Felicissimus

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Felicissimus ( Latin: the happiest ) was the leader of a revolt in Rome against Emperor Aurelian .

Life

Felicissimus was originally the Imperial Minister of Finance. In the course of the Aurelian fight against corruption, however, it was revealed that he had deliberately forged coins . Thereupon he instigated a revolt in the capital with the help of the coin manufacturers, to which Aurelian responded by sending troops into the city. The fighting was intense and the military struggled to emerge victorious. Thousands of people died, and events also spread among the Roman upper classes when Aurelian executed several senators who presumably had supported the uprising. Felicissimus - who himself was never (counter) emperor - died fighting with the imperial soldiers.

Although Aurelius Victor gives the date of the revolt as 274 AD, this seems unlikely today: Aurelian was at the height of his power in 274, and there are several indications that it must have been the year 271. Zosimos mentions the unrest at the beginning of the Aurelian rule, and in January 271 the emperor suffered a devastating defeat against the Juthung in the battle of Placentia . It appears that around this time the Rome mint temporarily ceased operations, probably due to the aftermath of the uprising. A coin reform was then carried out by Aurelian around 274.

swell

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Felicissimus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman leader of a revolt
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century
DATE OF DEATH 3rd century or 4th century