Imperium Galliarum

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The Imperium Galliarum at the time of its greatest expansion

Imperium Galliarum or Gallisches Sonderreich is the modern name for the Separate or Sonderreich, which existed between 260 and 274 in the area of ​​the Roman provinces of Lower Germany , Upper Germany , Raetia , Gaul , Britain and Hispania .

overview

Sometimes this special empire is also referred to as the Gallo-Roman Empire . Although the beginning of the Imperium Galliarum was often given as 259 in the past, it is now generally assumed that the usurpation of Postumus , with which the Sonderreich began, did not take place until the summer or autumn of 260. This view has prevailed because of the inscription on the Augsburg Victory Altar, from which the date mentioned can be deduced. There is probably a connection with the defeat of the Emperor Valerian , who was taken prisoner in the summer of 260. The reputation of his son and co-emperor Gallienus seems to have been badly damaged by the catastrophe.

Historical course

Postumus's troops had provided a Frankish raiding party laden with loot on their way back near Cologne . The booty was divided among the Roman soldiers. This led to a conflict with the legitimate lower emperor Saloninus , the son of Gallienus, and his Praetorian prefect Silvanus, who demanded the booty in favor of the state treasury. Thereupon Postumus had his mutinous men proclaim him Augustus and besieged Cologne, where Saloninus and his troops had fled. The city was conquered by Postumus and from then on served him as the seat of government. Saloninus and Silvanus were captured and murdered shortly afterwards.

It is noteworthy that Postumus then does not seem to have tried to gain control over the entire Roman Empire, but limited himself to the western third. Here he created its own state infrastructure: the empire had its own consuls , whose names have not been consistently passed down, and possibly also its own senate . The establishment of this special Gallic empire was a direct consequence of the temporary inability of the Roman central government to pacify the western provinces. In fact, the “Gallic Emperors” were largely able to fulfill this task; the secession also allows certain conclusions to be drawn about the self-confidence of the northwestern provinces. In 265 an attempt by Gallienus to militarily defeat Postumus failed; only Raetia came under the control of the central government again.

Gallienus was murdered by his own officers in 268. In the spring of 269, Postumus was also killed after he had put down an attempt at usurpation in Mainz, but had forbidden the looting of the city. After that, the Imperium Galliarum lost its stability. In the autumn of 273, the Roman emperor Aurelian finally set out to recapture the west of the empire after he had already been successful in the east. The last ruler of the shrunken Gallic Empire , Tetricus , moved with his army from his residence in Trier ( Augusta Treverorum ) to the south to meet Aurelian, who was on his way to northern Gaul with his army. The decisive battle took place in February or March 274 near Châlons-sur-Marne . It is unclear whether Tetricus and his son Tetricus capitulated or defected to Aurelian before the battle. In any case, their troops were defeated by Aurelian's army with heavy losses. Tetricus and his son were evidently brought before Aurelian's triumphal procession in Rome in 274 (at least that's what the Historia Augusta reports ), but their lives were spared.

The emperors and usurpers of the Gallic Empire are primarily known for the coins they minted.

Sociological Concomitants

In the area around Cologne rich graves have become known that date to the second half of the 3rd century. All of them are women who were buried in stone coffins and who received gifts made of gold, amber and other extraordinary objects. The temporal and regional accumulation in the time of the Imperium Galliarum is associated with the fact that some families (urban upper class from Cologne, officers) benefited from the new political situation and wanted to show this also with the grave furnishings.

List of emperors of the Imperium Galliarum

Surname Full name Reign Remarks
Postumus Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus 260-269 eliminated Saloninus ; alleged Caesar and co-emperor: Postumus II.
Laelianus Ulpius Corneli (an) us Laelianus 269 Counter-emperor in Upper Germany
Marius Marcus Aurelius Marius 269 by Victoria (?)
Victorinus Marcus Piavonius Victorinus 269-271 against Marius (?); Regent: Victoria (271); alleged Caesar: Victorinus II.
Domitianus unknown 271? Counter-Emperor in Northern Gaul (?)
Tetricus I. Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus 271-274 against Domitianus (?, through Victoria); deposed by Aurelian
Tetricus II. Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus 272 / 73-274 Sub-Emperor of his father Tetricus I.
Faustinus unknown 273/74 Usurper in Northern Gaul
Legend
colour meaning
Under-emperor or co-regent
Counter-Emperor

See also

literature

  • Lothar Bakker : The Augsburg Altar of Victory. In: Badischen Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (ed.): Imperium Romanum. Romans, Christians, Alemanni. Late antiquity on the Upper Rhine. Theiss, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1954-0 , pp. 96-101.
  • John F. Drinkwater: The Gallic Empire. Separatism and Continuity in the North-Western Provinces of the Roman Empire AD 260-274 (= Historia individual writings. Volume 52). Steiner, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-515-04806-5 .
  • Georg Elmer: The coinage of the Gallic emperors from Postumus to Tetricus in Cologne, Trier and Milan. In: Bonner Jahrbücher. Volume 146, 1941, pp. 1-106.
  • Thomas Fischer (ed.): The crisis of the 3rd century AD and the Gallic Empire. Files from the Xanten Interdisciplinary Colloquium, February 26th to 28th, 2009 (= ZAKMIRA-Schriften. Volume 8). Reichert, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-89500-889-4 .
  • Raymund Gottschalk: On the late Roman grave culture in the Cologne area. Two burial areas in Hürth-Hermülheim. Bonner Jahrbücher 207, 2007, pp. 211–298 (on the rich graves of the 3rd century and their relation to the Imperium Galliarum, pp. 227–241).
  • Ingemar König : The Gallic usurpers from Postumus to Tetricus (= Vestigia . Volume 31). CH Beck, Munich 1981, ISBN 3-406-04801-3 .
  • Jean Lafaurie: L'Empire Gaulois. Apport de la numismatique. In: Rise and Fall of the Roman World . Series II, Volume 2, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1975, ISBN 3-11-004971-6 , pp. 853-1012, doi : 10.1515 / 9783110830880-026 .
  • Andreas Luther : The Gallic Empire. In: Klaus-Peter Johne (Ed.): The time of the soldiers' emperors. Crisis and transformation of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD (235–284). Volume 1, Akademie Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-05-004529-0 , pp. 325–341.
  • Bernhard Schulte: The gold coinage of the Gallic emperors from Postumus to Tetricus. Sauerländer, Aarau et al. 1983, ISBN 3-7941-2346-8 (also dissertation, University of Münster 1977/1978).
  • Heinz-Joachim Schulzki: The Antoninian coinage of the Gallic emperors from Postumus to Tetricus (AGK). Type catalog of regular and re-minted coins (= Antiquitas . Series 3, Volume 35). Habelt, Bonn 1996, ISBN 3-7749-2711-1 .

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