Guy Pestsiennyy Niger Yust ( Latin Gaius Pescennius Niger Iustus ), better known in Roman historiography as Pescenny Niger , was the Roman emperor in 193-194 .
Guy Pestenniy Niger Yust | |||||||
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lat Gaius pescennius niger iustus | |||||||
Aureus with a portrait of nazis | |||||||
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Predecessor | Didy Julian | ||||||
Successor | Septimius Severus and Clodius Albin | ||||||
Birth | 135 Aquin , Italy , Roman Empire | ||||||
Death | 194 Parthia | ||||||
Father | Annius Fusk | ||||||
Mother | Lamphardia | ||||||
Spouse | unknown | ||||||
Children | several sons | ||||||
Guy Pestsenniy (this is the name that Niger received at birth) came from the Italic horse family. It is known that he was a consul-effect, but the year of the consulate is unknown. In 193, being the legate of Syria, Pestenny Niger proclaimed himself emperor. However, he was soon defeated during the civil war with another aspirant to the imperial throne, Septimius Severus, and died [1] .
Content
Biography
Life before taking power
Guy Pestenny Niger Yust was born in the Italic equestrian family in the year 135 or in the year 140 in the southern Italian town of Aquin [2] . His father was Annius Fusk, the mother of Lampridia, and his grandfather was the trustee of Aquinus [3] . The author of the Niger biography says that the parents of Niger may not have come from noble families [3] .
These were the years of the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius , when the Roman state was in peace and at peace with most of its neighbors. However, this world was destroyed under Marcus Aurelius, who was forced to wage war against the Germanic tribes along the Danube border, and his brother Lucius Verus marched against the Parthian kingdom in the East. When peace was broken, Pescenia Niger was more than twenty years old [4] .
At the beginning of the reign of Marcus Aurelius (he reigned from 169–180) he served in the army and took part in battles with Marcomanni on the Danube border [4] . Around the same period, Peszenny Niger was appointed the prefect of the auxiliary cohort [4] . When the son of Marcus Aurelius Commodus, the future emperor held the position of a military tribune, and then was transferred to Dacia [5] , where he became famous for his successful war against the Sarmatian tribes, together with Decimus Claudius Albin (also the future emperor) [2] . The fact that two people in the rank of praetors participated in the campaign together suggests that they were commanders of the garrison of Dacia, which consisted of the V Macedonian and XIII Pair Legions [4] . For this merit, Commodus elevated Peszennia Niger to the rank of senator [6] (according to some information, Niger was for some time a governor of Dacia province [7] ). By this time, Peszenny Niger, apparently acquired a reputation as a good military leader [4] . After the uprising of the deserter Materna in 185 , which, having assembled a gang of robbers, released prisoners of several prisons of large cities and plundered Lugdun Gaul, Niger was transferred to this province with the rank of governor and defeated the remnants of the rebel gangs with the assistance of the VIII August Legion [4] . Maternet himself was killed in Rome during the preparation of the attempt on Commodus [8] .
Ascension to the throne
After some time, Peszenniy Niger was appointed consul-superskom [! 1] , and in 191, with the assistance of the leader Commod Narcissus, he was sent as a legate proprietor to Syria, where two legions were stationed - III Cyrenaic and IV Scythian [9] . He arrived in the Syrian capital of Antioch that same year. At the post of governor of Syria in 192, Niger put down the Jewish uprising and fought the Saracens [10] .
Under normal circumstances, this appointment was the crown of a career. However, the circumstances were different. The situation in Rome gradually deteriorated. The Emperor Commodus led something like a war against the Senate and tried to increase his popularity, which diminished after a big fire, entering the arena of the Colosseum as a gladiator and presenting himself as Roman Hercules . Although the Romans had become accustomed to the emperor's extravagant antics, several courtiers decided that the rule of Commodus should be discontinued [4] .
Several reliable people have already been appointed to key positions (perhaps Pestenny Niger was one of them). On the night of December 31, 192, on January 1, 193, the conspirators decided to strike. They killed the emperor and built the old consul Pertinax to the throne. The coup turned out to be bloodless [4] .
Peszenny Niger was a very popular warlord in Rome and many hoped that he would appoint Niger as his successor [2] . However, soon Pertinax was killed by praetorians . This time they did not have any particular candidate. The soldiers were simply angry with the princeps policy. However, two people were considered the most suitable: Pertinax's father-in-law, the prefect of the city of Rome, Titus Flavius Sulpitzian, and the commander Didy Julian . The latter offered more money to the praetorians than his rival, and they proclaimed him emperor [4] .
