He was the son of former EmperorMaximian and the son-in-law of EmperorGalerius. The latter part of his reign was preoccupied withcivil war, allying withMaximinus againstLicinius andConstantine. The latter defeated him at theBattle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, where Maxentius, with his army in flight, purportedly perished by drowning in theTiber river.
Maxentius was the last emperor permanently to reside inRome. He attempted to embellish, restore and improve the ancient capital, carrying out important building works, including theTemple of the Divine Romulus (dedicated to his deceased son), theBasilica of Maxentius, which was completed byConstantine, thevilla and thecircus of Maxentius.
Maxentius was the son of EmperorMaximian and his Syrian wifeEutropia. As his father became emperor in 285, he was regarded as the crown prince who would eventually follow his father on the throne. He seems not to have served, however, in any important military or administrative position during the reign ofDiocletian and his father. The exact date of his marriage toValeria Maximilla, daughter ofGalerius, is unknown. He had two sons,Valerius Romulus and an unknown one.
In 305, Diocletian and Maximian abdicated, and the formerCaesaresConstantius andGalerius becameAugusti. Although two sons of emperors –Constantine and Maxentius – were available, they were passed over for the newtetrarchy, andValerius Severus andMaximinus Daza were appointed Caesars.Lactantius'Epitome states that Galerius hated Maxentius and used his influence with Diocletian to see that Maxentius was ignored in the succession; perhaps Diocletian also thought Maxentius was not qualified for the military duties of the imperial office. Maxentius retired to an estate some miles fromRome.
When Constantius died in 306, his son Constantine was crowned emperor on July 25 and subsequently accepted by Galerius into theTetrarchy asCaesar. This set the precedent for Maxentius' accession later in the same year.
TheBasilica of Maxentius in theRoman Forum. Completed by his enemy Constantine, it was one of the most impressive edifices of ancient times.Bronzefollis struck by Maxentius inRome 308 - 310 AD. This coin is commemorating the reconstruction of thetemple of Roma following the fire in 307 AD.Roma holdingglobe andsceptre seated withinhexastyletemple withshield on the ground is depicted on the reverse.
When rumours reached the capital that the emperors tried to subject the Roman population to thecapitation tax, like every other city of the empire, and wanted to dissolve the remnants of thePraetorian Guard which were still stationed at Rome, riots broke out. A group of officers of the city's garrisons (Zosimus calls them Marcellianus, Marcellus and Lucianus) turned to Maxentius to accept the imperial purple, probably judging that the official recognition which was granted to Constantine would not be withheld from Maxentius, son of an emperor as well. Maxentius accepted the honour, promised donations to the city's troops, and was publicly acclaimed emperor on 28 October 306. The usurpation obviously went largely without bloodshed (Zosimus names only one victim); the prefect of Rome went over to Maxentius and retained his office. Apparently the conspirators turned to Maximian as well, who had retired to a palace inLucania, but he declined to resume power for the time being.
Maxentius refrained from using the titlesAugustus orCaesar at first and styled himselfprinceps invictus ("undefeated prince"), in the hope of obtaining recognition of his reign by the senior emperor Galerius. However, the latter refused to do so. Apart from his alleged antipathy towards Maxentius, Galerius probably wanted to deter others from following the examples of Constantine and Maxentius and declaring themselves emperors. Constantine firmly controlled his father's army and territories, and Galerius could pretend that his accession was part of the regular succession in thetetrarchy, but neither was the case with Maxentius: he would be the fifth emperor, and he had only few troops at his command. Galerius reckoned that it would be not too difficult to quell the usurpation, and early in 307, the Augustus Severus marched on Rome with a large army.
The majority of this army consisted of soldiers who had fought under Maxentius' fatherMaximian for years, and as Severus reached Rome, the majority of his army went over to Maxentius and received a large amount of money. When Maximian himself finally left his retreat and returned to Rome to assume the imperial office once again and support his son, Severus with the rest of his army retreated toRavenna. Shortly after, he surrendered to Maximian, who promised that his life would be spared.
After the defeat of Severus, Maxentius took possession of northern Italy up to theAlps and theIstrian peninsula to the east, and assumed the title of Augustus, which (in his eyes) had become vacant with the surrender of Severus.
Maxentius asAugustus on afollis. Legend: IMPerator Caesar MAXENTIVS Pius Felix AVGustus / AETERNITAS AUGusti Nostri, the Dioscuri standing facing each other, their horses between.- M OST Q (Mint Ostia, officina P).
The joint rule of Maxentius and Maximian in Rome was tested further when Galerius marched to Italy in the summer of 307 with an even larger army. While negotiating with the invader, Maxentius could repeat what he did to Severus, by the promise of large sums of money and the authority of Maximian, many soldiers of Galerius defected to him. Galerius was forced to withdraw, plundering Italy on his way. Some time during the invasion, Severus was put to death by Maxentius, probably atTres Tabernae near Rome (the exact circumstances of his death are not certain). After the failed campaign of Galerius, Maxentius' reign over Italy and Africa was firmly established. Beginning in 307, he tried to arrange friendly contacts with Constantine and in the summer of that year, Maximian travelled toGaul, where Constantine married his daughterFausta and was in turn appointedAugustus by the senior emperor. Constantine tried to avoid breaking with Galerius and did not openly support Maxentius during the invasion.
In 308, probably April, Maximian tried to depose his son in an assembly of soldiers in Rome; surprisingly to him, the present troops remained faithful to his son and he had to flee to Constantine. On 20 April, Maxentius proclaimed himself as the newconsul of the year, alongside his sonRomulus. In theconference of Carnuntum, in the autumn of that same year, Maxentius was once again denied recognition as legitimate emperor, andLicinius was appointedAugustus with the task of regaining the lost domains. Late in 308,Domitius Alexander was acclaimed emperor inCarthage, and the African provinces seceded from Maxentian rule. This produced a dangerous situation for Maxentius, as Africa was critical toRome's food supply.
Circus of Maxentius in ancient times
Maxentius' eldest sonValerius Romulus died in 309, at the age of about fourteen, wasdeified and buried in a mausoleum in theVilla of Maxentius at theVia Appia. Nearby, Maxentius also constructed theCircus of Maxentius. After the death of Maximian in 309 or 310, relations with Constantine rapidly deteriorated and Maxentius allied withMaximinus to counter an alliance between Constantine and Licinius. He allegedly tried to secure the province ofRaetia north of the Alps, thereby dividing the realms of Constantine and Licinius (reported by Zosimus); the plan was not carried out, as Constantine acted first.
In 310, Maxentius lostIstria to Licinius, who could not continue the campaign. By the middle of 310 Galerius had become too ill to involve himself in imperial politics and he died soon after 30 April 311.[4][5] Galerius' death destabilized what remained of the Tetrarchic system.[6] On hearing the news, Maximinus mobilized against Licinius and seized Asia Minor before meeting Licinius on the Bosphorus to arrange terms for peace.[7] In the meantime, Maxentius fortified northern Italy against potential invasions and sent a small army to Africa under the command of hispraetorian prefectRufius Volusianus which defeated and executed the usurperDomitius Alexander in 310 or 311. Maxentius used the opportunity to seize the wealth of his supporters, and to bring large amounts of grain to Rome. He also strengthened his support among the Christians of Italy by allowing them to elect a newBishop of Rome,Eusebius.[8]
Maxentius was far from secure, his early support dissolving into open protest; by 312, he was a man barely tolerated.[10][11] Without the revenues of the empire, Maxentius was forced to resume taxation in Italy to support his army and his building projects in Rome.[12] The election of a bishop did not aid much, either, asDiocletian's persecution had split the Italian church into competing factions over the issue ofapostasy (seeDonatism). The Christians of Italy could easily see that Constantine was more sympathetic to their plight than Maxentius.[13] In the summer of 311, Maxentius mobilized against Constantine while Licinius was occupied with affairs in the East. He declared war on Constantine, vowing to avenge his father's "murder".[14] Constantine, to prevent Maxentius from forming a hostile alliance with Licinius,[15] forged his own alliance with the man over the winter of 311–12 by offering to him his sisterConstantia in marriage. Maximinus Daza considered Constantine's arrangement with Licinius an affront to his authority. In response, he sent ambassadors to Rome, offering political recognition to Maxentius in exchange for military support.[16] Two alliances, Maximinus and Maxentius, Constantine and Licinius, lined up against one another. The emperors prepared for war.[17]
Maxentius expected an attack along his eastern flank from Licinius and stationed an army inVerona.[18] Constantine had smaller forces than his opponent: with his forces withdrawn from Africa, with the praetorian and Imperial Horse Guard, and with the troops he had taken from Severus, Maxentius had an army equal to approximately 100,000 soldiers to use against his opponents in the north.[citation needed] Many of these he used to garrison fortified towns across the region, keeping most stationed with him in Verona. Against this, Constantine could only bring a force of between twenty-five and forty thousand men.[citation needed] The bulk of his troops simply could not be withdrawn from the Rhine frontiers without negative consequences.[19] It was against the recommendations of his advisers and generals, against popular expectation, that Constantine anticipated Maxentius, and struck first.[15]
Battle ofConstantine and Maxentius (detail of fresco in the Vatican Museums) c. 1650 byLazzaro Baldi afterGiulio Romano at the University of Edinburgh
As early as weather permitted,[15] late in the spring of 312,[20] Constantine crossed the Alps with a quarter of his army,[citation needed] a force equivalent to something less than forty thousand men.[15] Having crossed theCottian Alps at theMont Cenis pass,[20] he first came to Segusium (Susa,Italy), a heavily fortified town containing a military garrison, which shut its gates to him. Constantine ordered his forces to set its gates on fire and scale its walls, and took the town quickly. Constantine forbade the plunder of the town and advanced into northern Italy.[21]
At the approach to the west of the important city of Augusta Taurinorum (Turin, Italy), Constantine encountered a large force of heavily armed Maxentian cavalry,[22] labeledclibanarii orcataphracti in the ancient sources. In the ensuingbattle Constantine spread his forces into a line, allowing Maxentius' cavalry to ride into the middle of his forces. As his forces broadly encircled the enemy cavalry, Constantine's own cavalry charged at the sides of the Maxentian cataphracts, beating them with iron-tipped clubs. Many Maxentian cavalrymen were dismounted, while most others were variously incapacitated by the blows. Constantine then commanded his foot soldiers to advance against the surviving Maxentian infantry, cutting them down as they fled.[23] Victory, the panegyrist who speaks of the events declares, came easily.[24] Turin refused to give refuge to the retreating forces of Maxentius. It opened its gates to Constantine instead. Other cities of the north Italian plain, recognizing Constantine's quick and clement victories, sent him embassies of congratulation for his victory. He moved on to Milan, where he was met with open gates and jubilant rejoicing. He resided there until the middle of the summer of 312 before moving on.[25]
It was expected that Maxentius would try the same strategy as against Severus and Galerius earlier; that is, remaining in the well-defended city of Rome, and sit out a siege which would cost his enemy much more. For somewhat uncertain reasons, he abandoned this plan, however, and offered battle to Constantine near theMilvian Bridge on 28 October 312. Ancient sources usually attribute this action to superstition or (if pro-Constantinian) divine providence. Maxentius of course had consulted soothsayers before battle, as was customary practice, and it can be assumed that they reported favourableomens, especially as the day of battle would be hisdies imperii, the day of his accession to the throne (which was 28 October 306). What else may have motivated him is open to speculation.
The armies of Maxentius and Constantine met north of the city, some distance outside the walls, beyond theTiber river on theVia Flaminia. Christian tradition, especiallyLactantius andEusebius of Caesarea, claims that Constantine fought under thelabarum in that battle, revealed to him in a dream. Of the battle itself, not much is known – Constantine's forces defeated Maxentius's troops, who retreated to the Tiber, and in the chaos of the fleeing army trying to cross the river, Maxentius fell into the water and drowned. His body was found the next day and paraded through the city, and later sent to Africa, as a sign that he had surely perished. Maxentius' entire family, including his two orphaned children, were also executed.
