germanic invaders. An inscription recovered from Saepinum (modern

Sepino Sepino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about south of Campobasso. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). The archaeological site of ...

) shows their responsibilities covered more than military matters: it records their response to a petition from the imperial

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

Cosmus concerning the management of the imperial flocks. Victories followed for the Romans, only to conclude with Vindex's death in 172.Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius: A Biography'', p. 171

References

Further reading