Editing Procopius (usurper)

{{Short description|Roman usurper from 365 to 366}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox Roman emperor
| name         = Procopius
| image        = INC-1866-a Солид. Прокопий. Ок. 365—366 гг. (аверс).png
| caption      = ''[[Solidus (coin)|Solidus]]'' depicting Procopius
| reign        = 28 September 365 – <br/>27 May 366 (against [[Valens]])
| succession   = [[Roman emperor]]
| moretext     = ([[Roman usurper|usurper]])
| predecessor  = [[Valens]] and [[Valentinian I]]
| successor    = Valens and Valentinian I
| spouse 1     = Artemisia (probably)
| issue        = Procopius
| father       = 
| mother       = Sister of [[Basilina]]{{sfn|Hughes|2013|p=17}}
| birth_date   = July 325
| birth_place  = [[Corycus]], [[Cilicia]] (modern-day [[Turkey]])
| death_date   = 27 May 366 (aged 40)
| death_place  = 
| place of burial = 
}}

'''Procopius''' ({{IPAc-en|p|r|oʊ|ˈ|k|oʊ|p|i|ə|s}};<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster| Procopius
}}</ref> [[Ancient Greek]]: Προκόπιος; July 325 – 27 May 366) was a [[Roman usurper]] against [[Valens]].

== Life ==
Procopius was born in July 325,<ref>[[Ammianus Marcellinus]], ''[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ammian/26*.html#ref6 Res Gestae]'' 26.11. "Procopius departed this life at the age of forty years and ten months."</ref> in [[Corycus]], [[Cilicia]] (now [[Turkey]]).{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|pp=742–743}} On his mother's side, Procopius was a maternal cousin to Emperor [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]], since their maternal grandfather was [[Julius Julianus]]. His first wife was probably Artemisia.{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|pp=111–112}} The Roman general of the 5th century [[Procopius (magister militum)|Procopius]] and his son, the Emperor [[Anthemius]], were among his descendants, the first being the son of his son Procopius.{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|pp=742–743}}

During the reign of [[Constantius II]], he served as ''tribunus et notarius'' for a long period of time. By 358, the emperor trusted him enough to send him with [[Lucillianus (magister equitum)|Lucillianus]] as an envoy to the Sassanid court.{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|pp=742–743}} His career granted him the opportunity to build many important connections, as well as to help him understand the structure of the imperial government.{{sfn|Hughes|2013|p=39}}

== Persian campaign ==
When Julian departed from Constantinople in the spring of 362, his objective was clear: to launch a swift, decisive campaign against the [[Sasanian Empire]] rather than engage in a prolonged war. His primary aim was to strike directly at the Sassanid capital [[Ctesiphon]] and force [[Shapur II]] into a battle or negotiations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Lacey |first=Jim |url= |title=Great Strategic Rivalries: From the Classical World to the Cold War |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-062046-2 |page= |pages=137–138 |language=en}}</ref> Procopius entered Julian's retinue and took part in his campaign against the Sassanids in 363.{{sfn|Curran|1998|p=89}} After leaving Antioch on March 5, 363, Julian’s army quickly crossed the [[Euphrates|Euphrates river]], gathering at [[Carrhae]] shortly thereafter. 

=== Into enemy territory ===
Meanwhile, Procopius was entrusted with fortifying Roman defenses in [[Mesopotamia]]. Tasked with leading a force of around 30,000 men, Procopius and his subordinate, [[Sebastianus (magister peditum)|Sebastianus]], were stationed to defend key positions along the Upper [[Tigris River]], anticipating an advance from [[Military of the Sasanian Empire|Shapur’s forces]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Matthews |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hZqgAAAAMAAJ |title=The Roman Empire of Ammianus |date=1989 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=978-0-8018-3965-8 |page=167 |language=en}}</ref> Procopius was tasked with coordinating Roman defensive efforts in the east, specifically working with King [[Arsaces II of Armenia]] to secure the strategically vital [[Bitlis District|Bitlis Pass]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Lacey |first=Jim |url= |title=Great Strategic Rivalries: From the Classical World to the Cold War |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-062046-2 |pages=137–138 |language=en}}</ref> Procopius' efforts were vital in securing the eastern front and preparing for the Persian response to Julian's offensive.<ref name=":0" />

Procopius prepared for the possibility of advancing his troops southward to join with Emperor Julian’s soldiers in Assyria.<ref name=":1" /> This location was crucial for controlling access between the Roman and Persian spheres of influence, and its defense was integral to safeguarding the Roman presence in the region.<ref name=":1">François Paschoud,  ''Zosime. Histoire Nouvelle'' (Paris: Société d'édition "Les Belles Lettres," 1979), II.1, n. 33, pp. 106–109.</ref> In a display of military strategy, Emperor Julian led a formidable force of 65,000 soldiers down the Euphrates River within just eight weeks.<ref name=":2" /> However, Julian was fatally injured in a skirmish on June 26, bringing an abrupt end to the ill-fated campaign. When Procopius reached the main Roman army near [[Thilsaphata]], between [[Nisibis]] and [[Singara]], he met the new emperor, [[Jovian (emperor)|Jovian]].<ref name=":0" />

