Julius Classicus

Last updated

Julius Classicus was a Gaulish nobleman and military commander of the 1st century AD, belonging to the tribe of the Treviri. He served as a commander of the Roman auxiliaries. Along with Julius Tutor, another Treviran Roman auxiliary commander, and Julius Sabinus, who claimed descent from Gaius Julius Caesar, he joined the rebellion of Gaius Julius Civilis during the disorder of the Year of the Four Emperors (69 AD).

Contents

Background

In order to secure his position as Roman Emperor, Vespasian, along with his allies Antonius Primus and Mucianus, decided to stir up trouble in Germany so as to distract Vitellius, the current Roman Emperor. A letter was sent to a Batavian chieftain, Julius Civilis, encouraging him to start a rebellion. Liking the idea, Civilis revolted and began to harry Gallia Lugdunensis. [1]

The revolt

Classicus was specifically the commander of the Treviran cavalry regiment [2] and exchanged many letters with Civilis. In these letters Classicus was an accomplice in rebellion with Civilis against Rome, and boasted that he had more ancestors who had been enemies of Rome than friends. [3]

Classicus, along with Sabinus and Tutor, were leaders of the Treviri and Lingones, both Gallic tribes, and had separate ideals from Civilis and his Batavian revolt. The Batavians were seeking little more than tribal independence, while Sabinus and his allies were looking to start a new Roman Empire in Gaul, an Imperium Galliarum. [4] After killing a deserter named Vocula, who had tried to escape after seeing the treachery of Classicus and the rest, Julius Classicus read an oath of allegiance (dressed as a Roman general) to Legio I Germanica and Legio XVI Gallica stationed in Germany, commanding them to swear allegiance to their new emperor, Julius Sabinus [5] (who would have been the 5th Emperor in just a little over a year).

After this oath, Classicus tried to lure Munius Lupercus and his garrison at Xanten into surrender by offering them quarter, but Lupercus declined. Soon after, the army left for Trier and Sabinus went on to lose a battle to the Sequani after squandering his troop resources, mainly because he didn't trust his new legions. According to Tacitus, Classicus spent the critical juncture after this defeat in idleness. [6] After Tutor was defeated in a further battle, Classicus and Civilis fell back in panic. [7]

Aftermath

Vespasian, now emperor, was ready to clean up the mess that the civil war had created. He dispatched an army led by his close ally Petilius Cerialis. As Cerialis advanced on Augusta Treverorum, capital of the Treviri, Classicus and Civilis tried to sow panic in the Roman army by alleging Vespasian had died. [8] Cerialis, however, in a series of battles defeated the uprising [9] and accepted the surrender of Civilis. In the aftermath, Classicus fled with Julius Tutor on a small ship. [10]

Significance

After this revolt, Vespasian decided that for further safety, auxiliary troops would be stationed in different parts of the empire from their origins, and would have a commander that was not of the same native land, further ensuring that no local revolts could ever take place again.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Vespasian Roman emperor from AD 69 to 79

Vespasian was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The fourth and last in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empire for 27 years.

AD 69 Calendar year

AD 69 (LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Rufinus. The denomination AD 69 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.

AD 70 (LXX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vespasian and Titus. The denomination AD 70 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.

Roman conquest of Britain 1st century AD invasion of Britain by the Romans

The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius and being largely completed by 87 when the Stanegate was established as the northern frontier.

Gaius Julius Civilis Leader of the Batavian rebellion against the Romans in 69 AD

Gaius Julius Civilis was the leader of the Batavian rebellion against the Romans in 69 AD. His nomen shows that he was made a Roman citizen by either Augustus or Caligula.

Gaius Suetonius Paulinus 1st century Roman general and provincial governor

Gaius Suetonius Paulinus was a Roman general best known as the commander who defeated the rebellion of Boudica.

Legio IV Macedonica Roman legion

Legio IV Macedonica, was a legion of the Imperial Roman army founded in 48 BC by Gaius Julius Caesar with Italian legionaries. The legion was disbanded in AD 70 by Emperor Vespasian. The legion symbols were a bull and a capricorn.