Among the common Roman population, a riot broke out with the aim of building the Throne of the Nizensian Polanza [11] [12] . There was a rumor that after the suppression of the rebellion Didyus Julian sent a centurion of Aquilius to Syria with the order to kill Niger, but his idea ended in failure [13] . Upon learning of the rumors that had circulated, Peszenny Niger decided to allow the emperor to declare himself to the Syrian legions, which happened at the end of April 193 [12] . He adopted Yust's nickname, which showed that he was favored by Justice (in Greek mythology Astraea ) - the goddess of justice [2] . Justice has become the motto of the government of Niger [2] . Niger summoned warriors on a certain day, followed by the people, and made a speech. The historian Herodian testifies that after the speech of Peszennius Niger to the population of Antioch, immediately all the soldiers and the assembled inhabitants proclaimed him emperor. They threw imperial purple on him and quickly collected the other insignia of the princeps . Then the people took Niger “with the ascent of the torch to the temples of Antioch” and escorted the latter-day emperor to his house. From now on, this house was considered not as a private dwelling, but as an imperial palace, and was decorated on the outside with all imperial symbols [14] .
Later, the propaganda of Emperor Septimius Severus claimed that Niger was the first to rebel against Didy Julian’s power [13] , but this was not true, since the North itself was proclaimed as emperor on April 9 (thereby, the North wanted to show that Niger was the first to rebel against the official authorities ) [6] . Although Pestenny Niger sent his ambassadors to Rome to declare his claim to the throne, his envoys were intercepted by soldiers of the North [2] . Due to the fact that Niger found serious support in all the eastern provinces, Septimius Severus from Pannonia moved with the army to Rome, which he entered after the assassination of Didius Julian in June 193 [15] .
Being veiled and personal qualities
The author of his biography in the collection of imperial biographies " The History of Augustus " gives a rather detailed description of Peszennia Niger:
“ Peszenny was so strict that when he saw some soldiers drink from a silver cup during a hike, he ordered all silver to be taken out of use for the duration of the hike, adding that wooden vessels should be used. This provoked bitterness against the warriors. <...> During the march, he forbade the army to follow the bakers and ordered the soldiers and all the rest to be content with the soldiers' breadcrumbs. For the kidnapping of one rooster, he ordered to cut off the head of ten soldiers of one maniple, who ate together this rooster, who was abducted by one, and he would execute this order if it were not for the request of the whole army that was almost threatened by rebellion. <...> In a word, although in his time there was no one who seemed to be a more strict commander, but this led more likely to his death ... after his death, when both envy and hatred for him disappeared, such examples were appreciated. ” [sixteen]
And then adds:
"... Niger was an excellent legate, a remarkable consul, an outstanding person in his home and public life, but an unlucky emperor ..." [17]
On coins, the Pescenny Niger appears as a man with a slightly extended head, long sideburns and a straight nose [18] .
Board and doom
Immediately after the capture of Rome, Septimius Severus concluded an alliance with his rival Claudius Albin , adopted him and proclaimed Caesar [2] . Albin understood that with his army (and he had only three legions under control) he would not be able to resist the forces loyal to the North (about twelve legions) [4] . Septimius Severus also did not waste time after the seizure of Rome and ordered the prefect of his own appointment, Guy Fulvius Plavtianu, to arrest the children of Niger and hold them as hostages [19] . In addition, one legion was sent to Thrace to prevent the eastern army from crossing the Bosphorus Strait [2] . Meanwhile, the Niger was engaged in providing support for all the Asian governors who took its side, including the respected pro- consul of Asia, Azellius Emilian, who with his detachment occupied Byzantium on behalf of Niger [20] . The Parthian king Vologuez IV , sympathetic to Niger, sent him from Hatra reinforcements for war with rivals [20] . The Fearless Trajanov Legion, which stood in Egypt II, went over to the side of Niger, in connection with which the North transferred part of its troops to the border with this province to observe the actions of the army of the enemy [20] .
Although the eastern lands possessed enormous wealth (especially Syria, which was of great importance for the empire), their military resources were worse than the western ones. The difference was observed in the quantitative difference of the armies: the North could call under its control sixteen European legions that were at its disposal, and Peszenny Niger had control of only six: three in Syria, two in Rocky Arabia, and one was in Commagen’s Melitena [19] . Therefore, Peszenniy Niger began to act decisively and, hoping for success, sent an army to Thrace, where near the city of Perinf it defeated a part of the army of the North under the command of consul-influence Lucius Fabius Zilon. Further, the army did not move, because the Niger could not provide further offensive [21] .
