Majorianus Invictus

Thank you GhostofClayton, that gives me much to ponder. A most helpful reply. I have been toying with him being of good Italian stock, though not Patrician by birth. How would they feel toward a non-Roman Emperor? Especially within the guard, who mostly were Italian. And, according to one source, Aurelian participated in the assassination of Gallienus, and supported Claudius II for the purple, with the help of the Praetorian Prefect, Heraclianus. Did Aurelian seek to purge the guard after Claudius' death to hide his own part in the murder? As well, with Aurelian's push to make Sol Invictus the One God, could there be some closet Christian's within the guard? I am not sure if it is feasible, but it would make interesting religious intrigue on top of the political scheming. Felix, bishop of Rome, was advanced to the Roman See in 274. He was the first martyr to Aurelian's petulancy, being beheaded on the 22d of December, in the same year. I can see this fervent believer trying to counter the Emperor's every move for change, using the public and his sources within the Guard. Just a few thoughts, but your reply gave me some ideas to work on.

Out of respect for Mr. Brookside the character in question has been renamed Primus Messenius Rapax.

The series (if it gets to that), will be called Praetorian; Blood of the Empire. I am working on a short prologue just to see if the time period I am angling for will generate some interest. I will post it in the coming days. Thanks for the advice and suggestions. Keep it coming. Who needs editors, when I have you guys! lol.

Starting on it tonight Artimi. I will keep you informed. Thanks Ursus.

I have "Restorer of the World; The Roman Emperor Aurelian", by John White. Does anyone know of any other books on either Aurelian, or this cadre of Illyrian Officers that domiinated roman politics in the third century?

Thanks Nephele, that information was much needed. I will keep you guys updated.

Lanista (Russ), First, thank you kindly for your words of encouragement. At the moment, I am leaning towards the turbulent, yet decisive period that begins with the death of Claudius Gothicus, and the restoration of the Roman world by Aurelian. With the rise of the Illyrian Officer cadre, and the intrigue they themselves spawned, it seems a fertile period to explore. The Praetorians, recruited from Italian stock, had been plagued with a series of non-roman Emperors, starting in my novels case, with Septimius Severus, the Syrian who purged their rank in favor of his own, and a long line of soldier Emperors, like Thrax, Phillip the Arab, and Decius, just to highlight a few. Then finally, Valerian, and the heir to be Gallenius! Saviors of Rome from a traditional senatorial family of pure roman blood! Alas, it was not meant to be. A quick side note here. For those of you that have read my posts here at UNRV, you know that they often pertain to barbarians within the ranks of the Legions. So, into this climate young Primus Messienus Castus has been chosen to serve in the Praetorian Guard, obviously with the aid of his very influential father, a well respected Senator, who paved the way with well placed donations that were needed to soothe the worries of those who have very legitimate concerns in Rome. Castus' mother is in fact a romanized woman from Sirmium. Now the source I saw (please correct me if I am wrong), said that Aurelian had a daughter, though no name is mentioned. I could easily use this lack of evidence to my advantage, and have Castus' father be her husband, and he in turn Aurelian's grandson. It only says Aurelian married Ulpia Severina before becoming Emperor, so the timeline is open for this insertion of a fictional character given that the Emperor died at sixty. The boy would be perfectly placed, watching his Grandfather's back, as he sought to save Rome. I hope to illustrate the struggle between roman and romanized barbarian through his eyes, the racism and hatred he experiences, and highlight the difficult choices he will have to make as his grandfathers reign rises to a zenith and then plummets into intrigue. Alamanni, Zenobia, the Gallic Empire, the religious reformations, Felicissimus' rebellion, and his grandfathers final death at the hands of the very Praetorians he serves in! Seems they believed a Secretary, Eros, who had lied about a minor matter, who then covered it up by spreading rumors of Aurelians' coming purge (he was a stern bastard). Imagine young Messienus as he races headlong into fate! Ok, I am done, lol. Just an outline of what is to come, but I believe it has merit and it is original. I do have a request. If the good lady Nephele would be so kind as to look at the name Messienus and see if it is a genuine name. It caught my eye, but one can never be sure of its autheticity. I also used Primus as his Praenomen. I really like it with so few choices and too many overused (how many Marcus' can there be!) names. sincerely, H. Majorianus Invictus

I have read Simon Scarrows The Eagle series, Altimari's Legion, the Soldier of Rome by James Mace, the beginning book of the Empire series by Anthony Riches, and other novels centering around the Roman Legion. I love them all, and I want to delve into fiction of Rome as well. I also want to do something original. Inspiration is one thing, but blatant imitation is another. I settled on a series I will call Praetorian. I have no time period chosen, because much research is yet ahead of me. I come to you, my friends at UNRV, to cut through the red tape so to speak. I am looking for great moments in the Praetorian history. They are often, and deservedly so, protrayed negatively, but surely there were acts of bravery, battles where they fought with ferocity and dignity? Individuals who stood out? If you know of any such moments please, I would be most appreciative. As always, thanks to all who read and respond. You each have my respect. sincerely, H. Majorianus Invictus.

I have a few questions about the Emperors from Illyria, particularly, Claudius Gothicus, Aurelian and Probus. Were these men romanized barbarians? Or children of Roman citizens living in Illyria? How did those in Rome (the people and the senate) look upon them, if they were barbarian by birth? Are there any books, links, etc that would be good to purchase or look into? As always guys, thank you for the coming responses. H. Majorianus Invictus

I will give it a go.

The last Roman in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, hoping to rebuild my legion with like minds. My town is Denton.

Please include me as well.

The more I research the matter of barbarians within the ranks of the Legion, the more questions I have, lol. My current question pertains to just who was considered a barbarian to the Romans? I know that is said that the Severan dynasty had punic blood, and that Maximinus Thrax is the first so called "Barbarian Emperor", but what of the Illyrian Junta (I love that word) starting with Claudius Gothicus and ending with Probus, and the Gaul's Carus and much later Avitus? I know there are many more examples, but there are also examples of those denied the purple because of their barbarian heritage. Stilicho and Ricimer come to mind. And even these two were said to believe themselves Roman through and through, even though their familial history speaks different. So just exactly what was the difference? Were the Illyrian Emperor's romanized? The Severan's? Were some barbarians more acceptable to the Roman people? I put the question to the masses of UNRV to assist me in understanding, because as I dig deeper I am seeing evidence that the problem was not just being barbarian, but whether they assimilated into the Roman culture or not. Your thoughts are needed, and to all who respond, I thank you truly.

After a bit of research, and reading the relevant chapters in Generalissimos of the western Roman Empire By John M. O'Flynn, I found this reference. The author states that Majorian was obliged to use Nepotian to where he did the minimum of harm. The claim is made that Nepotian was a creature of Ricimer, set up to be a counter balance to Aegidius, and by Ricimer's direction, Nepotian was somehow involved in the Fleet disaster. As for him being a puppet, I think that Ricimer cultivated his longtime friend, guiding him to the throne, but Majorian was in no way a puppet like Avitus or Severus, and as the new Emperor gained victory and success,and his fame grew, the barbarian General who could never wear the purple knew he that he could not control Majorian. Thus he had him murdered, and settled on the course of action that had made him the puppet master. Any thoughts? And Barca thank you for all your replies in my multitude of threads at UNRV. Your words are extremely helpful and though provoking. H. Majorianus Invictus

Not to me Macro, and I get bored very quickly with repetitive series or plotlines. I guess it appeals to me because every story focuses not just on Falco and his trials and tribulations, but a different part of the Empire. I have been to Britannia, Germania, Palymra and now Corduba! I highly recommend the series.