Marcus Nummius Umbrius Primus Senecio Albinus (fl. late 2nd century to early 3rd century AD) 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 ...

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

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 thro ...

in AD 206 with Lucius Fulvius Gavius Numisius Petronius Aemilianus as his colleague.

Biography

Senecio Albinus probably originally came from the town of Beneventum in Southern Italy, where, due to his building activities in the town, he was recognized as the ''civis patronus'' (or

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

) of the town. The family also had estates in and around Brixia. It has been traditionally held that Senecio Albinus was the biological son of Nummius Albinus, a half brother of the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Didius Julianus Marcus Didius Julianus (; 29 January 133 – 2 June 193) was Roman emperor from March to June 193, during the Year of the Five Emperors. Julianus had a promising political career, governing several provinces, including Dalmatia (Roman province) ...

, who was probably condemned to death after his overthrow by

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; ; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through cursus honorum, the ...

in 193. At some point, Senecio Albinus was adopted by Marcus Umbrius Primus, a member of the ''Umbrii Primi'' from Compsa (today Conza della Campania), which had very close ties to Beneventum.It has also been argued that Senecio Albinus was instead the biological son of Marcus Umbrius Primus, who was later adopted by Nummius Albinus. See Mennen’s ''Power and Status in the Roman Empire, AD 193-284'' (2011), pgs. 112-115 Senecio Albinus’ career under the

Severan Dynasty The Severan dynasty, sometimes called the Septimian dynasty, ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235. It was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus () and Julia Domna, his wife, when Septimius emerged victorious from civil war of 193 - 197, ...

was remarkable, given his relationship to Didius Julianus. Possibly of Patrician status, he began his career as a ''

Triumvir Monetalis The ''triumvir monetalis'' ( ''tresviri'' or ''triumviri monetales'', also called the , abbreviated IIIVIR A. A. A. F. F.) was a moneyer during the Roman Republic and the Empire, who oversaw the minting of coins. In that role, he would be respon ...

'' before gaining some military experience as '' sevir equitum Romanorum turmae primae'' (or commander of the first cavalry unit). This was followed by his posting as ''curator'' of

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

. Then, around AD 199, he was an imperial candidate of Septimius Severus for the position of

Quaestor A quaestor ( , ; ; "investigator") was a public official in ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officia ...

. Next, he was a '' legatus proconsulis'' in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

before fulfilling the same role in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

around AD 202, either under his adopted father Umbrius Primus (who was the proconsular governor), or just after his father stepped down from office. Around AD 204 he presented himself as a candidate of the Emperor for the position of

Praetor ''Praetor'' ( , ), also ''pretor'', was the title granted by the government of ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to disch ...

. Then in the year 206 Senecio Albinus was appointed '' consul prior''. In around 208 or 209, he was appointed the ''electus ab Augustis ad cognoscendum vice sacra'' (the officer presiding over judicial cases in place of the emperor), when Severus and his sons were on campaign.Mennen, pg. 112 Possibly between 209 and 212, Senecio Albinus was the '' Legatus Augusti pro praetore'' of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Hispania Tarraconensis Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the northern, eastern and central territories of modern Spain along with modern North Region, Portugal, northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now ...

. This was followed by his posting as imperial legate of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

, probably from 212 to 214. Finally, he may possibly have been the

Proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a Roman consul, 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 ...

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

around AD 221 or 222. From 191, Senecio Albinus had been one of the '' Salii Palatini'', and since 199 he had been a ''pontifex'', a member of the

College of Pontiffs The College of Pontiffs (; see ''collegium'') was a body of the ancient Rome, ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the Religion in ancient Rome, state religion. The college consisted of the ''pontifex maximus'' an ...

. He had at least one son, Marcus Nummius Senecio Albinus, who became consul in the year 227.

Footnotes

Sources

* * Mennen, Inge, ''Power and Status in the Roman Empire, AD 193-284'' (2011)

References

Literature

* PIR ² N 238 {{DEFAULTSORT:Umbrius Primus Senecio Albinus, Marcus Nummius 2nd-century Romans 3rd-century Romans Imperial Roman consuls Roman governors of Hispania Tarraconensis Roman governors of Dalmatia Roman governors of Asia Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown