| Saloninus | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Roman emperor | |||||||||
| Augustus Caesar | July (?) 260 (briefly) 258–260 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Gallienus | ||||||||
| Successor | Gallienus | ||||||||
| Died | 260 Colonia Agrippina | ||||||||
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| Dynasty | Valerian | ||||||||
| Father | Gallienus | ||||||||
| Mother | Cornelia Salonina | ||||||||
Publius Licinius Cornelius Saloninus Valerianus (died 260), typically just calledSaloninus, was a youngRomannobleman who briefly becameemperor in 260. The grandson ofValerian I, Saloninus was appointedcaesar (heir) in 258 in an attempt to shore up the Licinial line of succession during theCrisis of the Third Century. During his time in power, Saloninus administered theGerman marches out ofCologne. Nevertheless, Saloninus soon became embroiled in a dispute with futureGallic emperorPostumus overwar spoils. In 260, Saloninus' troops acclaimed himaugustus (emperor) in an unsuccessful bid forpolitical legitimacy; Postumus killed Saloninus shortly thereafter.
Saloninus' father was the later emperorGallienus, his motherCornelia Salonina, aGreek[2][3] fromBithynia. In 258 Saloninus was appointedCaesar by his father (just like his older brotherValerian II, who had died around 258) and sent toGaul to make sure his father's authority was respected there (the titleCaesar in Imperial nomenclature indicated that the holder was the Crown Prince and first in line of succession after theAugustus, the title reserved for the ruling Emperor). Like Valerian II, who was made the ward ofIngenuus, governor of the Illyrian provinces, Saloninus was put under the protection of thepraetorian prefectSilvanus (otherwise named as Albanus).[4] AsCaesar in Gaul, Saloninus had his main seat inCologne.
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Bray[5] conjectures that Saloninus's appointment asCaesar, like that of his elder brother, Valerian II, in Illyria, was made at the instigation ofValerian I who was, simultaneously, the senior Emperor (Augustus) and grandfather of the two young Caesars and, as head of the Licinius clan, exercised also thepatria potestas[6] over all members of the Imperial family, including his son Gallienus, his co-Emperor (and co-Augustus). Bray suggests that Valerian's motive in making these appointments was securing the succession and establishing a lasting imperial dynasty. It is not known how Valerian envisaged his grandson interacting with the existing governors and military commanders of the Gallic provinces. There is no reason to suppose that he ever thought the thing through as systematically asDiocletian when he established theTetrarchy some thirty years later. However, Silvanus must have been a seasoned soldier and administrator, and he does seem to have harboured the notion that, as guardian of Saloninus, he should exercise real authority in Gaul. This was demonstrated by the circumstances in which he fell out with theGallic emperorPostumus.
In 260 (probably in July) Silvanus (no doubt in Saloninus's name) ordered Postumus to hand over some booty that Postumus's troops had seized from a German warband which had been on its way home from a successful raid into Gaul. However, Postumus's men took violent exception to this attempt to enforce the rights of the representative of a distant emperor who was manifestly failing in his duty to protect the Gallic provinces. Asserting what was probably the prevailing custom of the frontier,[clarification needed] they turned on Saloninus and Silvanus, who had to then flee to Cologne with some loyal troops. It was probably at this time that Postumus was acclaimed emperor by his army. Riding the tide of military discontent which he could barely control, Postumus then besieged Saloninus and Silvanus in Cologne.
Gallienus, who was fully engaged elsewhere – probably campaigning on the middle Danube – could do nothing to save his son (by this time Saloninus's grandfather, the senior Emperor Valerian, was probably already a captive of the Persian KingShapur I). Saloninus's troops, in their desperation, finally proclaimed him emperor, perhaps hoping that this would induce Postumus's army to desert him and join them in a bid for Empire – i.e., against Valerian and Gallienus. If this was indeed their hope, they were to be disappointed in the event, for Postumus's army pressed on with the siege and, about one month later, the citizens ofColonia Agrippina handed Saloninus and his guardian over to their enemy. Postumus was then unable to prevent his army from murdering them. Despite his public protestations of regret, it seems in fact unlikely that Postumus made a serious effort to resist this course of events.[citation needed]
Whether or not Gallienus ever concurred with Valerian's dynastic experiment is not known. The murder of Saloninus, so soon after the suspicious death of Valerian II, seems to have cured Gallienus of any ambition in this regard. Throughout the period of his sole reign, Gallienus made no effort to elevate his third son,Egnatius Marinianus, to the purple or associate him in any way with his government of the Empire – although he did allow him to be elected to the largely ceremonial office ofConsul in 268.[citation needed]
Christopher Entwistle and Noël Adams have argued that a grey and white sardonyx kept in Munich that is generally thought to depictPhilip II may actually be of Saloninus.[7]
| Aulus Egnatius Priscillianus philosopher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quintus Egnatius Proculus consul suffectus | Lucius Egnatius Victor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Egnatius Victor Marinianus consul suffectus | 1.Mariniana |  Valerian Roman Emperor 253-260 | 2.Cornelia Gallonia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| previous Aemilianus Roman Emperor 253 | (1)Gallienus Roman Emperor 253-268 ∞Cornelia Salonina | (2)Valerianus Minor consul suffectus | Claudius Gothicus Roman Emperor 268-270 | Quintillus Roman Emperor 270 | next Aurelian Roman Emperor 270-275 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valerian II caesar | Saloninus co-emperor | Marinianus consul 268 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gallienus' wife was a remarkably sensitive and cultured Greek woman named Cornelia Salonina who came from Bithynia
The Empress Salonina, a Greek from Bithynia, took an avid part in the philhellenic efforts of the emperor.
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| Preceded by | Roman Emperor 260 Served alongside:Gallienus | Succeeded by |
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