Editing Carus

{{Short description|Roman emperor from 282 to 283}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Carus
| title        = Persicus Maximus
| image        = Carusinc2955obverse.png
| image_size   =
| alt          = Golden coin depicting Carus
| caption      = ''[[Aureus]]'' of Carus
| succession   = [[Roman emperor]]
| reign        = {{circa}} September 282 – {{circa}} July 283
| predecessor  = [[Probus (emperor)|Probus]]
| successor    = [[Carinus]] and [[Numerian]]
| regent       = Carinus (283)
| reg-type     = Co-emperor
| birth_date   = {{circa}} 222
| birth_place  = [[Narbo]], [[Gallia Narbonensis]] (Modern day [[France]])
| death_date   = July or August 283 (aged 61)
| death_place  = Beyond the [[River Tigris]], [[Sasanian Empire]]
| issue        = {{ubl|[[Carinus]]|[[Numerian]]|Paulina}}
| full name    = Marcus Aurelius Numerius Carus (possibly)<ref name="Jones, pg. 183">Jones, pg. 183</ref>
| regnal name  = Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Carus Augustus<ref>{{cite book |last=Cooley |year=2012 |first=Alison E. |title=The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=501|isbn=978-0-521-84026-2 |url={{googlebooks|VlghAwAAQBAJ|plainurl=y}} |author-link=Alison E. Cooley }}</ref>
}}

'''Marcus Aurelius Carus''' ({{Circa|222}} – July or August 283) was [[Roman emperor]] from 282 to 283. During his short reign, Carus fought the [[Germanic tribes]] and [[Sarmatians]] along the [[Danube]] frontier with success.

He died while campaigning against the [[Sassanid Empire]] and is believed to have died of unnatural causes. It was reported that he had been struck by lightning.{{sfn|Potter|2013|page=26}} He was succeeded by his sons [[Carinus]] and [[Numerian]], creating a dynasty which, though short-lived, provided further stability to the resurgent empire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Leadbetter |first=Bill |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/503449219 |title=Galerius and the Will of Diocletian |date=2009 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-86928-4 |location=London |pages=39 |oclc=503449219}}</ref>

==Biography==
[[File:Caro emperador.jpg|thumb|Possible bust of Carus in the [[Museo Archeologico Ostiense]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Portraiture of Emperor Carus |url=http://rome101.com/Portraiture/Carus/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=rome101.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Portrait-bust of a man, perhaps Carus|url=https://www.ostia-antica.org/museum-ostia/inv-75.htm |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Ostia Atica}}</ref>|left]]
Carus, whose name before the accession may have been Marcus Numerius Carus,<ref name="Jones, pg. 183">Jones, pg. 183</ref> was born, according to differing accounts, either in [[Roman Gaul|Gaul]], [[Illyricum (Roman province)|Illyricum]] or [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]].<ref>[[Edward Gibbon]], ''The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', (The Modern Library, 1932), ch. XII., p. 292</ref> Modern scholarship inclines to the former view, placing his birth at [[Narbonne|Narbo (modern Narbonne)]] in [[Gallia Narbonensis]],<ref>Victor, 38:1</ref><ref>The tradition that he was one of the so-called "[[Illyrian Emperors]]", based on the unreliable ''vita Cari'' embedded in the [[Augustan History]], was accepted uncritically by [[Joseph Scaliger]], who assumed the other sources were wrong. (Tom B. Jones, "A Note on Marcus Aurelius Carus" ''Classical Philology'' '''37'''.2 (April 1942), pp. 193–194).</ref> though he was educated in [[Rome]].<ref>Historia Augusta, "Vita Cari", 4:2</ref> Little can be said with certainty of his life and rule. Due to the decline of literature, the arts, and the want of any good historians of that age, what is known is almost invariably involved in contradiction and doubt.<ref>Gibbon, ibid; and ch. XIII., p. 340</ref>  He was apparently a [[Roman Senate|senator]]<ref>Historia Augusta, "Vita Cari", 5:4</ref> and filled various posts, both civil and military, before being appointed [[praetorian prefect]] by the emperor [[Marcus Aurelius Probus|Probus]] in 282.<ref>Gibbon, ch. XII., p. 292</ref>

Two traditions surround his accession to the throne in August or September of 282. According to some mostly Latin sources, he was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers after the murder of Probus by a mutiny at [[Sirmium]].<ref>Jerome, Chron. s. a. 282</ref> Greek sources however claim that he rose against Probus in [[Raetia]] in a usurpation and had him killed.<ref>Zonaras, 12:29</ref> Allegedly, he initially refused the offer at first out of loyalty, but soon accepted.<ref>{{Cite web |last=C |first=Franco |date=2020-09-06 |title=Roman Emperor Carus {{!}} History Cooperative |url=https://historycooperative.org/marcus-aurelius-numerius-carus/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> The often unreliable [[Historia Augusta]] is aware of both traditions, although it prefers the former.<ref>Historia Augusta, "Vita Cari", 6:1</ref>  He does not seem to have returned to Rome after his accession, contenting himself with an announcement to the Senate.<ref>Southern, pg. 132</ref> This was a marked departure from the constitutionalism of his immediate predecessors, [[Tacitus (emperor)|Tacitus]] and Probus, who at least outwardly respected the authority of the senate, and was the precursor to the even more despotic military autocracy of [[Diocletian]].<ref>Gibbon, p. 293; and ch. XIII., pp. 328, 329</ref> Despite this, he still sought to deify the emperor Probus.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Cavazzi |first=Franco |date=2021-12-16 |title=Emperor Carus |url=https://roman-empire.net/people/carus/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=The Roman Empire |language=en-us}}</ref>

