Tetricus I
Encyclopedia
Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus was Emperor of the Gallic Empire
(Imperium Galliarum) from 271 to 274, following the murder of Victorinus
. Tetricus, who ruled with his son, Tetricus II
, was the last of the Gallic emperors following his surrender to the Roman emperor
Aurelian
.
in 270, a position he still held when the murder of Victorinus
was announced in early 271.
Victorinus' mother, Victoria
, located at Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
, managed to keep control of the political situation after her son’s death; through her influence (and a large amount of money), she bribed the army to declare the absent Tetricus emperor. Tetricus accepted the army’s nomination and took the purple at Burdigala
in Gaul
.
Moving from Burdigala, he was on his way to Augusta Treverorum
when Tetricus was forced to repel Germanic tribes that took advantage of the confusion following the death of Victorinus to invade Gaul. By the end of 271 Tetricus had made Augusta Treverorum, near the vital Rhine border, his capital, and had celebrated a Victoria Germanica, but was again called out in 272 to deal with a fresh incursion that reached the River Loire. However, continued invasions across the Rhine and along the coasts forced Tetricus to abandon the frontier forts and withdraw the troops to defend the interior of Gaul.
Regardless of his difficulties with the Germanic invasions, Tetricus was recognised as emperor throughout Britain
and most of Gaul apart from Narbonensis, where Placidianus
had reclaimed some territory under Claudius II Gothicus. Although Tetricus made no move to expand his territorial reach, he did invest time and resources reclaiming some provinces that had been reconquered by the central empire, such as south-eastern Aquitania
and the western parts of Narbonensis. Nevertheless, his regime was destabilised by attempts of certain areas to declare their allegiance to the Roman emperor
Aurelian
, such as the city of Argentoratum
in 272.
It was to shore up his internal support that Tetricus eventually appointed his son, Tetricus II
, as Caesar
sometime in 273, after celebrating his second consulship on 1 January 273. It did little to stem his faltering regime as in late 273 or early 274, Faustinus
, provincial governor of Gallia Belgica
, rebelled against him in Augusta Treverorum. To add to his woes, by the middle of 273, the emperor Aurelian
set out to reconquer the western provinces of the Roman empire
, following his victories in the east. Preparing for his advance, Tetricus and his son celebrated their joint consulship on 1 January 274 before marching southward from his capital at Augusta Treverorum to meet Aurelian, who was advancing into northern Gaul. The decisive battle took place near Châlons-sur-Marne, in late February 274 where Tetricus’ army was cut to pieces in an event remembered as the Catalaunian catastrophe. By March 274, both Tetricus and his son had surrendered to Aurelian
. Later imperial propaganda declared that Tetricus had agreed to surrender to Aurelian in exchange for his life, but the price was to be his betrayal of his army prior to battle, which continued to fight even when notified of Tetricus’ actions. It was claimed that Tetricus quoted Virgil
in his letter to Aurelian: "eripe me his, invicte, malis" (“rescue me undefeated from these troubles”).
According to literary sources, after being displayed as trophies at Aurelian's triumph
in Rome, the lives of Tetricus and his son were spared by Aurelian, and Tetricus was even given the title of corrector
Lucaniae et Bruttiorum, that is governor of a southern region of Italia. Tetricus died at an unknown date in Italy; he is listed as one of Rome's Thirty Tyrants
in the Historia Augusta.
(silver coins) of Tetricus were the most frequently imitated prototypes for barbarous radiate
s, barbaric imitations of Roman coins.
Gallic Empire
The Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....
(Imperium Galliarum) from 271 to 274, following the murder of Victorinus
Victorinus
Marcus Piavonius Victorinus was emperor of the secessionist Gallic Empire from 269 to 271, following the brief reign of Marius. He was murdered by a jealous husband whose wife he tried to seduce.-Reign:...
. Tetricus, who ruled with his son, Tetricus II
Tetricus II
Caius Pius Esuvius Tetricus was the son of Tetricus I, Emperor of the Gallic Empire ....
, was the last of the Gallic emperors following his surrender to the Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Aurelian
Aurelian
Aurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
.
