Licinius
Valerius Licinianus Licinius emerged from a Dacian peasant family in Moesia Superior around the year 265. His early life remained obscure until he joined his childhood friend Galerius on a military expedition to Persia in 298. This journey marked the beginning of his rise within the Roman imperial structure. Galerius trusted him enough to send him as an envoy to Italy in 307. The mission aimed to negotiate with the usurper Maxentius following the death of Severus II. When Galerius departed to handle Maxentius personally, he left the eastern provinces under Licinius's care. Upon returning east, Galerius elevated Licinius to Augustus in the West on the 11th of November 308. He commanded the Balkan provinces of Illyricum, Thrace and Pannonia. In 310, he led a war against the Sarmatians that inflicted a severe defeat upon them.
Political necessity drove the marriage between Licinius and Flavia Julia Constantia at Mediolanum in March 313. She was the half-sister of Constantine I, creating a bond between two powerful rulers. Their union produced a son named Licinius the Younger in 315. This alliance coincided with the issuance of the Edict of Milan. The document reissued Galerius's previous edict allowing Christianity to be professed throughout the Empire. It included provisions restoring confiscated properties to Christian congregations. The text also exempted Christian clergy from municipal civic duties. Lactantius recorded the redaction of this edict as affixed by Licinius in Nicomedia on the 14th of June 313. The language expressed a will to propitiate any Divinity whatsoever in the seat of the heavens. A brown coin minted at Londinium around 311 depicted Licinius wearing a laurel wreath facing right.
Maximinus Daza decided to attack Licinius after leaving Syria with 70,000 men. Harsh weather along the way gravely weakened his army before it even reached Bithynia. In April 313, he crossed the Bosporus and took Byzantium after an eleven-day siege. He moved to Heraclea, which he captured following a short siege. Licinius arrived at Adrianople with a much smaller body of men, possibly around 30,000. Before the decisive engagement, Licinius allegedly had a vision where an angel recited a generic prayer for all cults. He repeated this prayer to his soldiers. On the 30th of April 313, the two armies clashed at the Battle of Tzirallum. Daza's forces were crushed completely. Daza escaped disguised as a slave and fled to Nicomedia. He fortified the area around the Cilician Gates but eventually retreated to Tarsus. The war ended only with Daza's death in August 313. Licinius subsequently killed multiple relatives of the Tetrarchs including Daza's wife and children.
A civil war erupted between Licinius and Constantine in 316 over the harboring of Senecio. Constantine prevailed at the Battle of Cibalae in Pannonia on the 8th of October 316. Licinius rebuilt his army with help from Valerius Valens who was made co-emperor. The rivals met again on the plains of Thrace in late 316 or early 317. Licinius suffered a humiliating defeat in the ensuing Battle of Mardia. After these battles, the two emperors reconciled and Licinius ordered Valens killed. Temperatures rose again in 321 when Constantine pursued Sarmatians across the Danube into Licinius's territory. A second invasion by Goths under leader Rausimod further strained relations. In 323, Licinius's fleet of 350 ships was defeated by Constantine's navy. Constantine declared war again in 324 against an army of 165,000 men. He defeated them at the Battle of Adrianople on the 3rd of July 324. A last stand occurred at the Battle of Chrysopolis near Chalcedon on the 18th of September. This conflict resulted in Licinius's final submission despite support from Gothic prince Alica.
Contemporary evidence suggests Licinius was at least a committed supporter of Christians at one point. He co-authored the Edict of Milan which ended the Great Persecution. He added the Christian symbol to his armies during his campaigns. His wife Flavia Julia Constantia remained a devout Christian throughout their marriage. However, Eusebius of Caesarea charged him with expelling Christians from the Palace. The historian also accused him of ordering military sacrifices to pagan gods. Eusebius claimed he interfered with the Church's internal procedures and organization. It has been theorized that he originally supported Christians but later turned to paganism. Constantine actively portrayed his brother-in-law as a pagan supporter to decrease his popularity. One hoard of five or six identical silver plates celebrating Licinius's tenth anniversary as Emperor was discovered in Niš, Serbia. These artifacts now reside in the British Museum in London.
Following his defeat, Licinius attempted to regain power with Gothic support. His plans were exposed before he could escape successfully. He was apprehended at Thessalonica while attempting to flee to the Goths. Constantine had him hanged on orders accusing him of conspiring to raise troops among barbarians. Flavia Julia Constantia intervened initially to spare both Licinius and his co-emperor Martinian. They were imprisoned in Thessalonica and Cappadocia respectively before execution. On his death, his memory was branded with infamy by official decree. All his statues were thrown down immediately after his fall. An edict abolished all laws and judicial proceedings during his reign. This systematic erasure from the public record came to be called damnatio memoriae. The Roman Empire moved forward without any legal recognition of his authority.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was Valerius Licinianus Licinius born and where did he originate?
Valerius Licinianus Licinius emerged from a Dacian peasant family in Moesia Superior around the year 265. His early life remained obscure until he joined his childhood friend Galerius on a military expedition to Persia in 298.
What date did Galerius elevate Licinius to Augustus in the West?
Galerius elevated Licinius to Augustus in the West on the 11th of November 308. He commanded the Balkan provinces of Illyricum, Thrace and Pannonia following this elevation.
On what date did the Battle of Tzirallum occur between Licinius and Maximinus Daza?
The two armies clashed at the Battle of Tzirallum on the 30th of April 313. Daza's forces were crushed completely and he escaped disguised as a slave before dying in August 313.
Which document did Lactantius record as being affixed by Licinius in Nicomedia?
Lactantius recorded the redaction of the Edict of Milan as affixed by Licinius in Nicomedia on the 14th of June 313. The document reissued Galerius's previous edict allowing Christianity to be professed throughout the Empire.
When was Licinius defeated at the Battle of Adrianople during his civil war with Constantine?
Constantine defeated them at the Battle of Adrianople on the 3rd of July 324. A last stand occurred at the Battle of Chrysopolis near Chalcedon on the 18th of September resulting in Licinius's final submission.
Where was Valerius Licinianus Licinius apprehended after attempting to flee to the Goths?
He was apprehended at Thessalonica while attempting to flee to the Goths. Constantine had him hanged on orders accusing him of conspiring to raise troops among barbarians.
All sources
13 references cited across the entry
- 1inlineLSA-687 (J. Auinger)
- 2bookThe Imperial Families of Ancient RomeMaxwell Craven — Fonthill Media — 2019
- 3bookThe Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. I: AD 260–395A. H. M. Jones et al. — Cambridge University Press — 1971
- 4webLicinius (308–324 A.D.)Michael Jr. DiMaio — 23 February 1997
- 5bookThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireEdward Gibbon — 1776
- 6webLiciniusJona Lendering
- 7bookL'Empire Romain en mutation: des Sévères à Constantin, 192–337Jean-Michel Carrié et al. — Éditions du Seuil — 1999
- 9bookHistory of Rome: And of the Roman People, from Its Origin to the Invasion of the BarbariansVictor Duruy — Dana, Estes & Company — 1886
- 11inlineBritish Museum Collection
- 12bookThe History of ChristianityJohn Stevens Cabot Abbott