Marcellus (counter-emperor)
Marcellus († 366 ) was a Roman counter-emperor in the east.
Nothing more is known about Marcellus' youth and his family background. He appears for the first time in connection with the usurpation of Procopius . He is mentioned in particular by the historians Zosimos and Ammianus Marcellinus .
Procopius sent his relative Marcellus to Bithynia . Marcellus was supposed to attack cavalry units commanded by Serenianus who had remained loyal to the rightful Emperor Valens . Serenianus had holed up in Kyzikos . Marcellus conquered the city and pursued Serenianus to Lydia , where he finally had him executed.
In the meantime, Valens had defeated and executed the counter-emperor Procopius in the battles of Thyatira and Nakoleia . He now had his followers and relatives arrested and killed. Marcellus was also executed. The chronicler John of Antioch reports that the followers of Procopius were convicted of crimes of majesty.
swell
- Ammianus Marcellinus 26 , 8 , 6-11 ; 26,10,1-5 .
- John of Antioch 184.2.
- Zosimos 4, 6, 3–5; 4,8,3-5 .
literature
- Arnold Hugh Martin Jones , John Robert Martindale, John Morris : Marcellus 5. In: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Volume 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1971, ISBN 0-521-07233-6 , p. 551.
Web links
- Thomas Banchich: Short biography (English) at De Imperatoribus Romanis (with references).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Marcellus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Roman counter-emperor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 366 |