Carinus, Roman Emperor
Carinus (whose full name was Marcus Aurelius Carinus) was a Roman emperor who reigned over the empire for a period of only two years, beginning in the year 283 AD up until July in the year 285 AD. He was the elder of the sons of the Roman Emperor Carus. Upon his father's ascension to the throne, Carinus was given the lofty title of governor of the entire western portion of the empire.
Early on in his military career, Carinus would encounter great success on the battlefield, one noteworthy encounter in particular was the campaign against the Quadi tribes.
He would quickly lose his taste for battle however, and after a short time, he left the defence of the Upper Rhine largely at the hands of his subordinates. He made his way back to Rome and proceeded to live a life of unbridled depravity and all manners of excess. He also embarked on a celebration of the ludi Romani with a display of magnificence that was previously unseen.
After his father Emperor Carus had died the armies, which had previously been assigned in the Eastern territories, made known their demands to be brought back to Europe. The younger son of Carus, Numerian was leading the troops at that time and he had no other alternative but to comply with his soldiers’ wishes.
He reluctantly ordered the march back to Rome but apparently this move was not enough, for at some time during the course of the long march back to the city, he was murdered by one of his own men. The place of the act was probably in Chalcedon during a halt of the troops there. The remaining soldiers then took it upon themselves to name one from among their very own ranks as the new emperor and Diocletian, who was the commander of the bodyguards at that time and was the one chosen for the role.
Carinus was outraged upon hearing of these latest developments and hastened to march out of Rome and head towards the East on a direct path that would lead to a confrontation with Diocletian and his forces. Along the way, he and his men stopped by Pannonia, where he managed to neutralize yet another threat, this time from the usurper named Sabinus Iulianus. After that incident, it was on to Moesia where he finally encountered the armies of Diocletian.
Carinus and his men managed to secure a number of great victories during those encounters. His troops in particular stood out for their courageousness in the field of battle and it seemed by all indications that they were making significant progress in halting the threat from Diocletian and his armies. Disaster struck however at the Battle of the Margus River in Morava, where several accounts vary as to the cause of Carinus' death. One report claims that the disgruntled husband of a woman, that he had taken advantage of, killed him. Another stated that he was killed in the course of battle. In any case, Carinus was dead by July of the year 285 AD.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 14/05/2008
