Editing Volusianus

{{short description|Roman emperor from 251 to 253}}
{{other uses|Volusianus (disambiguation)}}
{{good article}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image        = Buste de Volusianus, MBA.jpg
| image_size   =
| caption      = Possible bust of Volusianus at the [[Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Buste de Volusianus|website=Musée des Beaux-Arts|url=https://mba.tours.fr/TPL_CODE/TPL_COLLECTIONPIECE/191-antiquite.htm?COLLECTIONNUM=25&PIECENUM=31&NOMARTISTE=Antiquit%C3%A9+gr%C3%A9co-+romaine}}</ref>
| alt          = Bust of Volusianus
| succession   = [[Roman emperor]]
| reign        = {{circa}} August 251 – August 253 (with [[Trebonianus Gallus]])
| predecessor  = [[Decius]] and [[Herennius Etruscus]]
| successor    = [[Aemilianus]]
| birth_date   = c. 230
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = August 253
| death_place  = [[Terni|Interamna]], [[Roman Italy|Italy]]
| burial_place = 
| full name    = Gaius Vibius Afinius Gallus Veldumnianus Volusianus (birth){{sfn|Cooley|2012|p=498}}<br/>Gaius Vibius Volusianus Caesar (251){{sfn|Cooley|2012|p=498}}
| regnal name  = Imperator Caesar Gaius Vibius Afinius Gallus Veldumnianus Volusianus Augustus{{sfn|Cooley|2012|p=498}}
| father       = [[Trebonianus Gallus]]
| mother       = [[Afinia Gemina Baebiana]]
}}

'''Gaius Vibius Volusianus''' ([[Latin]]: ''Gaius Vibius Afinius Gallus Veldumnianus Volusianus''; died August 253), commonly called '''Volusian''', was a [[Roman emperor]] from 251 to 253, ruling with his father [[Trebonianus Gallus]].

After Emperor [[Decius]] and his son and co-ruler [[Herennius Etruscus]] died in battle in June 251, Trebonianus Gallus was elected emperor in the field by the legion. Gallus raised [[Hostilian]], the younger son of Decius, to ''[[Augustus (title)|augustus]]'' (co-emperor) and elevated Volusianus to ''[[Caesar (title)|caesar]]''. After the death of Hostilian in July or August 251, Volusianus was raised to ''augustus''. The short reign of Gallus and Volusianus was notable for the outbreak of a plague, which is said by some to be the reason for Hostilian's death, and for hostilities with the [[Sasanian Empire]] and the [[Goths]]. Volusianus and his father were killed in August 253 by their own soldiers, who were terrified of the forces of the usurper [[Aemilian]] which were marching towards [[Rome]].

==History==
Volusianus was the son of [[Trebonianus Gallus]],{{sfn|Adkins|Adkins|2014|p=28}} who was named emperor in July 251 after his predecessors, Decius and [[Herennius Etruscus]], died fighting the [[Goths]] at the [[Battle of Abritus]].{{sfn|Adkins|Adkins|2014|p=28}}{{sfn|Bunson|2014|pp=255–256}}{{sfn|Salisbury|Mattingly|1924|p=16}} Elected by the troops in the field, Gallus signed a treaty, decried by contemporary historians as "shameful", which promised tribute to the Goths if they abstained from raiding.{{sfn|Kean|Frey|2012|p=355}} He subsequently made a bid for popularity by declaring [[Hostilian]], the surviving son of Decius, ''augustus'' (emperor) with him, voluntarily sharing his power with the prior imperial family. Later, still in July 251, Gallus elevated Volusianus to ''[[Caesar (title)|caesar]]'' (heir-apparent).{{sfn|Adkins|Adkins|2014|p=28}} Volusianus was wed to Hostilian's sister, of an unknown name.{{sfn|Vagi|2000|p=342}}

