Eventually, the Senate revoked the imperial power and proclaimed Severus the emperor. This silver Sestertius coin of Didiuis Julianus was issued from Rome mint. The obverse of a coin depicts the laureate head of Julianus facing right. On the other hand, the reverse of a coin engraved Fortuna standing left, holding in right-hand tiller set on globe and cornucopia cradled in left arm.
Image Source: Heritage Auctions. Subhadra Joshi was an Indian freedom fighter, activist, politician, and parliamentarian from Indian Maharaja Gulab Singh was the founder of the Dogra dynasty; he was the first Maharaja of the Princely Didarganj Yakshi is one of the finest examples of an early Indian statue dated to the 3rd Century BC That was not to be so. Indeed, the new year was so tumultuous that it would become known in Roman history as the Year of the Five Emperors.
The elite unit of imperial bodyguards known as the Praetorian Guard arranged for an army officer named Pertinax to succeed Commodus as Emperor. We know that money played a role; Pertinax offered a tidy sum of 12, sestertii each to the guardsmen, but it was done in the more typical way quietly and behind the scenes. After 87 days in which Pertinax attempted to clean house of Praetorian corruption, the dissatisfied Guard stabbed and beheaded the would-be reformer.
That set the stage for an act so brazen in its scope that the next emperor would be remembered primarily for that, and for not much more. Knowing the Praetorian Guard could be bought, two men appeared at its headquarters and presented themselves as rival claimants for the Roman throne.
One was Titus Flavius Sulpicianus, who was the father-in-law of the deceased Pertinax. The other was year-old Didius Julianus, who had distinguished himself in both politics and the military. No attempt was made to hide the nature of the negotiations: the praetorians stationed heralds on the walls to announce that the position of emperor was up for sale…. He not only bid the higher price, but also warned them that if they elected Sulpicianus they might expect revenge at his hands for the murder of Pertinax.
In his volume history of Rome, he described the scandalous episode this way:. So when he [Didius Julianus] heard of the death of Pertinax, he hastily made his way to the imperial throne. Then ensued a most disgraceful business and one unworthy of Rome. For, just as if it had been in some market or auction-room, both the city and its entire empire were auctioned off. The sellers were the ones who had slain their previous emperor, and the would-be buyers were Sulpicianus and Didius Julianus, who vied to outbid each other….
While most viable candidates likely locked themselves in their homes to wait out the crisis, they did find the opportunistic Didius Julianus and brought him to the camp. With Sulpicianus on the inside and Didius Julianus without, the two men began to make offers to the soldiers for their support. Monetary offers were waged against one another until, ultimately, Didius Julianus purchased the throne for 25, sesterces per praetorian, according to contemporary historian and senator Cassius Dio.
With 10 double strength praetorian cohorts of approximately men, the total payment may have been as much as million sesterces, or 50 million denarii. The Historia Augusta suggests that Didius Julianus actually ended up paying some 30, sesterces, but another contemporary Herodian , though a child at the time disputes this entirely, suggesting that the funds simply weren't available to make good on the promised payments.
Additionally, Didius Julianus promised to restore the name of Commodus which had been stricken from various public monuments and records who had been very popular with the army. Sulpicianus' connection to Pertinax on the other hand, and therefore the faction that ultimately replaced Commodus, likely did little to endear him to the praetorians although he did emerge from his imperial bid completely unharmed.
The senate did confirm Julianus as a legitimate successor to Pertinax, preserving his place in the official list of "emperors" , but his reign was effectively little more than a passing moment in time. Despite his prominent political career, he seems to have had little support from the rest of the aristocracy.
Cassius Dio's account is particularly unflattering, and he describes the populace as openly hostile. Whether the citizens were angry over the murder of Pertinax, the preceding assassination of Commodus or the unseemly sale of the empire to Julianus - or a combination thereof - is debatable. However, it can be reasonably assumed that revolt among the people had a direct impact on the outbreak of legionary revolt and eventual civil war.
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