Silvanus (magister peditum) facts for kids

Silvanus (died September 7, 355 AD) was a Roman general who briefly claimed to be emperor. He was of Frankish background, a group of people from what is now Germany and France. Silvanus led a revolt in Gaul (modern-day France) against the Emperor Constantius II. He was emperor for only 28 days in 355 AD.

Early Life and Military Career

Silvanus was born in Gaul. His father, Bonitus, was also a Frankish general who served the Roman Empire. Bonitus had helped Emperor Constantine I in a civil war. Like his father, Silvanus was very loyal to Rome and served in the Roman army.

In 351 AD, Silvanus was a tribune, a military officer, in the army of a rebel named Magnentius. However, Silvanus switched sides and joined Emperor Constantius II during the Battle of Mursa Major.

Silvanus quickly rose through the ranks. In 353 AD, he became the magister peditum in Gaul. This important title meant he was the commander of the infantry (foot soldiers) in that region. Gaul was facing problems with raids from Germanic tribes called the Alemanni. Constantius II gave Silvanus the tough job of pushing these invaders back across the Rhine River. He also had to bring back Roman control to the area.

Silvanus did well in his mission. He used military force and also paid the Alemanni chiefs with taxes he had collected. He also stopped local uprisings by groups called bagaudae in central and northern Gaul.

The Plot Against Silvanus

After his success, Silvanus faced a serious problem. An official named Dynamius created a plot against him. Dynamius got letters from Silvanus. Then, he used a sponge to erase everything on the letters except Silvanus's signature. He then wrote new messages on the blank spaces. These new messages made it look like Silvanus was planning to become emperor and overthrow Constantius II.

It's not clear why Dynamius did this. Some historians think someone more powerful, like the general Arbitio, was behind the plot. Dynamius gave the fake letters to Lampadius, who was a high-ranking official called the Praetorian Prefect. Lampadius then gave them to Emperor Constantius II. Other officials, Eusebius and Aedesius, were also involved in this scheme.

Constantius II called his council, called the consistorium. They believed the letters were real. Orders were given to arrest Silvanus and anyone else mentioned in the fake letters.

Silvanus's Friends Speak Up

However, a Frankish officer named Malarichus, who was a tribunus at the imperial court, spoke up for Silvanus. Malarichus gathered his friends and fellow officers, including Mallobaudes, who was also a Frank. They protested against the emperor's orders.

Malarichus asked to go to Silvanus himself to find out the truth. To show his loyalty, Malarichus even offered his own family as hostages. But Constantius II refused. Instead, the emperor sent Apodemius, who was known to be close to Arbitio, one of Silvanus's enemies.

Dynamius continued his plot. He forged another letter, this time seemingly from Silvanus and Malarichus. This letter was sent to an officer at a weapons factory in Cremona. The letter asked him to quickly prepare for a rebellion. The officer was confused and showed the letter to Malarichus.

With this new fake letter, Malarichus could prove the plot. He and his friends showed the evidence to Constantius II. An investigation was launched, and it was found that all the letters were fake.

Silvanus Declares Himself Emperor

The plot was uncovered, and Constantius II wanted to punish the real plotters. Lampadius was arrested but later found innocent with help from his friends. Surprisingly, Dynamius, who started the plot, was also found innocent and even promoted!

Even though his innocence was proven, Silvanus was still afraid. He heard from friends that the emperor still suspected him. He also learned that Apodemius was taking his property in Gaul. Silvanus felt he couldn't trust the emperor to protect him.

He thought about escaping to his own people, the Franks. But an officer in his army, Laniogaisus, warned him that the Franks might kill him or hand him over to the Romans for money. Seeing no other choice, Silvanus decided he had to become emperor to protect himself. After talking with his main officers, he declared himself emperor on August 11, 355 AD, in Colonia Agrippina (modern-day Cologne, Germany).

The End of Silvanus

When news of Silvanus's rebellion reached the emperor's court in Milan, there was great panic. Constantius II called a meeting in the middle of the night. They decided to send a general named Ursicinus to deal with Silvanus.

Ursicinus traveled to Cologne with the historian Ammianus and other officers. They carried an official letter for Silvanus, pretending that nothing was wrong and asking him to return to court. But when they arrived, Ursicinus realized the rebellion was too serious for this trick to work.

Instead, Ursicinus pretended to be unhappy with Constantius II and offered to join Silvanus's rebellion. This worked, and Ursicinus became one of Silvanus's closest advisors. While Silvanus complained to Ursicinus about the emperor's unfairness, Ursicinus's officers secretly bribed two groups of soldiers, the Bracchiati and Cornuti.

These bribed soldiers betrayed Silvanus. They murdered him while he was on his way to a Christian church service. After Silvanus's death, his rebellion quickly ended. Those who were involved were arrested and put on trial.

What Historians Say About Silvanus

Some historians have suggested that the story of the plot against Silvanus might have been made up by Ammianus. They think Ammianus might have wanted to hide the role of his boss, Ursicinus, in Silvanus's death. This idea suggests that Constantius II might have been suspicious of Silvanus and simply sent Ursicinus to replace him, leading to Silvanus's murder.

One reason for this idea is that Silvanus did not make any coins with his image, which was common for emperors, even short-lived ones. However, most historians do not agree with this theory. The lack of coins might just be because the nearest minting center was closed to him.

Ammianus wrote about Silvanus's end: "This was the end of a very good commander. He was forced to take extreme actions to defend himself because he was afraid of the false accusations that a group of enemies had made against him when he was away."