Calocaerus

Calocaerus (–334 AD) was a Roman usurper against Emperor Constantine I, who, in 334 AD, staged a short lived revolt in Cyprus. His revolt was quickly put down, and he was executed alongside with his commanders, by being burned alive.

Calocaerus
Usurper of the Roman Empire
Reign334
PredecessorConstantine I
SuccessorConstantine I
Born?
Died334
Tarsus, Cilicia
Full name
Calocaerus
Regnal name
Imperator Caesar Calocaerus Augustus
DynastyNone

History

Before the revolt, Calocaerus had served in the role of Magister pecoris camelorum ("Master of the Flock and Camels") in Cyprus according to the historian Aurelius Victor.[1][2][3] Whether his unusual title implies some military command ("captain of the camel corps")[4] or merely a servile position ("leading shepherd slave")[5] is uncertain, though in any event there were no camels in Cyprus in that era.[6] He had been assigned to this position by Emperor Constantine I in 330 AD.[7] During the time period of the revolt, imperial power and legitimacy was based almost entirely upon military power. In order to become and remain emperor, a usurper needed a large and loyal army. Due to this of this, there were a large number of ephemeral revolts, which were either rapidly put down by the incumbent emperor, or else had their usurper killed by his own troops.[2]

Calocaerus revolted in Cyprus in 334 AD, proclaiming himself emperor. He was swiftly defeated by Flavius Dalmatius, the half-brother of Emperor Constantine I. After being defeated, he was taken to Tarsus in Cilicia, and burned alive, along with his commanders.[8][2][9] It is likely that Calocaerus' low status (that of a Magister pecoris camelorum), had an influence in the low amount of support he received, leading to his quick demise.[3] Dalmatius gathered evidence that a bastard son of Licinius, who had been emperor before Constantine I, was involved. This son had been legitimized by edict, and survived the downfall of his father, and still held a high, although unrecorded, rank in the Roman Empire. Dalmatius used this evidence to either execute or enslave the bastard son.[10][11]

References

Ancient sources

Citations
  1. Aur. Vict. Caes. 41,11.
  2. Lenski 2006, p. 337.
  3. Lenski 2006, p. 81.
  4. George Hill, (1940, reprint 2010) A History of Cyprus, vol. 1 (New York: Cambridge University Press), p. 244.
  5. Bruno Bleckmann (2006) “Calocaerus”, in: Brill's New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 12 April 2018 <https://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e224910>
  6. Hill 1940, p. 244
  7. Hunt & Coldstream 1990, p. 139.
  8. Amidon 2007, p. 210.
  9. Hornblower & Spawforth 1998, p. 193.
  10. Vagi 2000, p. 470.
  11. Grant 1994, p. 48.
  12. Philostorgius 2007, p. 210.

Books
  • Amidon, Philip R. (2007). Philostorgius: Church History. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature. ISBN 9781589832152.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Grant, Michael (1994). Constantine the Great: the Man and His Times. New York: Scribner's. ISBN 9780684195209.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Hornblower, Simon (2006). The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 9780198601654.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Hunt, David; Coldstream, J.N. (1990). Footprints in Cyprus: an Illustrated History. London: Trigraph. ISBN 9780950802671.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Lenski, Noel (2006). The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521521574.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Vagi, David L. (2000). Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, c. 82 B.C.- A.D. 480. Fitzroy Dearborn. ISBN 9781579583163.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Further reading
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