Quintus Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius
(ca. 227 - June 251), was
Roman emperor in 251, in a joint
rule with his father
Trajan Decius. Emperor
Hostilian was his younger brother.
Herennius was born in near
Sirmium in
Pannonia (now
Sremska Mitrovica,
Serbia), during one of his father's
military postings. His mother was
Herennia Cupressenia Etruscilla, a
Roman lady of an important
senatorial family. Herennius was
very close to his father and accompanied him in 248, as a military
tribune, when Decius was appointed by
Philip the Arab to deal with the
revolt of
Pacatianus in the
Danube frontier. Decius was
successful on defeating this
usurper and felt confident to begin
a rebellion of his own in the following year. Acclaimed emperor by
his own troops, Decius marched into Italy and defeated Philip near
modern
Verona. In Rome, Herennius was
declared heir to the throne and received the title of princeps
iuventutis (prince of youth).
Gothic
tribes raided across the Danube frontier and the provinces of
Moesia and
Dacia. At the beginning of 251,
Decius elevated Herennius to the title of Augustus making him
his co-emperor. Moreover, Herennius was chosen to be one of the
year's
consuls. The father and son, now
joint rulers, then embarked in an expedition against king
Cniva of the Goths to punish the
invaders for the raids. Hostilian remained in Rome and the empress
Herennia Etruscilla was named
regent. Cniva and his men were
returning to their lands with the booty, when the Roman army
encountered them. Showing a very sophisticated military tactic,
Cniva divided his army in smaller, more manageable groups and
started to push back the Romans into a marshy swamp. Sometime during
the first two weeks of June, both armies engaged in the
battle of Abrittus. Herennius died
in battle, struck by an enemy arrow. Decius survived the initial
confrontation, only to be slain with the rest of the army before the
end of the day. Herennius and Decius were the first two emperors to
be killed by a foreign army in battle.
With the news of the death of the emperors, the
army proclaimed
Trebonianus Gallus emperor, but in
Rome they were succeeded by Hostilian, who would die shortly
afterwards in an outbreak of
plaguee
