Marcus Aurelius Carus (c. 222 – July or August 283) was Roman emperor from 282 to 283. During his short reign, Carus fought the Germanic tribes and Sarmatians along the Danube frontier with success.
Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Carus Augustus[2]
He died while campaigning against the Sassanid Empire and is believed to have died of unnatural causes. It was reported that he had been struck by lightning.[3] He was succeeded by his sons Carinus and Numerian, creating a dynasty which, though short-lived, provided further stability to the resurgent empire.[citation needed]
Carus, whose name before the accession may have been Marcus Numerius Carus,[4] was born, according to differing accounts, either in Gaul, Illyricum or Africa.[5] Modern scholarship inclines to the former view, placing his birth at Narbo (modern Narbonne) in Gallia Narbonensis,[6][7] though he was educated in Rome.[8] Little can be said with certainty of his life and rule. Due to the decline of literature, the arts, and the want of any good historians of that age, what is known is almost invariably involved in contradiction and doubt.[9] He was apparently a senator[10] and filled various posts, both civil and military, before being appointed praetorian prefect by the emperor Probus in 282.[11]
Two traditions surround his accession to the throne in August or September of 282. According to some mostly Latin sources, he was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers after the murder of Probus by a mutiny at Sirmium.[12] Greek sources however claim that he rose against Probus in Raetia in a usurpation and had him killed.[13] The often unreliable Historia Augusta is aware of both traditions, although it prefers the former.[14] He does not seem to have returned to Rome after his accession, contenting himself with an announcement to the Senate.[15] This was a marked departure from the constitutionalism of his immediate predecessors, Tacitus and Probus, who at least outwardly respected the authority of the senate, and was the precursor to the even more despotic military autocracy of Diocletian.[16]
Bestowing the title of Caesar upon his sons Carinus and Numerian,[18][19] he left Carinus in charge of the western portion of the empire to look after some disturbances in Gaul[20] and took Numerian with him on an expedition against the Persians, which had been contemplated by Probus.[21] Having inflicted a severe defeat on the Quadi and Sarmatians on the Danube,[22] for which he was given the title Germanicus Maximus,[23] Carus proceeded through Thrace and Asia Minor, annexed Mesopotamia, pressed on to Seleucia and Ctesiphon, and marched his soldiers beyond the Tigris.[24][25]
The Sassanid KingBahram II, limited by internal opposition and his troops occupied with a campaign in modern-day Afghanistan, could not effectively defend his territory.[26] The Sasanians, faced with severe internal problems, could not mount an effective coordinated defense at the time; Carus and his army may have captured the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon.[3] The victories of Carus avenged all the previous defeats suffered by the Romans against the Sassanids, and he received the title of Persicus Maximus.[27] Rome's hopes of further conquest, however, were cut short by his death; Carus died in Sasanian territory, probably of unnatural causes, as he was reportedly struck by lightning.[3]
Legacy
Like the conquests of Trajan, 160 years before, Carus' gains were immediately relinquished by his successor. His son Numerian, naturally of an unwarlike disposition, was forced by the army to retreat back over the Tigris.[28] The report of the lightning strike was evidently widely accepted in the camp, and the superstitious awe of the troops inclined them to ascribe Carus' death to the wrath of the Gods. Rumors had been spread of dark oracles, affixing the limits of the Empire on the Tigris, and threatening destruction against the Roman who should presume beyond the river in arms. Persia was abandoned to her rightful possessors, and not till Diocletian, a decade later, was the Persian contest decided in Rome's favor, by that emperor's decisive victory.
