Ursicinus (army master)

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Ursicinus was a late antique Roman army master who served under Emperor Constantius II (337–361). Ursicinus is mainly known from the historical work of Ammianus Marcellinus , who had served on Ursicinus' staff and therefore knew him personally and valued him very much.

Life

Rise, fall and rise again

Little is known about the origin of the Ursicinus. Before he became general of Constantius, he seems to have already proven himself under Constantine the Great or Constantine II .

Since about 351 Ursicinus magister equitum per Orientem , i.e. army master of the East under Constantius II. This office was probably only created in this situation, also to support and to support the newly appointed Caesar (lower emperor) Constantius Gallus , who was sent to the east by Constantius check. Ursicinus was thus the first magister militum per Orientem . In the east he secured the border against the Persian Sassanids , who - although at that time mainly occupied with defending against the Chionites in the east - always represented a danger. In Palestine in 352 he put down a Jewish uprising under the leadership of Patricius on behalf of Constantius Gallus . In 354, Ursicinus was entrusted by Gallus with the direction of a series of trials against high treasoners in Antioch . Ursicinus is said to have carried out this assignment - so Ammian reports - allegedly only reluctantly, because as a general he was not familiar with civil and legal tasks. According to Ammian, Ursicinus Ammian was also innocent of the cruelty that the accused experienced in the course of the trials, but Caesar Gallus was responsible for it. Contrary to Ammian's report, however, entrusting the legal task to an army master was certainly an honor; and as the head of the processes, Ursicinus cannot have been completely uninvolved in their outcome.

As early as 354, there were critics of Ursicinus at the court of Emperor Constantius II, who chalked up his popularity in the East and suspected him of striving for the dignity of the emperor himself. In particular, the influential Chamberlain Eusebius and the army master Arbitio tried to convince the emperor of the disloyalty of Ursicinus, and for him the court intrigues were dangerous. After the elimination of Gallus, who had proven himself clumsy in the government and disobedient to Constantius and his officials, at the end of 354 Ursicinus was also charged with high treason. It should even have been considered to murder him without trial. At first, however, they seem to have been content with not entrusting the disgraced Ursicinus again with army matters.

Ursicinus was freed from this precarious situation by the usurpation of Silvanus in Cologne on August 11, 355. Constantius now needed the experienced army master, who was sent to Cologne and had to act skilfully and cunningly there in order to fulfill the order as requested. In fact, Constantius didn't have much to lose either, because if Ursicinus should fail, he would still be rid of an undesirable rival. Ultimately, Ursicinus succeeded in eliminating the usurper in a skilful operation, in which the later historian Ammian was also involved: Ursicinus bribed those troops of Silvanus that were considered particularly fickle, and they penetrated the general's palace and killed him .

Fights in the east and final disempowerment

After the elimination of Silvanus, Ursicinus stayed in Gaul for some time, where he supported the new army master for Gaul ( magister equitum per Gallias ) Marcellus and probably also worked with Julian , the new under-emperor of Constantius. In 357 Ursicinus was finally ordered back to the east, first to the court of the emperor in Sirmium , where a briefing took place. Then Ursicinus took his position again to secure the eastern borders of the empire. Probably in 358/59 he was finally appointed as successor to Barbatio to magister peditum praesentalis , commander of the court army. He had to return to the court and in his place Sabinianus became the new master of the East.

It soon became clear, however, that another Persian War would break out. Thereupon Ursicinus, who had not yet arrived at the emperor's court in Sirmium, was sent back to the east. This time, however, he was only entrusted with advisory functions, the supreme command of the army remained with the inexperienced Sabinianus. In 359, the Sassanid great king Shapur II actually invaded Syria with a large army. Ursicinus nevertheless tried to sort out the situation. First of all, he secured the strategically important city of Nisibis as far as he could , and was almost captured by Persian horsemen himself. Later he got into a very dangerous situation again in front of Amida , from which he narrowly escaped. The fortress was besieged for 73 days and finally conquered by the Sassanids, although Ursicinus tried to persuade Sabinianus to relieve him.

After the fall of Amidas , Ursicinus had to return to court for good in order to take up his new office. However, there he was - so Ammian reports - slandered by his enemies. He was blamed for the loss of the important city, and the intrigues, especially of the chamberlain Eusebius, finally led him to make some angry remarks, which were conveyed to the emperor. This got angry about it and dismissed Ursicinus entirely from the army. He had to withdraw into private life and was therefore not available for Constantius' planned Persian campaign. Then his traces are lost. After all, it is known that he had several sons, including Potentius, who died in the Battle of Adrianople in 378, and that he owned a house in Antioch.

The most important source for the life and work of Ursicinus is Ammianus Marcellinus , who served under Ursicinus for several years and knew him personally. In addition to Julian, who later became emperor, Ursicinus appears in Ammian's history as the second great hero, who is mainly portrayed positively. To what extent Ammian's assessments are correct, however, is difficult to verify today, as Ursicinus is hardly mentioned anywhere else. The presentation is certainly too positive in parts.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Ammian 15,5,19, where Ursicinus is referred to as "magnus commilitio Constantini", as "great comrade of Constantine", is not clear in this regard.
  2. ↑ On the basis of a remark by Ammian (18,6,2), who speaks of a ten-year ( decennium ) activity of Ursicinus in the east for the year 359, some earlier historians have assumed 349 as the inaugural year in the military office. Alexander Demandt : Magister militum . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Supplementary volume XII, Stuttgart 1970, col. 553-790, here col. 569-571, but has explained that and why 351 is more likely as the inaugural year, so that Ammian's “decennium” should be taken cum grano salis .
  3. ↑ So Alexander Demandt: Magister militum . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Supplementary volume XII, Stuttgart 1970, Sp. 553-790, here Sp. 570f.
  4. ↑ On the unsettled situation in the east despite the Chionites, about Ammian 14.2.20; 15.13.4.
  5. ↑ See the report in Ammian 14.9. On this Lippold, in: RE, Vol. IX A, 1, Sp. 1058f.
  6. ↑ Ammian 15: 2, 1-6.
  7. ↑ Ammian assumes this to be the main motive for the commissioning of Ursicinus with the removal of Silvanus.
  8. ↑ Ammian 15: 5, 30-31.
  9. ↑ On Ursicinus immediately before the renewed Persian War, cf. Ammian 18.6.5-15.
  10. ↑ Ammian 19.3.
  11. ↑ On the defamation and dismissal of Ursicinus Ammian 20.2.
  12. ↑ Ammian 14,11,3 (sons); 31,13,18 (Potentius); 18,4,3 (house).
  13. ↑ There is only one additional remark in Zonaras 13.9.
  14. ↑ PLRE 1, p. 986; Lippold, in: RE IX A, 1, Sp. 1058.
personal data
SURNAME Ursicinus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman army master
DATE OF BIRTH before 350
DATE OF DEATH after 359