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34th Emperor of the Roman Empire | |
| Predecessor | Maximus Basilius |
| Successor | Vipsanius |
| Caesar of the Dominium Caesaris | Vipsanius |
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4th Caesar of the Dominium Caesaris | |
| Predecessor | Maxentius |
| Successor | Vipsanius |
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Governor of the Roman Province of Cilicia | |
| Born | October 22, 273 |
| Died | June 22, 350 |
| Religion | Roman paganism |
Flavius Ablabius was the 34th emperor of the Roman Empire. He ruled as Caesar under Maximus Basilius and then as Supreme Senator.
Ablabius is best remembered for choosing Vipsanius as his Caesar. While ruling as Caesar, Vipsanius converted to Christianity, thereby becoming the first Christian Caesar. After Ablabius died, Vipsanius became the first Christian Supreme Senator.
Early Life[]
Governorship of Cilicia[]
Reign as Caesar[]
Reign as Supreme Senator[]
Administrative Reforms[]
During the 290s, Messalla made significant reforms to the empire's administrative structure in order to make rebellions more difficult, but several major rebellions had still occurred. In 333, Ablabius further changed the administrative structure of the empire.
Provincial governors would no longer have any direct authority over provincial military forces. Instead, the provincial military forces would be commanded by a new officer known as the magister militum provincialis, though that officer would be appointed by the provincial governor. Also, provincial governors would no longer have any judicial powers. Instead, the governor of each province would appoint a supreme judge, who would exercise the judicial powers formerly exercised by governors. Autonomy was granted to major cities, and governors were required to appoint urban prefects to administer the cities. Finally, Ablabius initiated a policy of frequently rotating province-level officeholders and urban prefects from one province to another, and military commanders from one unit to another. (For example, an urban prefect in one province would typically not subsequently be able to serve as an urban prefect of another city in the same province, but could easily be chosen to serve as an urban prefect of a city in a different province.)
The reason for limiting the authority of the provincial governors was to prevent any governor from gaining the prestige necessary to rebel. The reason for frequently rotating officials between provinces was to prevent officials from forming relationships that would facilitate the trust and cooperation necessary to stage a rebellion. These administrative reforms would finally solve the problem of frequent uprisings against imperial authority. Unfortunately, they would also have the effect of producing administrators who could never understand the needs or culture of the provinces they governed, as well as military commanders who could never gain strong loyalty or respect from the units they commanded.
Foreign Policy in the Middle East[]
Ever since 282, Osroene, formerly a province of Rome, had been an independent kingdom allied with Persia. Under Messalla, Rome had tried to reconquer Osroene and failed. Ablabius hoped to maneuver Osroene back into Rome's sphere of influence by building economic ties with Osroene. In 335, he instructed the governors of the Levantine provinces to provide financial incentives for local merchants and craftsmen to sell their products in Osroene.
Ablabius also worked to forge ties with Arab states and tribes. He was particularly interested in the nascent Ghassanid kingdom, which bordered Palestine. Ablabius saw Ghassan as a potential counterweight to Lakhm, an Arab state allied with Persia.
Western Africa[]
After Ablabius took over the provinces that had remained loyal to Basilius, he quickly consolidated his authority over the region. One of the generals who had wanted to maintain the status quo was charged with treason and executed, while the other two were ordered to resign from the army. The leaders of all the republican and secessionist militias were declared traitors and executed. The two generals who had sided with Ablabius after Basilius died were rewarded: one was made praetorian prefect of Africa, while the other was made a dux over western Africa. Ablabius filled all the other major civil and military offices with people who had been loyal to him since his initial uprising against Basilius.
In 337, Ablabius implemented his administrative reforms in western Africa. That same year, he banned all trade with the Gallic Empire, except for Amasiga, which Ablabius declared to have been conquered by rebels. (The Roman Empire had never recognized the Gallic Empire as independent.)
Religious Policy[]
Under Ablabius, Christianity remained legal, and Christians continued to have full equality under the law. Ablabius himself was a pagan. Like Basilius before him, Ablabius took the office of Pontifex Maximus.
On several occasions, Ablabius criticized The Declarations of the Gods, the book Basilius had written as a pagan scripture. Many historians would later argue that Ablabius' opposition to The Declarations was motivated more by politics than his personal beliefs, because in several letters and speeches he expressed views that were similar to ideas expressed in The Declarations.
Conversion of Vipsanius to Christianity[]
On October 2, 339, Caesar Vipsanius announced that he had converted to Christianity. Shortly after Vipsanius announced this, several pagan governors and generals inside the Dominium Caesaris expressed concern about their rights and the rights of other pagans, either in letters to Vipsanius, Ablabius, or the praetorian prefect whose jurisdiction they were under. This concern was heightened on December 16, 339, when Vipsanius gave a speech outside the largest church in Thessalonica in which he invited his audience to "learn about the one God of all heaven and earth, and also Jesus Christ."