===Campaign against the Sasanian Empire and death===
{{Main|Carus' Sasanian Campaign}}
[[File:Naghsh-e rostam, Irán, 2016-09-24, DD 10.jpg|thumb|left|Panels at [[Naqsh-e Rustam]], symbolizing the supposed victories of [[Bahram II]] over Carus (top) and [[Hormizd I Kushanshah]] (bottom).<ref name="EI">[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hormozd-kusansah Encyclopedia Iranica]</ref>]]
Carus bestowed the title of [[Caesar (title)|Caesar]] upon his sons [[Carinus]] and [[Numerian]],<ref name="Zonaras, 12:30">Zonaras, 12:30</ref><ref>Victor 38:2</ref> then, in the beginning of 283, he elevated Carinus to the rank of [[Augustus (title)|Augustus]], leaving him in charge of the western portion of the empire to look after some disturbances in [[Gaul]]<ref>Gibbon, ch. XII., p. 293</ref> and took Numerian with him on an expedition against the [[Persian Empire|Persians]], which had been contemplated by Probus.<ref>Historia Augusta, "Vita Cari", 7:1</ref>  During his first campaign as emperor, he inflicted a severe defeat on the [[Quadi]] and [[Sarmatians]] on the [[Danube]],<ref>Gibbon, p. 294. Enemy casualties are given at over 36,000.</ref> for which he was given the title ''Germanicus Maximus.''<ref name="roman-emperors.org">Leadbetter, www.roman-emperors.org/carus.htm</ref> Reportedly, 16,000 Quadi were killed, with 20,000 being taken prisoner.<ref name=":0" /> Carus then proceeded through [[Thrace]] and [[Asia Minor]], annexed [[Mesopotamia]], pressed on to [[Seleucia on the Tigris|Seleucia]] and [[Ctesiphon]], and marched his soldiers beyond the [[Tigris]].<ref name="Zonaras, 12:30"/>{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

The [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid King]] [[Bahram II]], limited by internal opposition and his troops occupied with a campaign in modern-day [[Afghanistan]], could not effectively defend his territory.<ref name="roman-emperors.org"/> The Sasanians, faced with severe internal problems, could not mount an effective coordinated defense at the time; Carus and his army may have captured the Sasanian capital of [[Ctesiphon]].{{sfn|Potter|2013|page=26}} The victories of Carus avenged all the previous defeats suffered by the Romans against the Sassanids, and he received the title of ''Persicus Maximus''.<ref>Southern, pg. 133</ref> Rome's hopes of further conquest, however, were cut short by his death; Carus died in Sasanian territory, probably of unnatural causes, as he was reportedly struck by lightning.{{sfn|Potter|2013|page=26}} Alternate theories suggest that he died of illness, or that a rival for power poisoned him. Another theory hints at the future emperor Diocletian being involved in the killing.<ref name=":0" /> However, Leadbetter considered it unlikely for Carus to be assassinated, as his army had just won a victory.<ref>William Leadbetter, [http://www.roman-emperors.sites.luc.edu/carus.htm Carus (282-283 A.D.)]</ref>

== Legacy ==
Like the conquests of [[Trajan]], 160 years before, Carus' gains were immediately relinquished by his successor. His son [[Numerian]], naturally of an unwarlike disposition, was forced by the army to retreat back over the [[Tigris]].<ref>Gibbon, p. 296</ref> The report of the lightning strike was evidently widely accepted in the camp, and the superstitious awe of the troops inclined them to ascribe Carus' death to the wrath of the Gods. Rumors had been spread of dark oracles, affixing the limits of the Empire on the Tigris, and threatening destruction against the Roman who should presume beyond the river in arms. [[Persia]] was abandoned to its rightful owners, and not till Diocletian, a decade later, was the Persian contest decided in Rome's favor, by that emperor's [[Galerius' Sasanian Campaigns|victory]].

