| Gaius Pescennius Niger | |
|---|---|
| Usurper of the Roman Empire | |
 |
|
| Reign | 193 - 194 |
| Born | c. 140 |
| Died | 194 |
| Predecessor | Didius Julianus |
| Successor | Septimius Severus |
| Dynasty | None |
Gaius Pescennius Niger (c. 140–194) was a Roman usurper from 193 to 194 during the Year of the Five Emperors. Niger was born of an old Italian equestrian family.[1]
Niger was a governor of Syria who was proclaimed emperor by the eastern legions after the murder of Pertinax and the auctioning off of the imperial title to Didius Julianus. Among the provinces that fell under his direct control was Aegyptus, and he also enjoyed support from the government of Asia. Although these lands contained great wealth, another rebel general, Septimius Severus, succeeding in taking Rome first, and he then marched east to confront Niger. Niger was defeated at Cyzicus and Nicea (193) and then, definitively, at Issus (194); forced to retreat to Antioch, Niger was killed while attempting to flee to Parthia. The name "Niger" means "black", which incidentaly, contrasts him with one of his rivals for the throne in 194 AD, Clodius Albinus, whose name means "white".
Contents |
References
- ^ Cassius Dio's Book 75
- Southern, Pat. The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine. London and New York: Routledge, 2001.
Primary sources
Secondary material
External links
"Pescennius Niger". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Pescennius_Niger.
Media related to Pescennius Niger at Wikimedia Commons
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Didius Julianus; |
Roman Emperor 193 in competition with Septimius Severus and Clodius Albinus |
Succeeded by Septimus Severus |
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