.gif)
Maximinus (Praetorian Prefect)
Encyclopedia
Maximinus was a Roman
barrister
and Praetorian Prefect
of the later fourth century AD.
, Pannonia
. His family was of Carpic
origin. Maximinus' father was an accountant in the provincial government office of Pannonia Valeria
.
Maximinus studied law, and practiced as an attorney. Later he was appointed to the governor of Corsica
, Sardinia
and Tuscia
. He became prefectus annonae in Rome
, and used this important position to launch a witch-hunt against the Roman senatorial aristocracy. At first he also kept his governoral office because his successor was slow to arrive.
, encouraged by emperor Valentinian I
. Valentinian's prejudice against the Roman nobility brought the two men close together. The praefectus urbi of Rome, Olybrius was ill and weak, so Maximinus took the chance to seize the judicial authority.
Historian Ammianus Marcellinus
gives a detailed description about these unjust trials in the 28th book of his work. He calls Maximinus a "wild beast" and "diabolic inquisitor". After he gained the consent of the emperor Maximinus became excessively confident, and "walked on the streets of the city almost dancing like a brahmin."
The famous victims of Maximinus' witch hunt were Marinus (attorney), Cethegeus senator, the young Lollianus (son of the former praefectus Lampadius), two noblewomen, Claritas and Flaviana, Paphius and Cornelius senators, Campensis haruspex and others. All of them were tortured to extort their "confessions". Maximinus prosecuted Hymetius, the former proconsul of Africa province
, but the man appealed to the emperor. Valentinianus handed over the case to the Senate
which only sent Hymetius into exile to the great rage of the emperor.
According to Marcellinus a string was attached to the side window of the praetorial office of Maximinus, where the anonymous informers could have hooked their denunciations in a letter. Maximinus also employed many spies.
In 369 AD, Maximinus' brother in law, Valentinus
committed an unrecorded but very serious crime. Maximinus was able to have Valentinus' sentence commuted from execution to exile
and he was sent to Britain where he began planning a revolt that had to be put down by Count Theodosius
.
of Rome and then served praetorian prefect of Gaul from 13/07/371 - 16/04/376 providing a direct link between the emperor and the civil administration in Roman Britain
and Gaul. When Valentinian was replaced by Gratian
Maximus was removed from his post as part of a purge of the old regime.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and Praetorian Prefect
Praetorian prefect
Praetorian prefect was the title of a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief aides...
of the later fourth century AD.
Origins
Maximinus was born in SopianaePécs
Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economical centre of Baranya county...
, Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
. His family was of Carpic
Carpians
The Carpi or Carpiani were an ancient people that resided, between not later than ca. AD 140 and until at least AD 318, in the former Principality of Moldavia ....
origin. Maximinus' father was an accountant in the provincial government office of Pannonia Valeria
Pannonia Valeria
The Pannonia Valeria or simply Valeria was one of the provinces of the Roman Empire. It was formed in the year 296, during the reign of emperor Diocletian. The capital of the province was Sopianae . Pannonia Valeria included parts of present-day Hungary and Croatia.-External links:*...
.
Maximinus studied law, and practiced as an attorney. Later he was appointed to the governor of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and Tuscia
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
. He became prefectus annonae in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and used this important position to launch a witch-hunt against the Roman senatorial aristocracy. At first he also kept his governoral office because his successor was slow to arrive.
Trials
He made his name prosecuting members of the Roman aristocracy on charges of witchcraftWitchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, encouraged by emperor Valentinian I
Valentinian I
Valentinian I , also known as Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. Upon becoming emperor he made his brother Valens his co-emperor, giving him rule of the eastern provinces while Valentinian retained the west....
. Valentinian's prejudice against the Roman nobility brought the two men close together. The praefectus urbi of Rome, Olybrius was ill and weak, so Maximinus took the chance to seize the judicial authority.
Historian Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. He wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from Antiquity...
gives a detailed description about these unjust trials in the 28th book of his work. He calls Maximinus a "wild beast" and "diabolic inquisitor". After he gained the consent of the emperor Maximinus became excessively confident, and "walked on the streets of the city almost dancing like a brahmin."
Africa Province
The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day northern Tunisia, and the small Mediterranean coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor...
, but the man appealed to the emperor. Valentinianus handed over the case to the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
which only sent Hymetius into exile to the great rage of the emperor.
According to Marcellinus a string was attached to the side window of the praetorial office of Maximinus, where the anonymous informers could have hooked their denunciations in a letter. Maximinus also employed many spies.
In 369 AD, Maximinus' brother in law, Valentinus
Valentinus (rebel)
Valentinus was a Roman figure of the later fourth century AD.In 369 AD he committed an unrecorded but very serious crime. His brother in law, Maximinus was close to the emperor Valentinian I and was able to have Valentinus' sentence commuted from execution to exile and he was sent to Roman...
committed an unrecorded but very serious crime. Maximinus was able to have Valentinus' sentence commuted from execution to exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
and he was sent to Britain where he began planning a revolt that had to be put down by Count Theodosius
Count Theodosius
Flavius Theodosius or Theodosius the Elder was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire. He achieved the rank of Comes Britanniarum and as such, he is usually referred to as Comes Theodosius...
.
Prefect of Gaul
Within a year, Maximinus had been promoted to vicariusVicarius
Vicarius is a Latin word, meaning substitute or deputy. It is the root and origin of the English word "vicar" and cognate to the Persian word most familiar in the variant vizier....
of Rome and then served praetorian prefect of Gaul from 13/07/371 - 16/04/376 providing a direct link between the emperor and the civil administration in Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
and Gaul. When Valentinian was replaced by Gratian
Gratian
Gratian was Roman Emperor from 375 to 383.The eldest son of Valentinian I, during his youth Gratian accompanied his father on several campaigns along the Rhine and Danube frontiers. Upon the death of Valentinian in 375, Gratian's brother Valentinian II was declared emperor by his father's soldiers...
Maximus was removed from his post as part of a purge of the old regime.
Sources
- Ammianus Marcellinus: Res Gestae Libri XXXI, Liber XXVIII
- Collegiate Prefectures A. H. M. Jones The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 54, Parts 1 and 2 (1964)