Pertinax
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- This article is about the Roman emperor. For the composite material used in electronic circuit boards, see FR-2.
| Pertinax | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Roman Empire | ||
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| Coin of Pertinax | ||
| Reign | 31 December 192 - 28 March 193 |
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| Full name | Publius Helvius Pertinax | |
| Born | 1 August 126 | |
| Alba | ||
| Died | 28 March 193 | |
| Rome | ||
| Predecessor | Commodus | |
| Successor | Didius Julianus | |
| Wife/wives | Daughter of Titus Flavius Sulpicianus, city prefect | |
| Dynasty | None | |
| Father | Helvius Successus | |
Publius Helvius Pertinax (August 1, 126 - March 28, 193) was Roman emperor for a short period in 193.
Contents |
[edit] Life
[edit] Early life and rise to power
His career before he became emperor as it is documented in the Historia Augusta has been confirmed in many places by existing inscriptions. Born in Alba, the son of a freedman Helvius Successus, originally Pertinax made his way as a grammaticus (teacher of grammar), but he eventually decided to find a more rewarding line of work and through the help of patronage he was commissioned an officer in a cohort. In the Parthian war that followed, he was able to distinguish himself, which resulted in a string of promotions, and after postings in Britain (as military tribune of the Legio VI Victrix) and along the Danube, he served as a procurator in Dacia. He suffered a setback as a victim of court intrigues during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, but shortly afterwards he was recalled to assist Claudius Pompeianus in the Germanic wars. In 175 he received the honor of a suffect consulship and until 185, Pertinax was governor of the provinces of Upper and Lower Moesia, Dacia, Syria and finally governor of Britain.
In the decade of the 180s, Pertinax took a pivotal role in the Roman Senate until the praetorian prefect Perennis forced him out of public life. He was recalled after three years to Britain, whose army at the time was in a state of mutiny. He tried to quell the unruly soldiers there but one legion mutinied and attacked his bodyguard, leaving Pertinax for dead. When he recovered, he punished the mutineers severely which led to his growing reputation as a disciplinarian. When he was forced to resign in 187, the reason given was that the legions had grown hostile to him because of his harsh rule.
He served as proconsul of Africa in 188‑189, and followed this term of service with the prefecture of Rome — and a second consulship as ordinarius with the emperor as his colleague.
[edit] Rule
Serving as urban prefect when Commodus was assassinated by his own household on December 31, 192, Pertinax was proclaimed Roman Emperor the morning after. His short reign (86 days) was an uneasy one. He attempted to emulate the restrained practices of Marcus Aurelius, and made an effort to reform the alimenta but he faced antagonism from many quarters. Ancient writers detail how the Praetorian Guard expected a generous donativum on his ascension, and when they were disappointed, agitated until he produced the money, selling off Commodus' property, including the concubines and youths Commodus kept for his sexual pleasures. In early March he narrowly averted one conspiracy by a group to replace him with the consul Quintus Sosius Falco while he was in Ostia inspecting the arrangements for grain shipments. The plot was betrayed; Falco himself was pardoned but several of the officers behind the coup were executed.
On 28 March 193, Pertinax was at his palace when a contingent of some three hundred soldiers rushed the gates. Ancient sources suggest that they had received only half their promised pay. Neither the guards on duty nor the palace officials chose to resist them. Pertinax, although advised to flee, attempted to reason with them, and was almost successful before being struck down by a member of the Praetorian Guard. Pertinax must have been aware of the danger he faced by assuming the purple, for he refused to use imperial titles for either his wife or son, thus protecting them from the aftermath of his own assassination.
[edit] Succession
The praetorian guards auctioned off the imperial position, which Senator Didius Julianus won and became the new Emperor, an act which triggered a brief civil war over the succession, won later in the same year by Septimius Severus.
After his entry to Rome, Septimius recognized Pertinax as a legitimate emperor, executed the soldiers who killed him, and not only pressured the Senate to deify him and provide for him a state funeral, but for some time held games on the anniversary of Pertinax's ascension and his birthday.
[edit] Sources
[edit] References
| Preceded by Ulpius Marcellus |
Roman governors of Britain c. 185 - 187 |
Succeeded by Unknown, then Decimus Clodius Albinus |
| Preceded by Popilius Pedo Apronianus and Marcus Valerius Bradua Mauricus |
Consul of the Roman Empire with Commodus 192 |
Succeeded by Quintus Pompeius Sosius Falco and Gaius Iulius Erucius Clarus Vibianus |
| Preceded by Commodus |
Roman Emperor 193 |
Succeeded by Didius Julianus |
| Preceded by – |
Year of the Five Emperors 193 |
Succeeded by Didius Julianus |