In the sphere of civil affairs, Carus is remembered principally for the final suppression of the authority of the senate, which had been partially restored under [[Tacitus (emperor)|Tacitus]] and [[Probus (emperor)|Probus]]. He declined to accept their ratification of his election, informing them of the fact by a haughty and distant dispatch. He was the last emperor to have united a civil with a military education, in that age when the two were increasingly detached; [[Diocletian]] (Imp. 284–305), who succeeded Carus after the brief reign of the latter's sons, was to confirm and formalize the separation of professions, and the autocratic foundation of the imperial rule.<ref>Gibbon, ch. XIII., pp. 328–33.</ref>

Though Carus was known throughout his life for his austere and virtuous manners, the suspicion of his complicity in Probus' death, along with his haughty conduct towards the senate, tarnished his reputation before his death, and [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]] conspicuously placed him among the tyrants of [[Rome]], in his catalogue of ''The Caesars''.<ref>Gibbon, ch. XII., p. 293 and note.</ref>

==Family tree==
{{tree chart/start}}
{{tree chart| |,|-|-|-|.}}
{{tree chart| MCT | | Flo | | Pro | | Cao | | | | | | Dio |MCT=previous<br>[[Tacitus (emperor)|Tacitus]]<br>Roman Emperor<br>275–276|Flo=[[Florianus]]<br>Roman Emperor<br>276|Pro=[[Probus (emperor)|Probus]]<br>Roman Emperor<br>276–282|Cao=[[File:Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|20px]]<br>Carus<br>Roman Emperor<br>282–283|Dio=next<br>[[Diocletian]]<br>Roman Emperor<br>284–305<br><small>∞ [[Prisca (empress)|Prisca]]</small>}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | |)|-|-|-|.| | | |!}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | Cai | | Num | | GVa |Cai=[[File:Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|20px]]<br>[[Carinus]]<br>Roman Emperor<br>282–284|Num=[[Numerian]]<br>co-emperor 282–284|GVa=[[Galeria Valeria]]}}
{{tree chart/end}}

==See also==
*[[Crisis of the Third Century]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
===Primary sources===
* [[Aurelius Victor]], [http://www.roman-emperors.org/epitome.htm Epitome de Caesaribus]
* [[Eutropius (historian)|Eutropius]], {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20031222152525/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/eutropius/trans9.html#18 Breviarium ab urbe condita]}}
* [[Historia Augusta]], [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Carus_et_al*.html Life of Carus, Carinus and Numerian]
* [[Joannes Zonaras]], Compendium of History [https://web.archive.org/web/20080521191250/http://www.ancientsites.com/aw/Post/1049415 extract: Zonaras: Alexander Severus to Diocletian: 222–284]

===Secondary sources===
*[http://www.roman-emperors.org/carus.htm Leadbetter, William, "Carus (282–283 A.D.)"], ''DIR''
* {{cite book |last=Jones |year=1971 |first=A.H.M. |author2=J.R. Martindale |author3=J. Morris |title=The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire Volume 1: A.D. 260–395 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-07233-6 |url={{googlebooks|uOHw4idqAeYC|plainurl=y}} |name-list-style=amp |author-link=A. H. M. Jones |author-link2=John Robert Martindale |author-link3=John Morris (historian) |ref={{sfnref|Jones|Martindale|Morris}} }}
* {{cite book |last1=Potter |first1=David |author-link1=David Stone Potter |title=Constantine the Emperor |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0199755868}}
* Southern, Pat. ''The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine'', Routledge, 2001
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Carus, Marcus Aurelius}}

== Further reading ==
{{Commons}}
* {{cite book |last1=Altmayer|first1=Klaus |title=Die Herrschaft des Carus, Numerianus und Carinus als Vorläufer der Tetrarchie|series=Historia Einzelschriften|volume=230 |date=2014|publisher=Franz Steiner|publication-place=Stuttgart|isbn=978-3-515-10621-4}}
* Hartmann, Udo (2022). "Der Blitzschlag am Tigris. Überlegungen zum rätselhaften Tod des Carus in Persien" [The Lightning Strike on the Tigris: Reflections on the mysterious death of Carus in Persia]. In Goltz, Andreas; Schlange-Schöningen, Heinrich (eds.). ''Das Zeitalter Diokletians und Konstantins. Bilanz und Perspektiven der Forschung. Festschrift für Alexander Demandt'' [''The Age of Diocletian and Constantine. Review and Perspectives for Research. Festschrift for Alexander Demandt''] (in German). Köln: Böhlau. pp. 21–72. doi:https://doi.org/10.7788/9783412525200.21. ISBN [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Das_Zeitalter_Diokletians_und_Konstantin/GKHkEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA21&printsec=frontcover 978-3-412-52519-4]. 

{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Probus (emperor)|Probus]] }}
{{s-ttl | title=[[List of Roman emperors|Roman emperor]]
        | years=282–283 
        | with=[[Carinus]] (283)}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Carinus]]|after2=[[Numerian]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef | before= [[Probus (emperor)|Probus]],<br /> Victorinus}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Roman consul]] | years=283 |regent1= [[Carinus]]}}
{{s-aft | after= [[Carinus]],<br />[[Numerian]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Roman Emperors}}
{{Pharaohs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:220s births]]
[[Category:283 deaths]]
[[Category:3rd-century Roman emperors]]
[[Category:3rd-century Roman consuls]]
[[Category:Crisis of the Third Century]]
[[Category:3rd-century praetorian prefects]]
[[Category:Deaths from lightning strikes]]
[[Category:Aurelii]]
[[Category:People of the Roman–Sasanian Wars]]
[[Category:Caran dynasty]]
[[Category:Damnatio memoriae]]