- Pescennius Niger
Infobox Roman emperor
name =Gaius Pescennius Niger
title =Usurper of theRoman Empire
caption =Coin of Pescennius Niger
reign =193 - 194
predecessor =Didius Julianus
successor =Septimius Severus
spouse =
spouse 2 =
issue =
dynasty =None
father =
mother =
date of birth =c. 140
place of birth =
date of death =194
place of death =
place of burial =|Gaius Pescennius Niger (c. 140–194) was a
Roman usurper from 193 to 194. The name "Niger" means "black", contrasting him with one of his rivals for the throne,Clodius Albinus , whose name means "white". (Niger born of an Italian equestrian family as is written in Cassius Dio's Book 75 and described as a "black man" in some translations. Since the ethnic make-up of Italians during that era consisted of Indo-European and Etruscan stock it may imply simply skin tone rather than racial background. However, it is probably just a pun on his name, as Cassius Dio says that a priest prophesied that a "black man" would seize the throne and meet his end by violence, and people decided that it referred to Niger due to his name.)Niger, an Italian of the equestrian order, 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 toDidius 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 takingRome 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 toAntioch , Niger was killed while attempting to flee toParthia .References
*Southern, Pat. "The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine". London and New York: Routledge, 2001.
Primary sources
* [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Pescennius_Niger*.html Historia Augusta: Life of Pescennius Niger]
* [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/75*.html Cassius Dio Book 75]econdary material
* [http://www.livius.org/pen-pg/pescennius/niger.html Pescennius Niger at Livius.Org]
External links
*CathEncy|wstitle=Pescennius Niger
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