Though Julian had died without naming a successor,{{sfn|Potter|2004|p=518}} a rumor spread that he had ordered Procopius to take the purple in case of his death.{{sfn|Curran|1998|p=89}} Fearing Jovian's wrath, which had caused the death of another army candidate to the throne (Jovianus),{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|pp=460–461}} Procopius went into hiding, but later supervised the transport of Julian's body to [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]] and its subsequent burial,{{sfn|Hughes|2013|p=18}} and only later went to Caesarea with his family.<ref>According to [[Philostorgius]], since his wife could not bear their escape, Procopius went to Caesarea, but to live in one of Eunomius's properties (''Historia Ecclesiastica'' 9.5).</ref>{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|pp= 742–743}}

After Jovian's death, the new emperors, [[Valentinian I]] and [[Valens]], sent some soldiers to arrest Procopius.{{sfn|Potter|2004|p=522}} He surrendered, but asked to meet his family; he had his captors dine and drink, and then seized the opportunity to flee with his family, first to the [[Black Sea]] and later to the [[Tauric Chersonese]], where they hid.{{sfn|Hughes|2013|p=40}} However, Procopius lived in constant fear of betrayal or exposure, and decided to go to [[Constantinople]], the Empire's capital, to ask Strategius for help.{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|pp= 742–743}}

[[File:Coin of Procopius (usurper) minted in Constantinople.jpg|thumb|''[[Solidus (coin)|Solidus]]'' of Procopius minted in Constantinople, AD 365, Procopius in military dress standing facing right, holding spear in right hand, resting left hand on shield set on ground: {{Smallcaps|spes {{abbreviation|D N PROCO PIVS P F AVG}}}} ("''Procopius Augustus''")]]

Becoming aware of discontent caused by the policies of Valens's praetorian prefect and father-in-law, Petronius,{{sfn|Hughes|2013|p=40}}{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|p=691}} Procopius decided to declare himself Emperor. He bribed two legions which were then resting at [[Constantinople]] to support his efforts, and took control of the imperial city. Shortly after this he proclaimed himself Emperor on 28 September  365, and quickly took control of the provinces of [[Thrace]], and later [[Bithynia]].{{Sfn|Curran|1998|p=90}} Procopius promoted himself as an educated philosopher, well versed in the Greek language of the Eastern Empire, and highlighted Valens's weakness in this area, to gain the support of the Hellenized Eastern aristocrats.{{sfn|Lenski|2003|pp=92–96}} He also emphasized his link to the Constantinian dynasty by appearing in public with Constantius II’s widow [[Faustina (wife of Constantius II)|Faustina]] and their daughter [[Constantia (wife of Gratian)|Constantia]], an act which Ammianus considered to have earned him greater support.{{sfn|Hughes|2013|p=42}}

Though Valens initially despaired of subduing the rebellion, and was inclined to come to terms with the usurper, he quickly rallied, guided by the counsels of [[Salutius]] and [[Arintheus]], and the superior ability of his generals prevailed in two battles at [[Battle of Thyatira|Thyatira]] and [[Nacolia]] where Procopius's forces were defeated.<ref>[[Edward Gibbon]],''The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire'', (The Modern Library, 1932), chap. XXV., p. 852, 853</ref> He fled the battlefield, and was for a while a fugitive in the wilds of [[Phrygia]], but was soon betrayed to Valens due to the treachery of his two generals Agilonius and [[Gomoarius]], he was captured. Valens had his rival executed on 27 May 366{{sfn|Jones|Martindale|Morris|pp= 742–743}} through beheading.{{Sfn|Curran|1998|p=91}}{{sfn|Potter|2004|p=525}} His head was then sent to Valens's elder brother and co-emperor Valentinian I.{{sfn|Hughes|2013|p=48}}

== See also ==
* [[List of Roman usurpers]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last=Curran |year=1998 |first=John |section=From Jovian to Theodosius |title=The Cambridge Ancient History XIII: The Late Empire, A.D. 337–425|editor=Averil Cameron |editor2=Peter Garnsey |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-30200-5 |title-link= iarchive:the-cambridge-ancient-history-volume-13/mode/1up|name-list-style=amp |editor-link=Averil Cameron |editor2-link=Peter Garnsey}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hughes |first1=Ian |title=Imperial Brothers: Valentinian, Valens and the Disaster at Adrianople |date=5 August 2013 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-4738-2863-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5b9AwAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last=Jones |year=1971 |first=A. H. M. |author2=J. R. Martindale |author3=J. Morris |title=Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire |volume=1 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-07233-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/prosopography-later-roman-empire/PLRE-I |name-list-style=amp |author-link=A. H. M. Jones |author-link2=John Robert Martindale |author-link3=John Morris (historian) |ref={{sfnref|Jones|Martindale|Morris}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Lenski |year=2003 |first=Noel |title=Failure of Empire: Valens and the Roman State in the Fourth Century A.D. |publisher= University of California Press |place=Berkeley |isbn=0-520-23332-8 |url={{googlebooks|uvXo39xOV8kC|plainurl=y}} }}
* {{cite book |last=Potter |first=David S. |title=The Roman Empire at Bay: AD 180–395 |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-10057-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/romanempireatbay0000pott }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Procopius (usurper)}}

{{Roman emperors}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:326 births]]
[[Category:366 deaths]]
[[Category:4th-century Roman usurpers]]
[[Category:Executed ancient Roman people]]
[[Category:Generals of Julian]]
[[Category:Julian's Persian expedition]]
[[Category:People executed by the Roman Empire]]