Flavius Hannibalianus (also
Hanniballianus; d. September 337) was a member of the
Constantinian dynastyThe Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus to the death of Julian in 363. It is named after its most famous member, Constantine the Great who became the sole ruler of the empire in 324...
, which ruled over the
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
in the 4th century.
Hannibalianus was the son of
Flavius DalmatiusFlavius Dalmatius , also known as Dalmatius the Censor, was a censor , and a member of the Constantinian dynasty, which ruled over the Roman Empire at the beginning of the 4th century....
, and thus nephew of
Constantine ICaesar Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus , commonly known in English as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine , was Roman emperor from 306, and the sole holder of that office from 324 until his death in...
. Hannibalianus and his brother
DalmatiusFlavius Dalmatius , also known as Dalmatius Caesar, was a Caesar of the Roman Empire, and member of the Constantinian dynasty.Dalmatius was son of another Flavius Dalmatius, censor, and nephew of Constantine I...
were educated at
TolosaTolosa may refer to:*Tolosa is the Latin and Occitan name for the town of Toulouse, France*Tolosa, Leyte, a municipality in the Philippines*Tolosa, Spain is also a locality in Guipúzcoa, Spain*Tolosa, Portugal is also a locality in Nisa, Portugal....
by rhetor
ExuperiusSaint Exuperius was Bishop of Toulouse at the beginning of the 5th century.His place and date of birth is unknown. Upon succeeding St. Silvius as bishop, he completed the Basilique St-Sernin, begun by his predecessor. St...
.
In 320s, Constantine called Flavius Dalmatius and his sons to Constantinople. Hannibalianus married Constantine's elder daughter,
ConstantinaConstantina was the eldest daughter of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and his second wife Fausta, daughter of Emperor Maximian...
, in 335, and was made
nobilissimus.
In occasion of the campaign of Constantine against the
SassanidsThe Sassanid Empire or Sasanian Empire, known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr, was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty who reigned from 224 to 651 CE...
(337), Hannibalianus was made
Rex RegumKing of Kings is a title that has been used by several monarchies throughout history, and in many cases the literal title meaning "King of Kings", i.e...
et Ponticarum Gentium, "King of the Kings and of the Pontic People". Probably it was Constantine's intention to put Hannibalianus on the Pontic throne, after the defeat of the Persians.
The Persian campaign did not take place, because Constantine died in May 337. Hannibalianus died, as did his brother, in the purge of the imperial family that followed.
Primary sources
- Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. His is the second-to-last major historical account written during Antiquity...
, Rerum Gestarum XXXI
- 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...
- Zosimus
Zosimus was a Byzantine historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury....
, Historia Nova
Secondary sources