In connection with this defeat, the North in the fall of 193 made an army from Rome to the east, sending forward with the detachment of its commander Tiberius Claudius Candida [15] . In addition, he equipped a large navy and included the Italic ships, which later took part in the siege of Byzantium [22] . Pescenny Niger, making Byzantium his bid, gave Azellia Emilian an important task - to protect the southern coast of the Sea of Marmara from the invasion of the Western legions [15] . When Septimius Severus approached the city, he suggested that Niger voluntarily surrender and go into voluntary exile, but Niger refused, deciding to trust the outcome of the decisive battle [23] . Then the North laid siege to Byzantium, the capture of which took place only three years later [21] . In the autumn of the same year, Candide met with a Niger supporter Emilian in the battle of Kyzik , as a result of which the Candida army won, seizing and killing Emilian [24] . Because of the siege of Byzantium, Niger was forced to retreat to the little Asian city of Nicea [15] . Meanwhile, Nicomedia crossed over to the North, and at the end of 193 - early 194, a battle took place between enemy troops, as a result of which, according to Herodian, the army of the North won with slight losses [25] . Nevertheless, Peszenny Niger managed to lead a large part of his army to the Taurus Mountains and fiercely defended the passages in these mountains [21] . However, heavy rains forced him to retreat to the Cilician plain [4] .
After that, the emperor fled to Antioch, where he hastily recruited a new army from the urban youth [21] . At that time, the support of his power in the Asian provinces began to decline sharply. In some Syrian cities, in particular Laodikee and Tire , formerly loyal to him, they decided that it was time to betray the emperor and go to the side of Septimius Severus [24] . There, Nigerian followers were brutally killed, and many legionaries survived in Parthia , where they became builders, blacksmiths, and peasants [24] . By February 13, 194, the governor of Egypt announced his transfer to the North (this fact is known from the papyrus ), followed his example and the legate of Rocky Arabia , thereby reducing the chances of Niger to win the civil war, as the richest eastern provinces were lost [ 15] . Then Septimius Severus replaced the commander Claudius Candida with his longtime friend and proconsul of Africa Publius Cornelius Anullin [24] . Peszenny Niger met with the army of Anullin near Issa in the spring (probably March 31 [4] ) 194 (ibid in 333 BC. Persian king Darius III the Coderman was defeated by Alexander the Great ) where after a long and tough battle Niger suffered a crushing defeat due to poorly trained troops [24] [21] . Here is how Herodian describes the battle:
“In the evening, both troops camped against each other, and all night they both remained awake in fear and anxiety; with the rising of the sun, they moved against each other, encouraged by their commanders. Both troops rushed into the battle with all the ardor, as in the decisive final battle, where fate must determine whom to be sovereign. They fought for so long and were so many dead that the waves of rivers flowing across the plain carried more blood into the sea than did water; finally, the eastern people fled; having pushed them aside, the Illyrians dumped some into the nearby sea, and others who fled beyond the hills were persecuted and killed, and with them many other people who had gathered from nearby towns and villages to look at what was happening from a safe place ” [26] .
The Eastern Army lost about 20 thousand people [27] . Pescenny Niger himself survived the battle. Opinions of ancient authors differ on the circumstances of his death: Eli Spartian in the biography of Niger reports that the emperor was wounded during the battle and was brought to the North in serious condition, after which he immediately died [28] , and Herodian - that Peszenny was killed in the suburbs Antioch [29] ; however, according to the popular version, Niger was killed during the crossing of the Euphrates , when he intended to flee to Parthia [24] . The head of the murdered emperor was brought to Rome [21] . After the victory in the east, the North ordered the execution of all supporters of Niger [30] . The wife and children of Niger were killed, and all his estates were confiscated [31] . Historians have noticed that the name of Niger (which means “black”) was the opposite of the name Claudia Albin (Albin means “white”) [9] . According to the testimony of the History of Augustus, Peszenny was nicknamed Niger for a strongly tanned neck [32] .
Numerous silver coins issued on the Niger board are landmarks from the numismatic side: besides the images traditional on Roman coins, they sometimes contained exotic oriental motifs [1] . On them, Apollo was called holy - the title of deity widespread in Syria - and likened to the main god of the city of Antioch - Daphne; Jupiter received the title of "ruling over the world" and is depicted in the likeness of the Syrian Baal ; Fortune received here the name Atargatis and the Virgin of Syria, as well as one of the main Syrian goddesses; the god of imperial luck became the Greek good genius and deity of Alexandria, Agathodemont [1] .
