Bonoz ( Bonos ; Latin: Bonosus ) - the Roman usurper emperor, who came to power in 280 or 281 .
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| Spouse | Gunila (?) | ||||||
| Children | 2 sons (?) | ||||||
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Content
Biography
Information about this emperor is very scarce, a more or less lengthy story about him is contained only in the " History of Augustus " - a source full of inaccuracies and frank inventions. There are given such facts from the life of Bonoz: he was from a Spanish family, was born in Britain. At an early age, he lost his father, was raised by his mother and received no education. At first he served as a junior commander and gradually rose to the Duks (military commander) of the Retian border.
“Once the Germans burned Roman pleasure yachts on the Rhine. Fearing punishment, Bonoz took over imperial power and held it for longer than he deserved. In a long and fierce battle, he was defeated by Prob and ended his life, having strangled himself in a noose ” [1] .
It is also reported that Prob graciously treated his wife, who was named Gunila in the source, and two children, even giving them a life-time salary:
“Bonoz left two sons; Samples spared both. In the same way, his wife was always honored, and until her death was given the contents ” [1]
Brief references to the fact that the emperor Prob, after coming to power, defeated Bonoz near the Colony of Agrippina (modern Cologne ), are contained in Aurelius Victor , "Extracts from Aurelius Victor", Eutropius and Pavel Orozius . Also preserved are some coins of this usurper [2] .
Although other historical sources confirm the existence of Bonoz and his speech in Gaul against Proba, various scholars are skeptical of the details of the biography set forth in The History of Augustus. So, Dietmar Kinast believed that information about the command of Bonoz on the Rhine border, his battle with Proba and suicide is reliable, while the facts of the previous biography are fiction [3] . And Timothy Barnes rejected all the facts of Bonoz’s biography set forth in The History of Augustus [4] .
We can only say for sure that Bonoz rebelled in northern Gaul after the death of Emperor Aurelian , almost simultaneously with another usurper, Prokul , corrected for some short time and was defeated by the new emperor, Probe .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 History of Augustus. Firms ... XV. 1-2.
- ↑ Bonosa coins, due to their rarity, are valued at numismatic auctions from $ 1,000 to $ 6,000. See Bonosus (Usurper in Gaul, ca. 280 AD)
- ↑ Kienast D. Römische Kaisertabelle: Grundzüge römischen Kaiserchronologie. Darmstadt, 1990. S. 251-252.
- ↑ Barnes, TD Some Persons in the Historia Augusta. // Phoenix 26, 1972. P. 140ff.
Sources
- History of Augustus . Firms, Saturninus, Proculus, Bonoz, that is, four tyrants . XIV — XV; Sample Xviii. five.
- Aurelius Victor . About Caesars. XXXVII. 3.
- Pseudo- Aurelius Victor . Extracts about the life and customs of the Roman emperors. XXXVII. 2.
- Pavel Oroziy . VII. 24.2.
Literature
- Barnes, TD Some Persons in the Historia Augusta. // Phoenix 26, 1972. P. 140ff.
- Kienast D. Römische Kaisertabelle: Grundzüge römischen Kaiserchronologie. Darmstadt, 1990. S. 251-252.
- Kreucher G. Der Kaiser Marcus Aurelius Probus und seine Zeit. Stuttgart, 2003. S. 166ff.
- Mc Mahon R. Probus (276–282 AD) and Rival Claimants (Proculus, Bonosus, and Saturninus) of the 280s. The Revolts of Proculus, Bonosus, and Saturninus // An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors .
- Jones AHM Bonosus 1 // Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire / AHM Jones , JR Martindale, J. Morris. - Cambridge University Press , 1971. - Vol. I: AD 260–395. - P. 163. - ISBN 0-521-07233-6 [2001 reprint].
- Henze W. Bonosus (1). RE B. 3. col. 713-714.