| Herennius Etruscus | |||||||||
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| Roman emperor | |||||||||
| Reign | May–June 251 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Philip the Arab | ||||||||
| Successor | Trebonianus Gallus | ||||||||
| Co-emperor | Decius | ||||||||
| Died | c. June 251 Abritus,Moesia Inferior | ||||||||
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| Father | Decius | ||||||||
| Mother | Herennia Etruscilla | ||||||||
Quintus Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius (died c. June 251), known simply asHerennius Etruscus, was brieflyRoman emperor in 251, ruling jointly under his fatherDecius. His father was proclaimed emperor by his troops in September 249 while inPannonia andMoesia, in opposition toPhilip. Decius defeated Philip in battle, and was then proclaimed emperor by theSenate. Etruscus, still a child, was elevated toCaesar (heir) in 250, then further raised toAugustus (emperor) in May 251. When theGoths, underCniva,invaded theDanubian provinces, he was sent with avanguard, followed by the main body of Roman troops, led by Decius. They ambushed Cniva at theBattle of Nicopolis ad Istrum in 250,routing him, before being ambushed and routed themselves at theBattle of Beroe. Etruscus was killed in theBattle of Abritus the following year, alongside his father. After the deaths of both emperors,Trebonianus Gallus, who had been governor of Moesia, was elected emperor by the remaining Roman forces.
Quintus Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius was the son ofDecius, a Roman general who later became emperor, andHerennia Etruscilla, his wife. His birth date is sometimes given between 220 and 230, but there is no way to confirm this. Etruscus was probably a young boy when he was proclaimed emperor in 251, as depicted in his coins.[1]
Decius became emperor after being sent to lead troops in the provinces ofPannonia andMoesia, where he was declared emperor by his troops in September 249, in opposition toPhilip the Arab. He led his troops against Philip, their forces meeting in September 249, nearVerona, Italy. In this battle, Philip was slain, after which theRoman Senate declared Decius emperor, and honored him with the name Traianus, a reference to EmperorTrajan.[2][3]
Both Herennius Etruscus and his younger brotherHostilian were elevated tocaesars in 250,[4]: 15 and in May 251 Herennius Etruscus was elevated toAugustus, making him co-emperor under Decius.[2] He was also madeconsul for 251.[3]
In 249, theGoths, led by KingCniva, invaded theDanubian provinces of the Roman Empire with a huge force. They split into two columns; one column launched an assault onDacia, and the other force, made up of 70,000 men, and personally led by Cniva, invaded Moesia. Cniva's forces further split into two groups; one marched to assaultPhilippopolis, and the other marched toNovae. Cniva was prevented from laying siege to Novae byTrebonianus Gallus, the governor of Moesia and future emperor, and thus moved south, on toNicopolis.[5]: 297 By this time news of the invasion reached Rome, and both Decius and Herennius Etruscus traveled to repulse the Gothic invasion, although Hostilian remained in Rome.[5]: 256 [5]: 297 Herennius Etruscus was sent forward with avanguard, followed by the main body of Roman forces, led by Decius.[6] Decius and Herennius Etruscus took the Gothic forces by surprise in theBattle of Nicopolis, and beat them decisively. Following the crushing defeat, Cniva retreated over theHaemus Mons (Balkan Mountains), and met up with his other forces at Philippopolis. Cniva then ambushed the forces of Decius and Herennius Etruscus at theBattle of Beroe, near the small town ofBeroca at the base of the Haemus Mons. The Roman forces were beaten decisively in this engagement and fled in disarray to Moesia where Decius and Herennius Etruscus worked to reorganize them. Cniva then returned to Philippopolis, and with the help ofTitus Julius Priscus, the Roman governor ofThrace, managed to capture the city.[5]: 297
Decius and Herennius Etruscus launched a counterattack in spring 251 and were initially successful in pushing back the Goths. However, Cniva set an ambush for them, in June 251, nearAbritus (modern-dayRazgrad,Bulgaria).[5]: 297 [7] Inthis battle, both Decius and Herennius Etruscus were killed. The exact circumstances of the death of Herennius Etruscus are vague. The main source for the event,Aurelius Victor, says only that Herennius Etruscus was killed when he "pressed the attack too boldly". Aurelius Victor specifies that he was acting as animperator, commanding troops from a distance but not physically engaging in the combat, rather than a commilito, who physically fought in the battle. After the news of his death reached Decius, he refused to be consoled, stating that the loss of one life was minor to a battle, and thus continued the combat, in which he was also slain. The death of Decius is similarly obscure, although it is agreed upon that he must have died either during the battle, as acommilito, during the retreat from the battle, or else was slain while serving asimperator.[2][8]: 24 The reserve forces of Trebonianus Gallus failed to reinforce the main army in time to save Decius and Herennius Etruscus, although whether this was due to treachery or misfortune is unknown.[9]
After the death of both Decius and Herennius Etruscus, and much of the Roman army with them, the remaining forces immediately electedTrebonianus Gallus, the governor of Moesia, as emperor. Trebonianus Gallus made peace with Cniva on humiliating terms, allowing them to keep their prisoners and spoils in order to secure peace.[5]: 297 In order to gain popular support, Trebonianus Gallus retained Herennia Etruscilla asAugusta (empress), and elevated Hostilian toAugustus, making him co-emperor alongside Trebonianus Gallus himself.[2][4]: 16 [5]: 266 Hostilian died in November 251, either from a plague or murder,[2][4]: 16 after whichVolusianus, Trebonianus Gallus' son, was raised toAugustus. After Trebonianus Gallus was overthrown byAemilianus in 253, Herennia Etruscilla faded into obscurity.[5]: 256
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| Preceded by | Roman Emperor 251 Served alongside:Decius | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Roman emperor 251 withDecius | Succeeded by |
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