In the sphere of civil affairs, Carus is remembered principally for the final suppression of the authority of the senate, which had been partially restored under Tacitus and Probus. He declined to accept their ratification of his election, informing them of the fact by a haughty and distant dispatch. He was the last emperor to have united a civil with a military education, in that age when the two were increasingly detached; Diocletian (Imp. 284–305), who succeeded Carus after the brief reign of the latter's sons, was to confirm and formalize the separation of professions, and the autocratic foundation of the imperial rule.[29]
Though Carus was known throughout his life for his austere and virtuous manners, the suspicion of his complicity in Probus' death, along with his haughty conduct towards the senate, tarnished his reputation before his death, and Julian, as Gibbon observes, conspicuously places him among the tyrants of Rome, in his catalogue of The Caesars.[30]
Southern, Pat. The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine, Routledge, 2001
Gibbon. Edward Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire (1888)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Carus, Marcus Aurelius". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
carus, other, uses, disambiguation, marcus, aurelius, july, august, roman, emperor, from, during, short, reign, fought, germanic, tribes, sarmatians, along, danube, frontier, with, success, persicus, maximusaureus, roman, emperorreignc, september, july, 283pre. For other uses see Carus disambiguation Marcus Aurelius Carus c 222 July or August 283 was Roman emperor from 282 to 283 During his short reign Carus fought the Germanic tribes and Sarmatians along the Danube frontier with success CarusPersicus MaximusAureus of CarusRoman emperorReignc September 282 c July 283PredecessorProbusSuccessorCarinus and NumerianCo emperorCarinus 283 Bornc 222Narbo Gallia Narbonensis Modern day France DiedJuly or August 283 aged 61 Beyond the River Tigris Sasanian EmpireIssueCarinusNumerianPaulinaNamesMarcus Aurelius Carus 1 Regnal nameImperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Carus Augustus 2 He died while campaigning against the Sassanid Empire and is believed to have died of unnatural causes It was reported that he had been struck by lightning 3 He was succeeded by his sons Carinus and Numerian creating a dynasty which though short lived provided further stability to the resurgent empire citation needed Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Campaign against the Sassanids and death 2 Legacy 3 Family tree 4 See also 5 Sources 5 1 Primary Sources 5 2 Secondary Sources 6 ReferencesBiography EditCarus whose name before the accession may have been Marcus Numerius Carus 4 was born according to differing accounts either in Gaul Illyricum or Africa 5 Modern scholarship inclines to the former view placing his birth at Narbo modern Narbonne in Gallia Narbonensis 6 7 though he was educated in Rome 8 Little can be said with certainty of his life and rule Due to the decline of literature the arts and the want of any good historians of that age what is known is almost invariably involved in contradiction and doubt 9 He was apparently a senator 10 and filled various posts both civil and military before being appointed praetorian prefect by the emperor Probus in 282 11 Two traditions surround his accession to the throne in August or September of 282 According to some mostly Latin sources he was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers after the murder of Probus by a mutiny at Sirmium 12 Greek sources however claim that he rose against Probus in Raetia in a usurpation and had him killed 13 The often unreliable Historia Augusta is aware of both traditions although it prefers the former 14 He does not seem to have returned to Rome after his accession contenting himself with an announcement to the Senate 15 This was a marked departure from the constitutionalism of his immediate predecessors Tacitus and Probus who at least outwardly respected the authority of the senate and was the precursor to the even more despotic military autocracy of Diocletian 16 Campaign against the Sassanids and death Edit Panels at Naqsh e Rustam symbolizing the supposed victories of Bahram II over Carus top and Hormizd I Kushanshah bottom 17 Bestowing the title of Caesar upon his sons Carinus and Numerian 18 19 he left Carinus in charge of the western portion of the empire to look after some disturbances in Gaul 20 and took Numerian with him on an expedition against the Persians which had been contemplated by Probus 21 Having inflicted a severe defeat on the Quadi and Sarmatians on the Danube 22 for which he was given the title Germanicus Maximus 23 Carus proceeded through Thrace and Asia Minor annexed Mesopotamia pressed on to Seleucia and Ctesiphon and marched his soldiers beyond the Tigris 24 25 The Sassanid King Bahram II limited by internal opposition and his troops occupied with a campaign in modern day Afghanistan could not effectively defend his territory 26 The Sasanians