Carus
 |
Carus on a posthumous coin. |
Marcus Aurelius Carus (
c. 230 - late July/early August,
283) was a
Roman emperor (
282-
283). During his short reign, Carus tried to follow the path of restoration of the Empire strength marked by
Aurelian and
Probus. His sons
Carinus and
Numerian form, with Carus, a short dynasty, which granted some years of stability to the Empire.
Carus, whose name before the accession may have been Marcus Numerius Carus, was born, probably, at
Narbo, but was educated at
Rome. He was a
senator, and had filled various civil and military posts before he was appointed
prefect of the
Praetorian Guard by the emperor Probus in 282. After the murder of Probus at
Sirmium, Carus was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers. Although Carus severely avenged the death of Probus, he was himself suspected of having been an accessory to the deed. He does not seem to have returned to Rome after his accession, but contented himself with an announcement of the fact to the Senate.
Bestowing the title of
Caesar upon his sons Carinus and Numerian, he left Carinus in charge of the western portion of the empire, and took Numerian with him on the expedition against the
Persians which had been contemplated by Probus. Having defeated the
Quadi and
Sarmatians on the
Danube, Carus proceeded through
Thrace and
Asia Minor, conquered
Mesopotamia, pressed on to
Seleucia and
Ctesiphon, and carried his arms beyond the
Tigris. The
Sassanid Emperor Bahram II suffered of internal opposition, and could not defend effectively his territory. For his victories, which were a revenge of all the previous defeats suffered by the Romans against the Sassanids, Carus received the title of
Persicus Maximus.
Carus hopes of further conquest were cut short by his death. One day, after a violent storm, it was announced that he was dead. His death was variously attributed to disease, the effects of lightning, or a wound received in a campaign against the
Huns. The facts that he was leading a victorious campaign, and that his son Numerian succeeded him without opposition, suggest that his death was due to natural causes.
*
Leadbetter, William, "Carus (282-283 A.D.)",
DIR*
Crisis of the Third Century*
Roman Empire
