| Battle of Nicaea | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Growth of Roman Power in Asia Minor | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| forces of Septimius Severus | forces of Pescennius Niger | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Septimius Severus | Pescennius Niger | ||||
The Battle of Nicaea was fought in 193 between the forces of Septimius Severus and his eastern rival, Pescennius Niger. [1] It took place at Nicaea in Asia Minor. Severus defeated his rival, and ended his bid for the Roman Empire the next year at Issus.
The battle took place in the context of the Year of the Five Emperors, a tumultuous period in the Roman Empire when Emperor Pertinax was assassinated by the Praetorian Guards. The Praetorian Guards then held an auction for the throne, which was won by Didius Julianus, who became emperor. The auction was unpopular, and Septimius Severus, commander of the Pannonian legions, and Pescennius Niger, the governor of Syria (as well as Clodius Albinus, the governor of Britain) all claimed the Roman imperial throne after the auction. [ citation needed ]
Severus marched to Rome and had Didius decapitated, then marched to meet Pescennius in battle. Severus had previously defeated Pescennius at the Battle of Cyzicus (193) in Asia Minor. [2]
40°25.72′N29°43.12′E / 40.42867°N 29.71867°E
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Lucius Septimius Severus Pertinax was a Roman politician who served as emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna in the Roman province of Africa. His father was Carthaginian; his mother of Roman descent. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of the emperor Pertinax in 193 during the Year of the Five Emperors.
The 2nd century is the period from AD 101 through AD 200 (CC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.
The 190s decade ran from January 1, 190, to December 31, 199.
Year 193 (CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius. The denomination 193 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
Year 194 (CXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Septimius and Septimius. The denomination 194 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
Gaius Pescennius Niger was a Roman usurper from 193 to 194 during the Year of the Five Emperors. He claimed the imperial throne in response to the murder of Pertinax and the elevation of Didius Julianus, but was defeated by a rival claimant, Septimius Severus, and killed while attempting to flee from Antioch.
Marcus Didius Julianus was Roman emperor from March to June 193, during the Year of the Five Emperors. Julianus had a promising political career, governing several provinces, including Dalmatia and Germania Inferior, and defeated the Chauci and Chatti, two invading Germanic tribes. He was even appointed to the consulship in 175 along with Pertinax as a reward, before being demoted by Commodus. After this demotion, his early, promising political career languished.
Decimus Clodius Albinus was a Roman imperial pretender between 193 and 197. He was proclaimed emperor by the legions in Britain and Hispania after the murder of Pertinax in 193, and proclaimed himself emperor again in 196, before his final defeat and death the following year.
The Praetorian Guard was an elite unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors.
The Battle of Lugdunum, also called the Battle of Lyon, was fought on 19 February 197 at Lugdunum, between the armies of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus and of the Roman usurper Clodius Albinus. Severus' victory finally established him as the sole emperor of the Roman Empire following the Year of the Five Emperors and immediate aftermath.
Issus or Issos is an ancient settlement on the strategic coastal plain straddling the small Pinarus river below the navigationally difficult inland mountains towering above to the east in the Turkish Province of Hatay, near the border with Syria. It can be identified with Kinet Höyük in the village of Yeṣilköy near Dörtyol in the Hatay province of Turkey. Excavations on the mound occurred between 1992 and 2012 by Bilkent University. It is most notable for being the place of no fewer than three decisive ancient or medieval battles each called in their own era the Battle of Issus:
The Battle of Issus was the third major battle in AD 194 between the forces of Emperor Septimius Severus and his rival, Pescennius Niger, part of the Year of the Five Emperors. The Severan forces, commanded by Publius Cornelius Anullinus, won the battle, and Niger was captured and killed shortly afterwards. A triumphal arch commemorating the Severan victory was erected on the site of the battle.
The Battle of Cyzicus was fought in 193 between the forces of Septimius Severus and his rival for the empire, Pescennius Niger, who was defeated.
The Year of the Five Emperors was AD 193, in which five men claimed the title of Roman emperor: Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus, and Septimius Severus. This year started a period of civil war when multiple rulers vied for the chance to become emperor.
Battle of Issus may refer to:
Quintus Aemilius Laetus was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, from 191 until his death in 193. He acceded to this position upon the deaths of his predecessors Regillus and Lucius Julius Vehilius Gratus Julianus, by appointment of emperor Commodus. His name suggests that his family received Roman citizenship from Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.
Publius Cornelius Anullinus was one of the generals of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus. He was from the city of Iliberis, and, while there is no clear information around this, it is believed he was not of a patrician family but was one of the equites.
Tiberius Claudius Candidus was a Roman general and senator. He played an important role supporting Septimius Severus in the struggle for succession following the assassination of the emperor Pertinax in 193 CE.