Saloninus - Roman Caesar: 258-259 A.D. - Roman Emperor: 260
A.D. -
Bronze Antoninianus 21mm (2.7 grams) Antioch: 255 A.D. Reference: RIC 36, C 95a
SALONVALERIANVSNOBCAES - Radiate, draped bust right.
SPESPVBLICA - Saloninus standing right, holding scepter, receiving flower from
Spes to right, raising skirt.
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Publius Licinius Cornelius Saloninus (242 - 260) was
Roman
Emperor in 260.
Saloninus was born around the year 242. His father was the later emperor
Gallienus,
his mother
Cornelia Salonina a
Greek[2][3]
from Bithynia. In 258 Saloninus was appointed
Caesar by his father (just like his older brother
Valerian
II, who had died around 258) and sent to
Gaul, to make sure
his father's authority was respected there. (The title Caesar in Imperial
nomenclature indicated that the holder was the Crown Prince and First-in-line-of
Succession after Augustus, the title reserved to the ruling Emperor).
Like Valerian II who was made the ward of
Ingenuus,governor
of the Illyrian provinces, Saloninus was put under the protection of
Silvanus (praetorian prefect) (otherwise named as Albanus)[4]
As Caesar in Gaul Saloninus had his main seat in
Cologne.
Bray
[5]conjectures
that Saloninus's appointment as Caesar, like that of his elder brother,
Valerian II, in Illyria, was made at the instigation of
Valerian
who was, at once, the senior Emperor (Augustus) and grandfather of the two young
Caesars and, as head of the Licinius clan, exercised also the potestas
patriae[1]
over all members of the Imperial family, including his son Gallienus, his
co-Emperor (and co-Augustus). Bray suggests that Valerian's motive in making
these appointments was the establishment of an Imperial dynasty, thus making the
succession more secure. We do not know how Valerian envisaged his grandson
interacting with the existing governors and military commanders of the Gallic
provinces. There is no reason to suppose that he ever thought the thing through
as systematically as
Diocletian
when he established the
Tetrarchy
some thirty years later. However, Silvanus must have been a seasoned
soldier/administrator and he does seem to have harboured the notion that, as
guardian of Valerian, he should exercise real authority in Gaul. This was
demonstrated by the circumstances in which he fell out with the
usurper
Postumus.
In 260 (probably in July) Silvanus (no doubt in Saloninus's name) ordered
Postumus to hand over some booty that Postumus's troops had seized from a German
warband which had been on its way home from a successful raid into Gaul.
However, Postumus's men took violent exception to this attempt to enforce the
rights of the representative of a distant Emperor who was manifestly failing in
his duty to protect the Gallic provinces. Asserting what was probably the
prevailing Custom of the Frontier they turned on Saloninus and Silvanus who had
to then flee to Cologne with some loyal troops. It was probably at this time
that Postumus was acclaimed Emperor by his army. Riding the tiger of military
discontent which he could barely control, Postumus then besieged Saloninus and
Silvanus in Cologne.
Gallienus, who was fully engaged elsewhere - probably campaigning on the
middle Danube - could do nothing to save his son. (By this time Saloninus's
grandfather, the senior Emperor, Valerian was probably already a captive of the
Persian King Shapur).
Saloninus's troops, in their desperation, finally proclaimed him Emperor,
perhaps hoping that this would induce Postumus's army to desert him and join
them in a bid for Empire - i.e. against Valerian and Gallienus. If this was
indeed their hope, they were to be disappointed in the event for Postumus's army
pressed on with the siege and, about one month later, the citizens of Cologne
handed Valerian and his guardian over to their enemy. Postumus was then unable
to prevent his army from murdering them. (Despite his public protestations of
regret, it seems unlikely, in fact, that Postumus made a serious effort to this
resist this course of events).
Whether or not Gallienus ever concurred with Valerian's dynastic experiment
is not known. Certainly the murder of Saloninus so soon after the suspicious
death of Valerian II (q.v.)seems to have cured Gallienus of any ambition
in this regard. (We may assume that Valerian's mother, Salonina, would have been
most unhappy: the death of her elder son, Valerian II, in Illyria under the
tutelage of
Ingenuus must have seemed to her to have confirmed her worst fears of this
sort of arrangement). It had certainly proved to be folly to set up
inexperienced boys as hostages to fortune and hope that their relationship to
the Imperial family would quell provincial resentment at what was perceived as
the inability of the central government to secure the frontiers from barbarian
attack. Throughout the period of his sole reign Gallienus made no effort to
elevate his third son,
Egnatius Marinianus, to the purple or associate him in any way with his
government of the Empire - although he did allow him to be elected to the
largely ceremonial office of Consul in 268.
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