Reign
Tetricus was a senator born to a noble family of Gallic extraction. He was appointed to the administrative position of praeses provinciae (provincial governor) of Gallia AquitaniaGallia Aquitania
Gallia Aquitania was a province of the Roman Empire, bordered by the provinces of Gallia Lugdunensis, Gallia Narbonensis, and Hispania Tarraconensis...
in 270, a position he still held when the murder of Victorinus
Victorinus
Marcus Piavonius Victorinus was emperor of the secessionist Gallic Empire from 269 to 271, following the brief reign of Marius. He was murdered by a jealous husband whose wife he tried to seduce.-Reign:...
was announced in early 271.
Victorinus' mother, Victoria
Victoria (Roman usurper)
Victoria, also known as Vitruvia, was a leader in the roman breakaway realm Gallic Empire in the late 3rd century. She was the mother of Victorinus, who ruled as Gallic Emperor until his assassination in 271...
, located at Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium was the name of the Roman colony in the Rhineland out of which the German city of Cologne developed.It was the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and the headquarters of the military in the region. With the administrative reforms under Diocletian,...
, managed to keep control of the political situation after her son’s death; through her influence (and a large amount of money), she bribed the army to declare the absent Tetricus emperor. Tetricus accepted the army’s nomination and took the purple at Burdigala
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
in Gaul
Roman Gaul
Roman Gaul consisted of an area of provincial rule in the Roman Empire, in modern day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany. Roman control of the area lasted for less than 500 years....
.
Moving from Burdigala, he was on his way to Augusta Treverorum
History of Trier
Trier in Rhineland-Palatinate, whose history dates to the Roman Empire, is often claimed to be the oldest city in Germany. Traditionally it was known in English by its French name of Treves.- Prehistory :...
when Tetricus was forced to repel Germanic tribes that took advantage of the confusion following the death of Victorinus to invade Gaul. By the end of 271 Tetricus had made Augusta Treverorum, near the vital Rhine border, his capital, and had celebrated a Victoria Germanica, but was again called out in 272 to deal with a fresh incursion that reached the River Loire. However, continued invasions across the Rhine and along the coasts forced Tetricus to abandon the frontier forts and withdraw the troops to defend the interior of Gaul.
Regardless of his difficulties with the Germanic invasions, Tetricus was recognised as emperor throughout 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 most of Gaul apart from Narbonensis, where Placidianus
Placidianus
Iulius Placidianus was a Roman general of the 3rd century. He was a professional soldier who advanced his career under Gallienus and survived into the age of Claudius II and Aurelian. The account of him rehearsed here is largely derived from L.L. Howe’s history of the Praetorian...
had reclaimed some territory under Claudius II Gothicus. Although Tetricus made no move to expand his territorial reach, he did invest time and resources reclaiming some provinces that had been reconquered by the central empire, such as south-eastern Aquitania
Aquitania
Aquitania may refer to:* the territory of the Aquitani, a people living in Roman times in what is now Aquitaine, France* Aquitaine, a region of France roughly between the Pyrenees, the Atlantic ocean and the Garonne, also a former kingdom and duchy...
and the western parts of Narbonensis. Nevertheless, his regime was destabilised by attempts of certain areas to declare their allegiance to the Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Aurelian
Aurelian
Aurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
, such as the city of Argentoratum
Argentoratum
Argentoratum or Argentorate was the ancient name of the French city of Strasbourg.The Romans under Nero Claudius Drusus established a military outpost belonging to the Germania Superior Roman province close to a Gaulish village near the banks of the Rhine, at the current location of Strasbourg,...
in 272.
It was to shore up his internal support that Tetricus eventually appointed his son, Tetricus II
Tetricus II
Caius Pius Esuvius Tetricus was the son of Tetricus I, Emperor of the Gallic Empire ....
, as Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
sometime in 273, after celebrating his second consulship on 1 January 273. It did little to stem his faltering regime as in late 273 or early 274, Faustinus
Faustinus
Faustinus was an usurper against Tetricus I, the last emperor of the Gallic Empire. Not much is known about him. Neither his complete name nor the year of his birth are known. Few literary sources mention that Faustinus instigated a mutiny among the troops of Tetricus I. He rebelled in Augusta...
