ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

--- CONTENT ---
A Roman usurper is a person, often a soldier or general (senator or knight), who self-proclaims or gets acclaimed Augustus by his soldiers, the Pretorian Guard or the Senate, and who opposes the emperor's government in office.

Periods of usurpation
The Roman usurpators appeared as early as the Julio-Claudian dynasty under the reign of Claude for a broad acceptance of the concept and under the reign of Nero in order to qualify as real acquisitions of titles and powers, with Vindex, governor of Lyonnaise. Since that time, and until the separation between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire in 395, every dynasty change within the Empire corresponds to the success of an attempt to usurpate a general. Several emperors are first usurpers before becoming legitimate, and the last of the still powerful usurpers is Eugene, who takes purple under; Thus, "a usurpator who succeeded in usurpation is then always considered legitimate, whereas if he loses power he remains a usurpator".

During the long series of civil wars that occupy the landscape of Roman history between the death of Alexander Severus and the advent of Diocletian, some thirty generals, soldiers, governors and foreign kings self-proclaimed emperors. This period is still sometimes referred to today as the "Military Anarchy", followed by the so-called "Thirty Tyrants" (even part of these usurpers are invented by the anonymous author of Auguste History, in rhetorical echo to the Thirty Tyrants of Athens at the end of the Peloponnese War).

During the Western Roman Empire, the reign of Flavius Honorius saw a new upsurge of usurpations, especially in Gaul, where the great invasions caused the most damage. From the ghostly emperors to Romulus Augustule, himself a usurper, not recognized by Byzantium, unlike his predecessor Julius Nepos.

List of Roman usurpators

Under the Principat

The Julio-Claudians
Clemens, usurper in Rome in 16 under Tiberius
Scribonien, usurpator in Dalmatia in 42 under Claude
Silius, usurper in Rome in 48 under Claude
Vindex, usurpator in Gaul Lyonnaise in 68 under Nero
Galba, usurpator in Hispania in 68 under Nero

First year of the four emperors
Nymphidius Sabinus, tried to be proclaimed emperor in Rome in 68 under Galba
Lucius Clodius Macer, usurper in Africa in 68 under Galba
Capito, usurpator in Germany in 68 under Galba
Othon, usurper in Rome in 69 under Galba
Vitellius, usurpator in Germany in 69 under Galba then Othon
Albinus, usurpator in Mauritius in 69 under Vitellius

Flavians
Julius Sabinus, proclaimed Emperor of Gauls in 69-70, at the beginning of Vespasian rule
Terentius Maximus, tried to be proclaimed emperor in 79-80, under Titus
Antonius Saturninus, tried to be proclaimed emperor in 89, under Domitian

The Antonins
Avidius Ca