Roman emperor in 251
Hostilian
(
Latin
:
Gaius Valens Hostilianus Messius Quintus
; died 251) was briefly
Roman emperor
in 251. Hostilian was born to
Decius
and
Herennia Etruscilla
at an unknown date and elevated to
caesar
in 250 by Decius. After Decius and
Herennius Etruscus
, Hostilian's brother, were killed at the
Battle of Abritus
, an ambush by the Goths,
Trebonianus Gallus
was proclaimed emperor by the legions. Almost immediately, he elevated Hostilian to co-emperor and his own son,
Volusianus
, to
caesar
. Hostilian died soon after, either due to plague or being murdered by Trebonianus Gallus.
History
[
edit
]
Hostilian was born at an unknown date, to
Decius
, a Roman general who later became Emperor, and his wife
Herennia Etruscilla
. He had a brother,
Herennius Etruscus
, and one sister. His full name based on coinage and inscriptions was Gaius Valens Hostilianus Messius Quintus, but to this the historian
Aurelius Victor
adds Perpenna or Perperna, a name of
Etruscan
origin.
In September 249 the army of Decius declared him emperor, in opposition to
Philip the Arab
. He defeated and killed Philip in a battle near
Verona
, after which the
Roman Senate
confirmed Decius's appointment and honoured him with the name
Traianus
, a reference to Emperor
Trajan
.
In or around September 250,
Decius appointed both his sons
caesars
and in May 251 Herennius Etruscus was elevated to the rank of
augustus
, which made Decius and Etruscus co-emperors, with Hostilian as the heir of either or both of them.
In June 251, Decius and Herennius Etruscus were killed by the
Goths
at the
Battle of Abritus
, and
Trebonianus Gallus
was declared emperor. To placate the public after this abrupt change of rulers, Gallus elevated Hostilian to
augustus
.
After a short period as co-emperor, Hostilian died in circumstances which are still disputed.
His death is sometimes dated to November,
but contemporary sources indicate that he died in or before August, probably in July.
Aurelius Victor
and the author of the
Epitome de Caesaribus
say that Hostilian died of a plague.
Zosimus
claims that he was killed by Trebonianus Gallus.
[11]
Gallus's son
Volusianus
became the new co-emperor.
Some historians identify Hostilian as the Roman general depicted in the
Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus
, but this is unlikely given that all of his coins depict him as a beardless young boy.
It's possible that both Hostilian and Herennius Etruscus were still children or teenagers at the time of their death.
Numismatics
[
edit
]
The
aurei
of Hostilian fall into four types bearing the bust of Hostilian on the
obverse
, with the
reverse
showing:
Mars
walking to the right; priestly implements;
Mercury
standing; and
Roma
seated, holding
Victoria
.
References
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Hostilian
.
Primary sources
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
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.
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ISBN
978-3-534-26724-8
.
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.
JSTOR
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.
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ISBN
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.
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ISBN
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.
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