, provincial governor of Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. The indigenous population of Gallia Belgica, the Belgae, consisted of a mixture of Celtic and Germanic tribes...
, rebelled against him in Augusta Treverorum. To add to his woes, by the middle of 273, the emperor Aurelian
Aurelian
Aurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
set out to reconquer the western provinces of the Roman empire
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....
, following his victories in the east. Preparing for his advance, Tetricus and his son celebrated their joint consulship on 1 January 274 before marching southward from his capital at Augusta Treverorum to meet Aurelian, who was advancing into northern Gaul. The decisive battle took place near Châlons-sur-Marne, in late February 274 where Tetricus’ army was cut to pieces in an event remembered as the Catalaunian catastrophe. By March 274, both Tetricus and his son had surrendered to Aurelian
Aurelian
Aurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
. Later imperial propaganda declared that Tetricus had agreed to surrender to Aurelian in exchange for his life, but the price was to be his betrayal of his army prior to battle, which continued to fight even when notified of Tetricus’ actions. It was claimed that Tetricus quoted Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
in his letter to Aurelian: "eripe me his, invicte, malis" (“rescue me undefeated from these troubles”).
According to literary sources, after being displayed as trophies at Aurelian's triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
in Rome, the lives of Tetricus and his son were spared by Aurelian, and Tetricus was even given the title of corrector
Corrector
A corrector is a person who or object that practices correction, usually by removing or rectifying errors.The word is originally a Roman title corrector, derived from the Latin verb corrigēre, meaning "an action to rectify, to make right a wrong."Apart from the general sense of anyone who corrects...
Lucaniae et Bruttiorum, that is governor of a southern region of Italia. Tetricus died at an unknown date in Italy; he is listed as one of Rome's Thirty Tyrants
Thirty Tyrants (Roman)
The Thirty Tyrants were a series of thirty rulers that appear in the Historia Augusta as having ostensibly been pretenders to the throne of the Roman Empire during the reign of the emperor Gallienus....
in the Historia Augusta.
Numismatics
The antoninianiiAntoninianus
The antoninianus was a coin used during the Roman Empire thought to have been valued at 2 denarii. It was initially silver, but was slowly debased to bronze. The coin was introduced by Caracalla in early 215 and was a silver coin similar to the denarius except that it was slightly larger and...
(silver coins) of Tetricus were the most frequently imitated prototypes for barbarous radiate
Barbarous radiate
Barbarous radiates are imitations of the antoninianus, a type of coin issued during the Roman Empire, which are so named due to their crude style and prominent radiate crown worn by the emperor....
s, barbaric imitations of Roman coins.
Primary Sources
- Aurelius VictorAurelius VictorSextus 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...
, Epitome de Caesaribus - Aurelius Victor, Liber de Caesaribus
- EutropiusEutropiusFlavius Eutropius was an Ancient Roman historian who flourished in the latter half of the 4th century. He held the office of secretary at Constantinople, accompanied the Emperor Julian on his expedition against the Persians , and was alive during the reign of Valens , to whom he dedicates his...
, Brevarium, Book 9 - Historia Augusta, Tyranni_XXX*.html The Thirty Tyrants
- Joannes ZonarasJoannes ZonarasIoannes Zonaras was a Byzantine chronicler and theologian, who lived at Constantinople.Under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos he held the offices of head justice and private secretary to the emperor, but after Alexios' death, he retired to the monastery of St Glykeria, where he spent the rest of his...
, Compendium of History extract: Zonaras: Alexander Severus to Diocletian: 222–284 - ZosimusZosimusZosimus 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 :...
, Historia Nova
Secondary Sources
- Southern, Pat. The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine, Routledge, 2001
- Potter, David Stone, The Roman Empire at Bay, AD 180-395, Routledge, 2004
- Jones, A.H.M., Martindale, J.R. The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. I: AD260-395, Cambridge University Press, 1971
- http://www.roman-emperors.org/tetrici.htm Polfer, Michel, "Tetricus I (A.D. 271-273)", De Imperatoribus Romanis] (2000)