Probus (emperor)
Roman emperor who restored frontier defenses and respected the Senate.
Marcus Aurelius Probus was Roman emperor from 276 to 282. An active general and conscientious administrator, he secured prosperity for the inner provinces while repelling barbarian invasions on nearly every frontier. He presented himself as a constitutional monarch who respected the authority of the Roman Senate.
Quick Facts
- Reign
- June 276 – September 282
- Predecessor
- Tacitus and Florian
- Successor
- Carus
- Born
- between 230 and 235
- Birthplace
- Sirmium, Pannonia Inferior, modern day Serbia
- Died
- September 282 (aged around 50)
- Place of death
- Sirmium
- Issue
- Had descendants
Facts from the source article.
Early life
Probus was born between 230 and 235 in Sirmium, Pannonia Inferior, the son of Dalmatius. The Alexandrian Chronicle places his birth in 232. The Historia Augusta gives his father's name as Maximus, claims his mother was of higher status, and states he had a sister named Claudia and was related to emperor Claudius Gothicus. His personal wealth was modest and his nearest kin unimportant. Besides his best known nomina Aurelius, he is also called Equitius on some coins, and the Historia Augusta gives him Valerius, while Malalas gives Aelius. Patriarch Nikephoros I claimed Probus had a brother named Dometius, Bishop of Byzantium, and a nephew also named Probus who became bishop, but this relation is unlikely and unsupported by other sources.
Military career
Probus entered the army around age 25 and rose rapidly, earning high military decorations. Emperor Valerian appointed him military tribune at a very young age, and he justified this by a victory over the Sarmatians on the Illyrian frontier. Probus became a high lieutenant of Aurelian, reconquering Egypt from Zenobia in 273. Emperor Tacitus appointed him supreme chief of the east with extraordinary powers. He fought successfully on almost every frontier before being elected emperor by the troops upon Tacitus' death in 276.
As emperor
Upon Tacitus' death, Florian, his half-brother, proclaimed himself emperor and took control of Tacitus' army in Asia Minor, but was killed by his own soldiers after an indecisive campaign against Probus in the mountains of Cilicia. He then traveled west, defeating the Goths along the lower Danube in 277 and acquiring the title of Gothicus. The Goths respected his ability and sought a treaty. In 278, Probus campaigned in Gaul against the Alemanni and Lugii, who had advanced through the Neckar valley and across the Rhine. His generals cleared Gaul of Frankish and Burgundian raiders. Reportedly, 400,000 invaders were killed, and the entire nation of the Lugii was extirpated. Probus then crossed the Rhine, campaigned in their homeland, and forced them to pay homage. He repaired Hadrian's fortifications between the Rhine and Danube, possibly advanced to the Elbe, but decided against annexing Germania, instead accepting the submission of nine major tribes who pledged recruits. He forced a tribute of manpower from the vanquished, establishing a precedent of bringing foreign soldiers into the empire as auxiliaries and allowing tribes to settle in Roman territory. He cultivated army discipline and employed soldiers in peacetime on useful works, such as planting vineyards in Gaul and Pannonia to restart the economy.
Legacy
According to Gibbon, Probus was the last of the benevolent constitutional emperors of Rome. His successor Carus disdained to seek Senate confirmation, and Diocletian later undermined its authority, establishing autocratic imperial power. After Diocletian's reforms, the Senate never again played an active role in managing the empire. Probus' victories continued the succession of martial Illyrian emperors begun by Claudius Gothicus, restoring Roman military supremacy after the Crisis of the Third Century.
More in Deified Roman Emperors
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced