| Decentius | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caesar | |||||||||
 Medallion of Decentius, minted in Rome | |||||||||
| Reign | July/August 350 – 18 August 353 (caesar under Magnentius) | ||||||||
| Died | 18 August 353 Senonae | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Magnus Decentius (died 18 August 353) [2] was caesar of the Western Roman Empire from 350 to 353, under his brother Magnentius.
Nothing is known of Decentius prior to 350. [3] Magnentius usurped power from Constans on 18 January 350, and elevated Decentius as caesar later that year, perhaps in July or August. [3] He was appointed consul in 352. [3] In the following year, after he had lost the battle of Mursa Major, Magnentius' exactions to finance the war drove Gaul into revolt against his dictatorial rule, and Decentius was expelled from the capital, Treves, which headed the revolt.
The Alamanni began to invade the province, perhaps at the instigation of the emperor Constantius II in order to increase pressure on the usurper. [lower-alpha 1] Decentius, who led his brother's forces in the north, was defeated in a pitched battle by the Alemannic chief Chnodomar, and besieged in Sens. [6] There news reached him of Constantius' victory at the Battle of Mons Seleucus, and the subsequent suicide of Magnentius. Decentius hung himself, signalling the end of the civil war. [7]
Year 205 (CCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta. The denomination 205 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
Gratian was emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 367 to 383. The eldest son of Valentinian I, Gratian was raised to the rank of Augustus as a child and inherited the West after his father's death in 375. He nominally shared the government with his infant half-brother Valentinian II, who was also acclaimed emperor in Pannonia on Valentinian's death. The East was ruled by his uncle Valens, who was later succeeded by Theodosius I.
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Magnus Magnentius was a Roman general and usurper against Constantius II. Of Germanic descent, Magnentius served with distinction in Gaul under the emperor Constans. On 18 January 350 Magnentius was acclaimed Augustus. Quickly killing the unpopular Constans, Magnentius gained control over most of the Western Empire. The Eastern emperor Constantius II, the brother of Constans, refused to acknowledge Magnentius' legitimacy and led a successful campaign against Magnentius. Ultimately, Magnentius' forces were scattered after the Battle of Mons Seleucus, and he committed suicide on 10 August 353.
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar. The change from being a surname to a title used by the Roman emperors can be traced to AD 68, following the fall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. When used on its own, the title denoted heirs apparent, which would later adopt the title Augustus on accession. The title remained an essential part of the style of the emperors, and became the word for "emperor" in some languages, such as German (kaiser) and Russian (tsar).
Vetranio was briefly Western Roman emperor in 350, allying with the Eastern emperor Constantius II in his war against Magnentius.
Gratianus "Funarius" was an Illyrian soldier of the Roman Empire who flourished in the 4th century. He was the father of Roman emperors, Valentinian I and Valens, founders of the Valentinianic dynasty.
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The Battle of Mons Seleucus was fought in 353 between the armies of the Roman emperor Constantius II and the usurper Magnentius. Constantius' forces were victorious. Support for Magnentius had been eroding since his defeat at the Battle of Mursa Major two years prior; after Mons Seleucus his cause collapsed and he killed himself.
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Bassianus was a Roman senator, whom the Emperor Constantine I arranged to marry his half-sister, Anastasia. In 314 Constantine hoped to elevate Bassianus to the imperial rank of caesar, but Constantine's co-augustus in the East Licinius successfully opposed the move. According to the Anonymus Valesianus, a Latin chronicle composed during late antiquity, Bassianus was accused of plotting against the throne and was executed by Constantine.
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Licinius II, also called Licinius Junior or Licinius Caesar, was the son of the Roman emperor Licinius I. He held the imperial rank of caesar between March 317 and September 324, while his father was augustus, and he was twice Roman consul. After losing a civil war, his father lost power and both he and Licinius Junior were eventually put to death.
Valentinianus Galates was the only son of the Roman emperor Valens, who ruled the Roman Empire from 364 to 378. Born into the ruling Valentinianic dynasty, Galates became Roman consul in 369, but he died in early childhood, and the empire passed to the descendants of Valentinian I, Galates's uncle, whom he was named after.
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