Enmannsche Kaisergeschichte

The Enmannsche Kaisergeschichte (in English often called Enmann's Kaisergeschichte) is a modern term for a hypothesized Latin historical work, written in the 4th century but now lost.

The German scholar Alexander Enmann made in 1884 a comparison of several late Roman historical works and found many similarities, which could not be explained by a direct literary relationship between the extant works (Eine verlorene Geschichte der roemischen Kaiser und das Buch De viris illustribus urbis Romae). Enmann postulated a theory of a lost historical work, which was the common source for authors including Aurelius Victor

Aurelius Victor

Sextus Aurelius Victor was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire.Aurelius Victor was the author of a History of Rome from Augustus to Julian , published ca. 361. Julian honoured him and appointed him prefect of Pannonia Secunda...

, Eutropius and the author of the Historia Augusta

Augustan History

The Augustan History is a late Roman collection of biographies, in Latin, of the Roman Emperors, their junior colleagues and usurpers of the period 117 to 284...

. The work is not mentioned by any late Roman historian, but Enmann's analysis is today largely accepted and modified. However, there are some scholars, especially den Boer, who would question its existence, but the majority accept it.

The Kaisergeschichte (History of the Emperors) was a brief historical work. It had covered the time from emperor Augustus to 337 or 357. It was used by Aurelius Victor, Eutropius, Festus

Festus (historian)

Festus was a Late Roman historian whose breviary was commissioned by the emperor Valens in preparation for war against Persia....

, the Historia Augusta, Jerome

Jerome

Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...

, the anonymous Epitome de Caesaribus

Epitome de Caesaribus

The Epitome de Caesaribus is the name for a Latin historical work, written at the end of the 4th century.It is a brief account of the reigns of the emperors from Augustus to Theodosius the Great. It is attributed to Aurelius Victor, but was written by an anonymous author who was very likely a pagan...

, and other late Roman histories.