Board Results
After the death of Peszennius Niger, Septimius Severus began a brief war against the Parthian kingdom , using the support of the Parthians of Niger as a pretext, but in reality - to strengthen his own power with victories and booty. [4] . After he had won several victories in Mesopotamia , he returned to Rome and defeated Claudius Albin, who declared himself Augustus in Gaul, and then again went to Mesopotamia, capturing the Parthian capital Ctesiphon [4] . The North celebrated all its victories with the construction of an arch in the Roman Forum [4] .
Although Lucius Septimius Severus was an enemy of Guy Peszennia Niger, the two men had much in common. Like Pertinax and Didius Julian , both of them were experienced commanders, made their careers during the reign of Marcus Aurelius , and were not from the highest strata of the population [4] . Although the reign of Niger was not crowned with success, in the future the throne was occupied by a large number of the same military leaders as Pestenny Niger. Perhaps the best opinion of Niger was left by the historian and his contemporary Dion Cassius : "The Niger was not remarkable for anything — neither good nor bad" [1] . Despite his popularity among the Roman crowd, according to historian Michael Mekler, Pescenium Niger lacked the loyalty of the Senate and the Western army for complete success [2] . Niger, ultimately, was unable to make himself a true avenger for Pertinax, and his roughly one-year rule by the eastern provinces does not allow him to be considered the legitimate emperor [2] .
Notes
- ↑ Consulate year unknown.
References and sources
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Grant, 1998 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Meckler, 2008 .
- ↑ 1 2 Elij Spartian . "History of Augustus". Pescenny Niger. I. 3.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Jona Lendering : Pescennius Niger
- ↑ Dion Cassius . Roman history. Epitome book. LXXIII. eight.
- ↑ 1 2 Potter, 2004 , p. 101.
- ↑ Piso I. La place de la Dacie dans les carrieres senatoriales (ital.) // Tituli. - Rome, 1982. - N. 4 . - P. 378-379 .
- ↑ Herodian . The history of imperial power after Mark. I. 10.
- ↑ 1 2 Southern, 2001 , p. 28
- ↑ Hoeber, Karl. Pescennius Niger (English) . Catholic Encyclopedia . 1913.
- ↑ Herodian . The history of imperial power after Mark. Ii. 4. 7.
- ↑ 1 2 Bowman, 2005 , p. 2
- ↑ 1 2 Potter, 2004 , p. 99
- ↑ Herodian . The history of imperial power after Mark. Ii. 6
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Bowman, 2005 , p. four.
- ↑ Elij Spartian . "History of Augustus". Pescenny Niger. X. 1-8.
- ↑ Elij Spartian . "History of Augustus". Pescenny Niger. Vi. ten.
- ↑ Sand Niger at imperiumromanum.com
- ↑ 1 2 Potter, 2004 , p. 103
- ↑ 1 2 3 Southern, 2001 , p. 32.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Potter, 2004 , p. 104
- ↑ Herodian . The history of imperial power after Mark. Ii. 14. 7.
- ↑ Canduci, 2010 , p. 51.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Southern, 2001 , p. 33.
- ↑ Herodian . The history of imperial power after Mark. Iii. 3. 4.
- ↑ Herodian . The history of imperial power after Mark. Iii. 4. 4-5.
- ↑ Dion Cassius . Roman history. Epitome book. Lxxiv. 8. 1.
- ↑ Elij Spartian . "History of Augustus". Pescenny Niger. V. 8.
- ↑ Herodian . The history of imperial power after Mark. Iii. 4. 6.
- ↑ Potter, 2004 , p. 106
- ↑ Elij Spartian . "History of Augustus". Pescenny Niger. Vi. one.
- ↑ Elij Spartian . "History of Augustus". Pescenny Niger. Vi. 6
Literature
Sources
- Dion Cassius. The epitome of the book LXXV. // Roman history .
- Elij Spartian. History of Augustus // Peszenny Niger . - M .: Science, 1992.
- Herodian. The history of imperial power after Mark // Book II and Book III.
Literature
- Grant, M. Roman Emperors. Pescenny Niger . - 1998.
- Southern, Pat. The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine. - London, New York: Routledge, 2001.
- Potter, David Stone. The Roman Empire at Bay, AD 180-395. - Routledge, 2004.
- Bowman, Alan K. The Cambridge of The Empire, AD 193-337. - Cambridge University Press, 2005.
- Meckler, Michael. Pescennius Niger (193–194 AD) (English) . An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors . 2008. Archived January 25, 2012.
- Canduci, Alexander. Triumph & Tragedy: Immortal Emperors. - 2010.