Legio V Alaudae, sometimes also known as Gallica, was a legion of the Imperial Roman army founded in 52 BC by the general Gaius Julius Caesar. It was levied in Transalpine Gaul to fight the armies of Vercingetorix, and was the first Roman legion to comprise non-citizens. Historians disagree whether the legion was destroyed during the Batavian rebellion in AD 70, or during the First Battle of Tapae.

Legio I Germanica, the 1st Germanic Legion, was a legion of the Imperial Roman army, possibly founded in 48 BC by Julius Caesar to fight for him in the civil war against Pompey. The title germanic is a reference to its service in the Germanic Wars, rather than the place of origin of its soldiers. After the Revolt of the Batavi, the remaining men of the Germanica were added to Galba's seventh legion, which became VII Gemina. The emblem of Legio I is unknown, but it was probably Taurus, like all the other legions levied by Caesar.

Legio XXI Rapax Roman legion

Legio vigesima prima rapax was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was founded in 31 BC by the emperor Augustus, probably from men previously enlisted in other legions. The XXI Rapax was destroyed in 92 by the Sarmatians. The symbol of the legion is thought to have been a capricorn.

Revolt of the Batavi Uprising against the Roman Empire started by the Batavi (AD 69-70)

The Revolt of the Batavi took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior between AD 69 and 70. It was an uprising against the Roman Empire started by the Batavi, a small but militarily powerful Germanic tribe that inhabited Batavia, on the delta of the river Rhine. They were soon joined by the Celtic tribes from Gallia Belgica and some Germanic tribes.

Julia gens Ancient Roman family with the nomen "Julius"

The gens Julia was one of the most ancient patrician families at ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the consulship was Gaius Julius Iulus in 489 BC. The gens is perhaps best known, however, for Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator and grand uncle of the emperor Augustus, through whom the name was passed to the so-called Julio-Claudian dynasty of the first century AD. The nomen Julius became very common in imperial times, as the descendants of persons enrolled as citizens under the early emperors began to make their mark in history.

Quintus Petillius Cerialis Caesius Rufus, otherwise known as Quintus Petillius Cerialis, was a Roman general and administrator who served in Britain during Boudica's rebellion and went on to participate in the civil wars after the death of Nero. He later crushed the rebellion of Julius Civilis and returned to Britain as its governor.

Veleda was seeress of the Bructeri, a Germanic people who achieved some prominence during the Batavian rebellion of AD 69–70, headed by the Romanized Batavian chieftain Gaius Julius Civilis, when she correctly predicted the initial successes of the rebels against Roman legions.

<i>The Iron Hand of Mars</i>

The Iron Hand of Mars is a 1992 historical mystery crime novel by Lindsey Davis and the fourth book of the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series. Set in Rome and Germania during AD 71, the novel stars Marcus Didius Falco, informer and imperial agent. The iron in the title refers to the standard, shaped like a giant hand made of iron, which Falco is required to deliver to the imperial legions in Germany.

Julius Briganticus was a Batavian who commanded auxiliary cavalry in the Roman Army. He was the son of the sister of Gaius Julius Civilis, the leader of the Batavian rebellion, who apparently hated his nephew. The nomen Julius indicates he was a Roman citizen. The cognomen Briganticus perhaps suggests he, or his father, gained distinction fighting against the Brigantes of northern Britain.

Cornelius Fuscus was a Roman general who fought campaigns under the Emperors of the Flavian dynasty. During the reign of Domitian, he served as prefect of the imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, from 81 until his death in 86 AD. Prior to this appointment, Fuscus had distinguished himself as one of Vespasian's most ardent supporters during the civil war of 69 AD, known as the Year of the Four Emperors.

Events from the 1st century in Roman Britain.

References

  1. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 4:13.
  2. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 2:14.
  3. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 4:55.
  4. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 4:58.
  5. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 4:59–60.
  6. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 4:70.
  7. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 4:71.
  8. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 4:75.
  9. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 4:78, 85; 5:20.
  10. ↑ Tacitus, Histories 5:21.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.