Marcus Aurelius Carinus(AD ca. 250 – AD 285) Marcus Aurelius Carinus, the elder son of Carus, was born around AD 250. He and his brother Numerian were elevated to the rank of Caesar (junior emperor) in AD 282. When in December AD 282 or January AD 283 Carus left together with Numerian to campaign first …
Marcus Aurelius Numerius Carus(AD ca. 224 – AD 283) Marcus Aurelius Numerius Carus was born around AD 224 in Narbo in Gaul. He must have had an extensive and successful military career as in AD 276 emperor Probus made him praetorian prefect. But in AD 282 when he was inspecting troops in Raetia and Noricum …
Marcus Aurelius Equitius Probus(AD 232 – AD 282) Marcus Aurelius Equitius Probus was born at Sirmium on 19 August AD 232. His family origins are unclear. According to various accounts his father was either a market-gardener, a minor state official, or a soldier. Probus’ early military career is largely unknown. He most likely rose through …
Marcus Annius Florianus(d. AD 276) After the death of Tacitus in July AD 276 power seamlessly passed into the hands of his half-brother Florian, the commander of the praetorian guard.In fact, on hearing of Tacitus’ death, he proclaimed himself emperor, not waiting to be granted the title either by the troops or the senate. Widely …
Marcus Claudius Tacitus(AD ca. 200 – AD 276) The origins of Marcus Claudius Tacitus are disputed. In fact not much is known about him at all. The ancient literary sources, making him out to be a fabulously rich Italian, appear to be fiction rather than fact. One assumes he was born somewhere in the Danube …
Whilst Emperor Aurelian only ruled for five years as leader of the Roman world, his importance to its history is immense. Born in relative obscurity, somewhere in the Balkans (possibly near modern Sofia) in September 215, to a peasant family, Aurelian was in some ways a typical “soldier emperor” of the third century. However, unlike …