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Licinius I - Roman Emperor: 308-324 A.D. -
Bronze AE3 18mm Siscia mint: 321-324 A.D.
Reference: RIC VII 62,B
IMP LIC LICINIVS PF AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust right.
VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP, two Victories holding shield inscribed VOT PR over
altar, •BSIS• in exergue.
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In
Roman mythology, Victoria was the personification/Goddess of victory.
She is the Roman version of the
Greek goddess
Nike, and was associated with
Bellona. She was adapted from the
Sabine
agricultural goddess
Vacuna and had
a
temple on the
Palatine Hill. Her name (in Latin) means victory. Unlike the Greek Nike, Victoria (Latin
for "victory") was a major part of Roman society. Multiple temples were erected
in her honour. When her statue was removed in 382 AD by emperor
Gratianus there was much anger in Rome. She was normally worshipped by
triumphant generals returning from war.
Also unlike the Greek Nike,who was known for success in athletic games such
as chariot races, Victoria was a symbol of victory over death and determined who
would be successful during war. Appearing on Roman coins, jewelry, architecture, and other arts, Victoria is
often seen with or in a
chariot. An
example of this is her place upon the
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.
Valerius
Licinianus Licinius (c. 263 - 325) was
Roman emperor from 308 to 324.
Of
Dacian[3][4]
(Thracian)
peasant origin, born in
Moesia
Superior, Licinius accompanied his close childhood friend, the Emperor
Galerius,
on the Persian expedition in 297. After the death of
Flavius Valerius Severus, Galerius elevated Licinius to the rank of
Augustus in the West on November 11, 308. He received as his immediate
command the provinces of
Illyricum,
Thrace and
Pannonia.
On the death of Galerius, in May 311, Licinius shared the
eastern empire with
Maximinus Daia, the
Hellespont
and the
Bosporus being the dividing line.
In March 313 he married
Flavia Julia Constantia, half-sister of
Constantine, at Mediolanum (now
Milan); they had
a son,
Licinius the Younger, in 315. Their marriage was the occasion for the
jointly-issued "Edict
of Milan" that restored confiscated properties to Christian congregations
and allowed
Christianity to be professed in the empire.
In the following month, on April 30, Licinius inflicted a
decisive defeat on Maximinus at the
Battle of Tzirallum, after Maximinus had tried attacking him. Then, Licinius
established himself master of the East, while his brother-in-law, Constantine,
was supreme in the West.
In 314, a civil war erupted between Licinius and Constantine,
in which Constantine prevailed at the
Battle of Cibalae in
Pannonia
(October 8, 314) and again two years later, when Licinius named
Valerius Valens co-emperor, in the plain of
Mardia (also known as
Campus Ardiensis) in
Thrace. The
emperors were reconciled after these two battles and Licinius had his co-emperor
Valens killed.
Licinius' fleet of 350 ships was defeated by Constantine I's
fleet in 323. In 324, Constantine, tempted by the "advanced age and unpopular
vices" of his colleague, again declared war against him, and, having defeated
his army of 170,000 men at the
Battle of Adrianople (July 3, 324), succeeded in shutting him up within the
walls of
Byzantium. The defeat of the superior fleet of Licinius in the
Battle of the Hellespont by
Crispus,
Constantine’s eldest son and
Caesar, compelled his withdrawal to
Bithynia,
where a last stand was made; the
Battle of Chrysopolis, near
Chalcedon
(September 18), resulted in Licinius' final submission. While Licinius'
co-emperor
Sextus Martinianus was killed, Licinius himself was spared due to the pleas
of his wife, Constantine's sister, and interned at
Thessalonica. The next year, Constantine had him killed, accusing him of
conspiring to raise troops among the barbarians.
Serbian
tradition
For unknown reasons, Licinius was traditionally for centuries
throughout the entire
Serbian
historiography considered as a
Serb and as a forefather of the
House of Nemanjić. This only changed with historical accounts of
Slavic migrations by 19th century historians.
See
also
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