On February 6, 340, Ablabius announced that he did not object to Vipsanius' conversion, and ordered the people of the Dominium Caesaris to continue to obey Vipsanius as long as he did not rebel against Ablabius or persecute pagans. On February 12, Vipsanius declared that he would respect the rights of pagans and that he would not discriminate against pagans with regard to appointment to civil or military offices, and he also reaffirmed his loyalty to Ablabius. These proclamations from Ablabius and Vipsanius largely diffused the concerns of pagans.
Sarmatian Invasions[]
In April 345, Sarmatians began raiding towns in Moesia and Dacia. Vipsanius sent troops to the border to repel the invaders. In August of that year, the Sarmatians staged naval attacks on Pontus. The invaders were driven away within two weeks, but they sailed to Thrace and raided coastal towns there. The raiders returned home by late September.
In February 346, Sarmatian raiders attacked Bithynia. This time, Vipsanius sent two legions to stage a retaliatory invasion of Sarmatian lands, while having two other legions trap the invaders within Roman territory. The Romans captured the entire Sarmatian invasion force, and spent two months plundering Sarmatian settlements.
Roman-Suevian War[]
During the 330s, a Suevian chieftain named Rudisind began working to transform Suevia from a loose confederation of chiefdoms and city-states into an actual nation-state. By the 340s, he had become the presiding member of the Suevian Assembly, and his allies had gained significant influence within the body. They began proposing laws that would transfer power from the statelets to the central government. The representatives of the majority of the chiefdoms opposed such measures, so Rudisind and his supporters began voting as a bloc against unrelated measures, thereby pressuring Rudisind's opponents to agree to give more power to the central government.
In November 344, six chieftains rebelled against Rudisind. They sought to depose Rudisind, purge him and his allies from the Assembly, and reverse the expansion of the central government's authority.
News of the rebellion reached Ablabius in late December 344. He decided to aid the rebellious chiefs, because he feared that a united Suevia would pose a threat to Rome. Roman generals began to reach out to the rebel chieftains in early February 345. Only two chieftains accepted offer of Roman support. The other four rebelious chieftains suspected that the Roman offer of assistance was simply a pretext to conquer Suevia.
Rudisind used the news of Roman involvement to portray all six of the rebel leaders as traitors, and also offered to scale back his efforts to increase the power of the Suevian Assembly. In doing so, he was able to rally a majority of the other chiefs to his side. Rudisind launched a large-scale attack on the four statelets that were opposed to both him and the Romans. By July 345, the rebellion had been crushed, save for the two Roman-allied statelets.
Initially, Rome's goal was only to keeping Suevia divided. Prior to July 345, Roman commanders only provided weapons, food, and advice. At the end of that month, however, the commanders ordered an invasion of Suevia. The Romans managed to take over several towns and cities in southern Suevia, but then the invasion stalled. There were not enough Roman soldiers to continue the advance, and many Suevian soldiers either supported Rudisind or did not want to work with the Romans.
In early September 345, the Roman commanders began a new tactic. After the Suevi tribe conquered the southeastern Pannonia in 277, most of the Latin-speaking inhabitants remained and lived under Suevi rule. The Roman commanders began attempting to encourage the descendents of these Roman citizens to rise up against the Suevi. Even though the Roman commanders only disseminated anti-Suevi propaganda in areas where Rudisind had always been supported, the propaganda alienated the entire opposition. Also, most Latin-speakers turned out to be indifferent between the Roman Empire and Suevia: they had been second-class citizens under Suevi rule, but Roman rule had also been oppressive for several decades before the Suevi arrived.
In October 345, Ablabius ordered more units to enter Suevia. The forces in Suevia were instructed to occupy southwestern and southeastern corners of the country, but make no further territorial acquisitions. By late November 345, the Romans had taken all the territory they were instructed to take. The Suevians made several attempts to retake the territory, but they gave up by May 346.
After the war, the Suevi state was transformed from a confederation to an actual state, with Rudisind being the most influential member of its governing council. Ablabius reestablished the province of Pannonia in the parts of Suevia that the Roman Empire had retaken.
Military Buildup[]
The Roman Empire's modest territorial gains in Dacia and Pannonia inspired Ablabius to begin expanding the Roman army and navy. In 347, he ordered the creation of ten new legions and twenty new auxiliary units, as well as the construction of dozens new ships.
In explaining the reason for expanding the military, Ablabius spoke and wrote of restoring the strength Rome had lost. He never explicitly stated that he wished to reconquer lost territory, but most military commanders and civil officials understood him to have expansionist aims. The only thing that was disputed was the extent of his ambitions.
Death[]
Ablabius died in his sleep on June 22, 350. Vipsanius, who had been the Caesar, succeeded Ablabius as the Supreme Senator. Vipsanius was now the first Christian to hold the office of Supreme Senator. He appointed a general named Flavius Valeninianus to be his Caesar. Valentinian also was a Christian, meaning that for the first time, both the senior and junior Roman Emperors were Christians.