Hostilian died in July or August 251.{{sfn|Peachin|1990|pp=33-34}} The reason for his death is disputed:{{sfn|Salisbury|Mattingly|1924|p=16}} [[Aurelius Victor]] and the author of the ''[[Epitome de Caesaribus]]'' both say that Hostilian died of a plague, but [[Zosimus (historian)|Zosimus]] claims that Trebonianus Gallus murdered the young ''augustus'' so that Volusianus could take his place.{{sfn|Manders|2012|p=18}} Regardless of circumstances, Volusianus subsequently received the rank of ''augustus''. He was made consul in 252, alongside Trebonianus Gallus, and in 253, alongside [[Lucius Valerius Poplicola Balbinus Maximus|Valerius Maximus]].{{sfn|Cooley|2012|p=477}}{{sfn|Cooley|2012|p=498}} The same plague that killed Hostilian devastated the rest of Rome, although Trebonianus Gallus gained much popularity by ensuring that all of the plague victims were given proper burials, regardless of their social status.{{sfn|Kean|Frey|2012|p=355}} During the reign of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusianus, the [[Roman persecution of Christians|persecution of Christians]] was not as extreme as it was under Decius, although [[Pope Cornelius]] was exiled in 252{{nbsp}}AD.{{sfn|Conway|1957|p=12}} [[Novatian]] was also forced to flee Rome during this period of persecution.{{sfn|Marthaler|2003|p=464}} Trebonianus Gallus and Volusianus issued only two imperial [[rescript]]s during their reign.{{sfn|Ando|2012|p=195}}

During the shared reign of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusianus, the Roman Empire was invaded by both the Goths and the [[Sassanids]]. Both co-emperors chose to stay in Rome rather than confront the invasions themselves.{{sfn|Vagi|2000|p=342}}{{sfn|Adkins|Adkins|2014|p=28}}{{sfn|Newton|2014|p=826}}{{sfn|Truhart|2000|p=347}}{{sfn|Bird|1993|p=138}}{{sfn|Kean|Frey|2012|p=355}} The Sassanids attacked in 252, quickly overrunning [[Roman Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]], and defeated the Romans at the [[Battle of Barbalissos]], near [[Barbalissos]] in the province of [[Euphratensis]] (modern day [[Syria]]). They advanced into Roman territory as far as [[Antioch]], which was captured in 253 after a prolonged siege.{{sfn|Kean|Frey|2012|p=355}} In 253, the Goths invaded [[Moesia Inferior]], as the new governor, [[Aemilian]], had refused to pay the tribute to them. The Goths split into two bands, with one raiding the cities of Moesia Inferior and [[Thracia]], and the other crossing into [[Asia Minor]] as far as [[Ephesus]].{{sfn|Kean|Frey|2012|p=355}}

Aemilian succeeded in repelling the Goths, slaughtering many and forcing the rest back across the [[Danube]]. The prestige of this victory was so great that Aemilian's soldiers spontaneously declared him emperor, in opposition to Trebonianus Gallus and Volusianus.{{sfn|Kean|Frey|2012|p=355}} When the news reached Rome, Gallus and Volusianus called for reinforcements from [[Valerian (emperor)|Valerian]], the future emperor, who had been strengthening the empire's defences on the [[Rhine]]. Aemilian marched to Italy at a rapid pace, arriving before Valerian could such send any assistance. The troops available to the co-emperors feared fighting the much stronger forces of Aemilian. To forestall the battle, they mutinied, killing Gallus and Volusianus at [[Terni|Interamna]], in [[Umbria]], in August 253.{{sfn|Adkins|Adkins|2014|p=28}}{{sfn|Newton|2014|p=826}}{{sfn|Truhart|2000|p=347}} The ''[[Chronography of 354]]'' says the co-emperors ruled for a total of two years, four months, and nine days.{{sfn|Bird|1993|p=138}}

== Numismatics ==
[[File:Aureus Volusianus (obverse).jpg|thumb|Coin featuring Volusianus]]
The ''[[aurei]]'' of Volusianus fell into two types. There were five styles of coins which featured his [[Bust (sculpture)|bust]] on the [[obverse]], with the [[reverse (coin)|reverse]] showing: [[Aequitas]] sitting, [[Aeternitas]] standing, [[Apollo]] standing, [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]] sitting inside a rounded temple, or [[Victoria (mythology)|Victoria]] standing. There were a further six styles of coins which featured his bust with a [[Radiate crown|Radiate]] on the obverse, with the reverse displaying: [[Concordia (mythology)|Concordia]] sitting, [[Felicitas]] standing, [[Libertas]] standing, [[Providentia|Providence]] standing, [[Salus]] standing, or a helmeted [[Virtus (deity)|Virtus]] standing.{{sfn| Friedberg|Friedberg|Friedberg|2017|p=48}} The coins of Volusianus occasionally bore the inscription ''Saeculum nouum'' (new age), alongside the traditional inscriptions ''Romae aeternae'' (eternal Rome) and ''Pax aeternae'' (eternal peace).{{sfn|Brent|2010|p=163}}

==Family tree==
{{tree chart/start}}
{{tree chart| Dec | | Tre | | Aem |Dec=''previous''<br>[[Decius]]<br>Roman Emperor<br>249-251<br><small>∞ [[Herennia Etruscilla]]</small>|Tre=[[File:Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|20px]]<br>[[Trebonianus Gallus]]<br>Roman Emperor<br>251-253<br><small>∞ [[Afinia Gemina Baebiana]]</small>|Aem=''next''<br>[[Aemilianus]]<br>Roman Emperor<br>253<br><small>∞ [[Cornelia Supera]]</small>}}
{{tree chart| |!| | | |!| }}
{{tree chart| HEt | | Vol |HEt=[[Herennius Etruscus]]<br>co-emperor|Vol=Volusianus<br>co-emperor<br>251-253}}
{{tree chart/end}}

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

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|20em}}

===Bibliography===
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*{{cite book|last1=Cooley|first1=Alison E.|author-link=Alison E. Cooley |title=The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy|date=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=9780521840262}}
*{{cite book|last1=Friedberg|first1=Arthur L.|last2=Friedberg|first2=Ira S.|last3=Friedberg|first3=Robert |title=Gold Coins of the World: From Ancient Times to the Present. An Illustrated Standard Catlaog with Valuations |edition=9th |date=2017|publisher=Coin & Currency Institute|isbn=9780871840097}}
*{{cite book|last1=Kean|first1=Roger M.|last2=Frey|first2=Oliver|title=The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome|date=2012|publisher=Reckless Books|asin=B0097SBTJM}}
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*{{cite book|last1=Newton|first1=Michael|title=Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia |date=2014|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781610692861}}
*{{cite book|last=Peachin|first=Michael|url=https://archive.org/details/ritac235/page/n29/mode/1up?view=theater|title=Roman Imperial Titulature and Chronology, A.D. 235–284|publisher=Gieben|year=1990|isbn=90-5063-034-0|place=Amsterdam}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Salisbury|first1=F. S.|last2=Mattingly|first2=H.|title=The Reign of Trajan Decius |journal=The Journal of Roman Studies|date=1924|volume=14|issue=1–2|pages=1–23|doi=10.2307/296323 |jstor=296323|s2cid=163083500 }}
*{{cite book|last1=Truhart|first1=Peter|title=Regenten Der Nationen|date=2000|publisher=Saur |location=München|isbn=9783598215438}}
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== External links ==
{{Commons-inline|Volusianus}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Hostilian]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[List of Roman emperors|Roman Emperor]]
        | years=251–253
        | with=[[Trebonianus Gallus]] }}
{{s-aft | after=[[Aemilian]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef | before= [[Decius]],<br /> [[Herennius Etruscus]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Roman consul]] | years=252–253 |regent1= [[Trebonianus Gallus]],<br /> [[Lucius Valerius Poplicola Balbinus Maximus|L. Valerius Poplicola Balbinus Maximus]]}}
{{s-aft | after= [[Valerian (emperor)|Valerian]],<br/> [[Gallienus]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Roman Emperors}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Volusianus}}
[[Category:230 births]]
[[Category:253 deaths]]
[[Category:3rd-century Roman emperors]]
[[Category:3rd-century murdered monarchs]]
[[Category:3rd-century Roman consuls]]
[[Category:Murdered Roman emperors]]
[[Category:Crisis of the Third Century]]
[[Category:Vibii|Volusianus, Gaius]]
[[Category:Sons of Roman emperors]]