Laelian
Laelian on an aureus. Caption: IMP. C. LAELIANVS P. F. AVG.
Gallic usurper
Reignapproximately late February to early June 269 (against Postumus)
PredecessorPostumus
SuccessorMarcus Aurelius Marius
BornGaul
Died269
Names
Ulpius Cornelius Laelianus

Laelian (/leɪliən/; Latin: Ulpius Cornelius Laelianus),[1] also incorrectly referred to as Lollianus and Aelianus,[2] was a usurper against Postumus, the emperor of the Gallic Empire. His revolt lasted from approximately late February to early June 269.[2]

Origins

Little is known about Laelian. He shares the same nomen as a prominent Hispano-Roman family, the Ulpii, that included Trajan among its members, and may have been a relative.[2] This is supported by the strong allusion to Hispania on an aureus he struck, which featured the design of Hispania reclining with a rabbit to her side. If he indeed was a relative, this may be the reason Hispania allied itself with Claudius II, after the death of Laelian, seemingly without a struggle.

Rule

Laelian declared himself emperor at Moguntiacum (modern-day Mainz in Germany) in February/March 269,[3] after repulsing a Germanic invasion.[4] Although his exact position is unknown, he is believed to have been a senior officer under Postumus,[5] either the legatus of Germania Superior or the commander of Legio XXII Primigenia.[2] Laelian represented a strong danger to Postumus because of the two legions he commanded (Primigenia in Moguntiacum and VIII Augusta in Argentoratum);[2] Despite this, his rebellion lasted only about two months before he was executed,[6] reputedly by his own soldiers, or by Postumus' troops after a siege of Laelian's capital.[1] The siege of Moguntiacum was also fatal for Postumus; it is said he was slain when he refused to allow his troops to plunder the city following its capture.[7]

Laelian (under the Latin name Lollianus) is listed among the Thirty Tyrants in the Historia Augusta.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Martindale, pg. 492
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Polfer, Laelianus
  3. ↑ Polfer, Laelianus; Potter, pg. 265
  4. ↑ Polfer, Laelianus
  5. ↑ Potter, pg. 265
  6. ↑ Polfer, Laelianus
  7. ↑ Southern, pg. 118

Sources

Primary sources

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
  • Michel Polfer, "Laelianus (A.D. 269)", De Imperatoribus Romanis] (1999)
  • Media related to Laelianus at Wikimedia Commons
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