faced with severe internal problems could not mount an effective coordinated defense at the time Carus and his army may have captured the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon 3 The victories of Carus avenged all the previous defeats suffered by the Romans against the Sassanids and he received the title of Persicus Maximus 27 Rome s hopes of further conquest however were cut short by his death Carus died in Sasanian territory probably of unnatural causes as he was reportedly struck by lightning 3 Legacy EditLike the conquests of Trajan 160 years before Carus gains were immediately relinquished by his successor His son Numerian naturally of an unwarlike disposition was forced by the army to retreat back over the Tigris 28 The report of the lightning strike was evidently widely accepted in the camp and the superstitious awe of the troops inclined them to ascribe Carus death to the wrath of the Gods Rumors had been spread of dark oracles affixing the limits of the Empire on the Tigris and threatening destruction against the Roman who should presume beyond the river in arms Persia was abandoned to her rightful possessors and not till Diocletian a decade later was the Persian contest decided in Rome s favor by that emperor s decisive victory In the sphere of civil affairs Carus is remembered principally for the final suppression of the authority of the senate which had been partially restored under Tacitus and Probus He declined to accept their ratification of his election informing them of the fact by a haughty and distant dispatch He was the last emperor to have united a civil with a military education in that age when the two were increasingly detached Diocletian Imp 284 305 who succeeded Carus after the brief reign of the latter s sons was to confirm and formalize the separation of professions and the autocratic foundation of the imperial rule 29 Though Carus was known throughout his life for his austere and virtuous manners the suspicion of his complicity in Probus death along with his haughty conduct towards the senate tarnished his reputation before his death and Julian as Gibbon observes conspicuously places him among the tyrants of Rome in his catalogue of The Caesars 30 Family tree EditpreviousTacitusRoman Emperor275 276FlorianusRoman Emperor276ProbusRoman Emperor276 282 CarusRoman Emperor282 283nextDiocletianRoman Emperor284 305 Prisca CarinusRoman Emperor282 284Numerianco emperor 282 284Galeria ValeriaSee also EditCrisis of the Third CenturySources EditPrimary Sources Edit Aurelius Victor Epitome de Caesaribus Eutropius Breviarium ab urbe condita Historia Augusta Life of Carus Carinus and Numerian Joannes Zonaras Compendium of History extract Zonaras Alexander Severus to Diocletian 222 284Secondary Sources Edit Leadbetter William Carus 282 283 A D DIR Jones A H M J R Martindale amp J Morris 1971 The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire Volume 1 A D 260 395 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 07233 6 Potter David 2013 Constantine the Emperor Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0199755868 Southern Pat The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine Routledge 2001 Gibbon Edward Decline amp Fall of the Roman Empire 1888 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Carus Marcus Aurelius Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed Cambridge University Press References Edit Jones pg 183 Cooley Alison E 2012 The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy Cambridge University Press p 501 ISBN 978 0 521 84026 2 a b c Potter 2013 p 26 Jones pg 183 Edward Gibbon The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire The Modern Library 1932 ch XII p 292 Victor 38 1 The tradition that he was one of the so called Illyrian Emperors based on the unreliable vita Cari embedded in the Augustan History was accepted uncritically by Joseph Scaliger who assumed the other sources were wrong and followed by Edward Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Tom B Jones A Note on Marcus Aurelius Carus Classical Philology 37 2 April 1942 pp 193 194 Historia Augusta Vita Cari 4 2 Gibbon ibid and ch XIII p 340 Historia Augusta Vita Cari 5 4 Gibbon ch XII p 292 Jerome Chron s a 282 Zonaras 12 29 Historia Augusta Vita Cari 6 1 Southern pg 132 Gibbon p 293 and ch XIII pp 328 329 Encyclopedia Iranica Zonaras 12 30 Victor 38 2 Gibbon ch XII p 293 Historia Augusta Vita Cari 7 1 Gibbon p 294 Enemy casualties are given at over 36 000 Leadbetter www roman emperors org carus htm Zonaras 12 30 Chisholm 1911 Leadbetter www roman emperors org carus htm Southern pg 133 Gibbon p 296 Gibbon ch XIII pp 328 33 Gibbon ch XII p 293 and note Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carus Regnal titlesPreceded byProbus Roman emperor282 283 With Carinus 283 Succeeded byCarinusNumerianPolitical officesPreceded byProbus Victorinus Consul of the Roman Empire283with Carinus Succeeded byCarinus Numerian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Carus amp oldid 1118805185, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
