Decius

Decius
Emperor of the Roman Empire
Coin featuring Trajan Decius.
Reign	249 - 251 (alone); 251 (with Herennius Etruscus)
Full name	Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius
Born	ca. 201
	Budalia (near Sirmium)
Died	June 251
	Abrittus
Predecessor	Philip the Arab
Successor	Priscus / Trebonianus Gallus
Wife/wives	Herenia Etruscilla
Issue	Herennius Etruscus, Hostilian

Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius (ca. 201- June 251), Roman emperor (249 - 251), In the last year of his reign he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until both were killed in the Battle of Abrittus.

Early life and rise to power

Decius, who was born at Budalia (near Sirmium, in Lower Pannonia) was the first among a long succession of distinguished men to come from the Illyrian provinces. He served as consul in 232, as governor of Moesia and Germania Inferior immediately afterwards, was governor of Hispania Tarraconensis 235-238, and urban prefect of Rome during the early reign of Emperor Philip the Arab (Marcus Iulius Phillipus).

Around 245, Emperor Philip entrusted Decius with an important command on the Danube. By the end of 248 or 249, Decius was sent to quell the revolt of Pacatianus and his troops in Moesia and Pannonia^[1]; the soldiers were enraged because of the peace treaty signed between Philip and the Sassanids. Once arrived, the troops forced Decius to assume the imperial dignity himself instead. Decius still protested his loyalty to Philip, but the latter advanced against him and was slain near Verona, Italy. The Senate recognized Decius Emperor, giving him the attribute Traianus as a reference to the good emperor Trajan.

Political actions

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Decius was reputed as an excellent soldier, and to be of an amiable disposition. He also was considered to be a capable administrator.

Decius' political program was focused on the restoration of the strength of the State, both military opposing the external threats, and restoring the public piety with a program of renovation of the State religion.

Either as a concession to the Senate, or perhaps with the idea of improving public morality, Decius endeavoured to revive the separate office and authority of the censor. The choice was left to the Senate, who unanimously selected Valerian (afterwards emperor). But Valerian, well aware of the dangers and difficulties attaching to the office at such a time, declined the responsibility. The invasion of the Goths and the death of Decius put an end to the abortive attempt.

Persecutions of Christians

Seeing it as a disruptive force, early in 250 Decius issued the edict for the suppression of Christianity. Exploiting popular hostility as a means of unifying the Empire, the "Decian persecution" famous to Christians began. Another motive for this persecution may have been Decius' religious views and pride in his Empire. He was a roman of the old style who wished to restore Rome to its ancient glory. However, there were several factors eclipsing this glory: barbarian incursions into the Empire were becoming more and more daring, the ancient traditions were being forgotten, and the Empire was facing a serious economic crisis. To a traditionalist such as Decius, it would seem obvious that these problems were partly caused by the people neglecting the ancient gods. For Rome's ancient glory to return, she would need to return to her ancient religion. Therefore, Decius may have tried to stamp out the Christians because they were daily turning more and more people away from the traditional practices of worship and therefore, according to Decius' religious views, daily turning the gods away from Rome.

Measures were first taken demanding that the bishops and officers of the church sacrifice for the Emperor^[2], a matter of an oath of allegiance that was taken by Christians as offensive. Certificates were issued to those who satisfied the pagan commissioners during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Decius. Forty-six such certificates have been published, all dating from 250, four of them from Oxyrhynchus.[1] [2]

Just at this time there was a second outbreak of the Antonine Plague, which at its height in 251 to 266 took the lives of 5,000 a day in Rome. This outbreak is referred to as the "Plague of Cyprian" (the bishop of Carthage), where both the plague and the persecution of Christians were especially severe. Cyprian's biographer gave a vivid picture of the demoralizing effects of the plague [3] and Cyprian moralized the event in his essay De mortalitate. The human reaction to overwhelming devastations is universally twofold: to moralize them, and to lay the blame on a nearby minority and wreak vengeance. As Jews paid with their lives during the 14th century's Black Death, so in Carthage the "Decian persecution" unleashed at the onset of the plague sought out Christian scapegoats. Decius' edicts were renewed under Valerius in 253 and repealed under his son, Gallienus, in 260-1.

The career of Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who survived the episode, only to be martyred later, offers a picture of the disorders and divisions in the doubly traumatized Christian communities, when it was a question whether or how to receive back those who had weakened, paid civic homage to Decius and were inscribed in the libelli as having performed their civic obligation. The persecution of Decius, in which Fabian, Bishop of Rome is said to have been martyred, also provides the context for the seven "apostles to Gaul" of Christian history and legend. In its classic form their story is a brief mention in Gregory of Tours' "History of the Franks" (written in the decade before 594) quoting a lost vita of Saturnin of Toulouse. These seven bishops sent out to re-Christianize Gaul are individually discussed at their own entries: Gatien to Tours, Trophimus to Arles, Paul to Narbonne, Saturnin to Toulouse, Denis to Paris, Austromoine to Clermont, and Martial to Limoges.

Military actions and death

Bust of Trajanus Decius

During his brief reign, Decius engaged in important operations against the Goths, who crossed the Danube to raid districts of Moesia and Thrace. This is the first considerable occasion the Goths — who would later come to play such an important role — appear in the historical record. The Goths under King Cniva were surprised by the emperor while besieging Nicopolis on the Danube; the Goths fled through the difficult terrain of the Balkans, but then doubled back and surprised the Romans near Beroë (modern Stara Zagora), sacking their camp and dispersing the Roman troops. It was the first time a Roman emperor fled in the face of Barbarians. The Goths then moved to attack Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv), which fell into their hands. Allegedly, they treated the city conquered with frightful cruelty. The city's commander, Titus Julius Priscus, declared himself Emperor under Gothic protection.

The siege of Philippopolis had so exhausted the numbers and resources of the Goths that they offered to surrender their booty and prisoners, on condition of being allowed to retire unmolested. But Decius, who had succeeded in surrounding them and hoped to cut off their retreat, refused to entertain their proposals. The final engagement, in which the Goths fought with the courage of despair, under the command of Cniva, took place during the second week of June 251 on swampy ground in the Dobrudja near the small settlement of Abritum or Forum Terebronii (modern Razgrad): see Battle of Abrittus. Jordanes records that Decius' son Herennius Etruscus was killed by an arrow early in the battle, and to cheer his men Decius exclaimed, "Let no one mourn; the death of one soldier is not a great loss to the republic." However, his army was annihilated in this battle, and Decius slain. He became the first Roman emperor killed in a battle with barbarians.

Fictional references

Decius was also the name of a Romulan starship in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Future Imperfect."
It was also the name of a Romulan officer in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Balance of Terror."

Notes

References

• Nathan, Geoffry, and Robin McMahon, "Trajan Decius (249-251 A.D.) and Usurpers During His Reign", DIR
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

External links

• Media related to Decius from the Wikimedia Commons.

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