Aureus of Maxentius. Legend: MAXENTIVS P F AVG / MARTI VICTORI COMITI AVG N
Studies conducted between 2021 and 2022 have made it possible to identify the manuscript tradition of Maxentius' epistles, which have undergone numerous interpolations and attempts of forgery to adapt the texts to a pro-Constantinian hagiographic narrative (Passio of Saint Catherine).A comparison with Roman law, legal papyri and the primary sources such as Diocletian's Senateconsult and edict of persecution has allowed an integrated critical reconstruction of the original texts, which perfectly mirrors what Eusebius of Caesarea, Optatus of Milevi and Saint Augustine report about Maxentius' pro-Christian policy.According to these new documents found in theBiblioteca Marciana ofVenice, we learn that Maxentius ended the Great Persecution in his territories at least five years in advance of the Edict of Milan:
1- made Christianity a licit religion welcoming the "New Gods" in the Pax Deorum (Epistle 1)
2- abolished the edict of persecution of Diocletian by law (Epistle 1)
3- threatens serious punishments for anyone persisting in the persecution of Christians (Epistle 1)
4- He raged against the Donatist sect in Africa, reaffirming its strategic alliance with the Church of Rome (Epistle 2)
The Diocletianic Persecutions extended from 303 to 311 in all territories of the Empire, except at this point those under the jurisdiction of Maxentius – the Roman empire's last, largest, and bloodiest official persecution of Christianity. Constantine came to power in 311 after defeating Maxentius at the Milvian bridge, where Maxentius drowned.[26]
Maxentius was a prolific builder, whose achievements were overshadowed by Constantine's issue of adamnatio memoriae against him. Many buildings in Rome that are commonly associated with Constantine, such as thegreat basilica in theforum Romanum, were in fact built by Maxentius.[27]
In December 2006, Italian archaeologists announced that an excavation under a shrine near thePalatine Hill had unearthed several items in wooden boxes, which they identified as the imperialregalia, possibly belonging to Maxentius.[28] The items in these boxes, which were wrapped in linen and what appears to besilk, include three complete lances, four javelins, what appears to be a base for standards, and three glass andchalcedony spheres. The most important find was asceptre of a flower holding a blue-green globe, which is believed to have belonged to the Emperor himself because of its intricate workmanship, and has been dated to his rule.[29]
These are the only known imperial insignia so far recovered, which hitherto had only been known from representations on coins and in relief sculptures. Clementina Panella, the archaeologist who made the discovery, states that "These artifacts clearly belonged to the emperor, especially the sceptre, which is very elaborate. It's not an item you would let someone else have." Panella notes that the insignia were likely hidden by Maxentius' supporters in an attempt to preserve the emperor's memory after he was defeated at theBattle of the Milvian Bridge by Constantine.[30] The items have been restored and are on temporary display at theMuseo Nazionale Romano at the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme.
^Timothy Barnes (New Empire, 33–34) questions the parentage of Theodora shown here. He proposes that Maximian is her natural father (and that her mother is possibly a daughter of Afranius Hannibalianus). Substituting Afranicus Hannibalianus and switching the positions of Maximian and Eutropia would produce a diagram that matches the alternative lineage.
Bibliography:
Barnes, Timothy D.The New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1982.ISBN0-7837-2221-4
^Cullhed, M (1994)Conservator Urbis Suae Stockholm; Kerr, L (2001)A topography of death: the buildings of the emperor Maxentius on the Via Appia, Rome In M Carruthers et al (eds)Eleventh Annual Proceedings of the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference pp. 24–33 Oxford: Oxbowdoi:10.16995/TRAC2001_24_33
Barnes, Timothy D.The New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1982.ISBN0-7837-2221-4
Drijvers, Jan Willem. "Eusebius'Vita Constantini and the Construction of the Image of Maxentius." InFrom Rome to Constantinople: Studies in Honour of Averil Cameron, edited by Hagit Amirav and Bas ter Haar Romeny, 11–28. Leuven and Dudley, MA: Peeters, 2006.ISBN978-90-429-1971-6
Elliott, T. G.The Christianity of Constantine the Great. Scranton, PA: University of Scranton Press, 1996.ISBN0-940866-59-5
Lenski, Noel, ed.The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. HardcoverISBN0-521-81838-9 PaperbackISBN0-521-52157-2
Leppin, Hartmut and Hauke Ziemssen.Maxentius. Der letzte Kaiser in Rom (Zaberns Bildbände zur Archäologie). Mainz: Zabern, 2007.
Odahl, Charles Matson.Constantine and the Christian Empire. New York: Routledge, 2004. HardcoverISBN0-415-17485-6 PaperbackISBN0-415-38655-1
Panella, C.et al. 2011.I segni del potere: realtà e immaginario della sovranità nella Roma imperiale. Bari: Edipuglia.ISBN978-8872286166.
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