Pescenius Niger

Gaius or Gaius Pescenio Niger (in Latin: Gaius Pescennius Niger; Aquino, 135/140-Antioch, 194) was a pretender to the throne of the Roman Empire from mid-April 193 to the end of March 194. At his death he became the third emperor to die from the era of civil wars that ravaged the Empire from the death of Commodus to that of Clodius Albinus, known as the "year of the five emperors".

On Pertinax's death, the imperial throne was auctioned off by the Praetorian Guard, who sold it to Didius Julianus. This proved not to be equal to the circumstances, having to face from the beginning of his reign to a series of uprisings, among which was that of Niger itself.

Septimius Severus, governor of Pannonia, marched against Rome and deposed Julian. After forcing the Senate to proclaim him emperor, Severus agreed to an alliance with the last rebel governor, Clodio Albino, and marched to fight Niger. After two years of hard civil war, Niger was defeated and killed on the banks of the Euphrates, while trying to cross into the lands of the Parthian king Vologases.

Life

Origins

Pescenio was of Italic origin; as indicated by an ambiguous reference included in the Historia Augusta, which points to Aquino as his birthplace. Said reference has been the basis of numerous inventions and theories about his life and his political career, such as the names of his parents; Annio Fusco and Lampridia. The date of his birth is merely speculative.

In any case, proven data are his status as a member of the ordo equester during the reign of Emperor Commodus (180-192) and his appointment as consul suffectus . He gained access to the Senate by an adlectio inter praetorios in the early 180s. He fought on the Dacia frontier, and participated in the Roman victory over the Sarmatians. Between the years 191 and 193 he served as governor of the province of Syria.

Death of Pertinax

Following the assassination of Emperor Pertinax, on March 28, 193, the Praetorian Guard auctioned off the throne of the Roman Empire among the wealthiest and most influential citizens of the capital. In said auction, Didio Juliano ended up prevailing over Tito Flavio Sulpiciano, father-in-law of the deceased emperor. However, this appointment was not well received either among Roman citizens or in the army and soon Julian had to face a series of uprisings and uprisings that devastated the Empire.

Niger, the governor of Syria, was very popular in Rome and among the soldiers of the eastern legions. In mid-April of that same year, he decided to summon his troops to Antioch, where they proclaimed him emperor. He was soon joined by the armies of Asia Minor and Egypt. Thus, Niger gained control of the eastern territories of the Empire.

While Niger became strong in its province, Julian had to face two insurrections that seriously endangered his position: Septimius Severus rebelled in Pannonia and Clodius Albinus in Britain.

Septimius Severus managed to ally himself with Clodius Albinus and immediately marched on Rome, where he arrived on June 1, 193. That same day he was proclaimed emperor by the Senate and, the next day, after rejecting offers of peace from Didius Julian, ordered to execute him. On June 9 he held a parade to commemorate his position on the throne. Albino, for his part, received the title of Caesar and agreed to be his successor.

Fight for the throne

Denario de Pescenio Niger.

Niger found himself at a disadvantage from the beginning with respect to Severus and Albino, as their legions were inferior both in quantity and quality. On the other hand, the status of governor of an eastern province made him less popular in Rome than his two rivals. Finding himself in such a predicament, he sought the alliance of the Emperor of the Parthian Empire Vologases V and the ruler of the small kingdom of Hatra.

Nigerian troops occupied Byzantium, thereby guaranteeing themselves a crossing point from Asia to Europe. From there they marched on Thrace, where they occupied Perinth. Despite these initial successes, the Nigerien troops were forced to abandon Thrace and Byzantium when Severus's troops counterattacked. One of Niger's allies, Aselio Emiliano, the governor of the province of Asia, tried to oppose the landing of troops by Severo on the Asian coast. Severo's troops crushed those of Emiliano, who died in the flight.

After a series of defeats between 193 and 194, Niger and his army withdrew to the other side of the Taurus, where they hoped to fortify themselves and defeat the emperor's troops. However, Severo's army pursued him there. At the end of the war, almost all of the eastern cities of the Empire united against Niger.

He tried to win over the cities of Tire and Laodicea, for which he looted them. In the year 194, he withdrew to Antioch, and in the same year he faced Severus at Issos. There the army of Niger, of nine legions, and that of Severo, made up of twelve legions under the command of Publius Cornelius Anulinus, faced each other. The battle ended in a crushing defeat for Niger, whose army left nearly 20,000 men on the battlefield, although the pretender to the throne managed to return to Antioch.

Death

After the decisive defeat at Issos, Niger realized that the war had been lost and tried to flee across the Euphrates, where he intended to take refuge at the court of the Parthian emperor, Vologases. However, he was captured near the border and although Niger was immediately killed, some of his supporters managed to escape. Severus's soldiers took the head from Niger to Byzantium, where the last of his supporters were under siege.

When Severo arrived in Syria, he issued a damnatio memoriae on Niger, so all his memories were erased. His sons were executed.

Historiography

The main testimonies about the life of Niger have come to us from two of his contemporaries: Cassius Dio and Herodian. Dio Casio is neutral in his writings, while Herodian, in his capacity as Severus's enemy, offers an idyllic vision of Niger. The Historia Augusta recounts certain aspects of his life. Two other important sources are Sexto Aurelio Víctor and the Christian writer Orosio. These two men see Niger as a mere usurper.

On the whole, the historiographical sources offer a very negative view of Niger. He is described as an incompetent military man and as a man whose ambition outweighed his worth. Even Herodian criticized his lack of vigor and determination; Dio Casio qualifies him as a mediocre and unintelligent man. However, it should be noted that the popularity he enjoyed among the Roman people was due to his condition as an efficient administrator. He came to be nicknamed Iustus.