Lucius Domitius Alexander (died c. 310), probably born in

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empires ...

, was

vicarius ''Vicarius'' is a Latin word, meaning ''substitute'' or ''deputy''. It is the root of the English word "vicar". History Originally, in ancient Rome, this office was equivalent to the later English " vice-" (as in "deputy"), used as part of th ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

when

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

ordered him to send his son as hostage to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Alexander refused and proclaimed himself emperor in 308. The most detailed if somewhat confusing description of the insurrection is given by

Zosimus Zosimus, Zosimos, Zosima or Zosimas may refer to: People * * Rufus and Zosimus (died 107), Christian saints * Zosimus (martyr) (died 110), Christian martyr who was executed in Umbria, Italy * Zosimos of Panopolis, also known as ''Zosimus Alchemi ...

(II, 12 and 14). He reports that Maxentius sent his portrait to Africa to gain recognition as Emperor there. The troops resisted because of their loyalty to

Galerius Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus (; 258 – May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sasanian Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the D ...

. Maxentius ordered Domitius Alexander, the vicar of Africa, to send his son to Rome to secure his loyalty. Alexander refused and was crowned Emperor by his army. The incident was probably caused by the conflict between Maxentius and his father

Maximian Maximian ( la, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus; c. 250 – c. July 310), nicknamed ''Herculius'', was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his ...

early in 308, and Zosimos confused Galerius with Maximian in his account. Apart from the provinces in north Africa (today's Algeria, Tunisia and western Libya), Domitius Alexander also controlled

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

. At the time of his accession, he was already at an advanced age. There is evidence in an inscription ( CIL viii, 22183) that Alexander and

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

allied themselves in opposition to Maxentius. Salama suggests that, at the latest, the pact was entered into by autumn of 310.P. Salama, "Recherches numismatiques sur l'usurpateur africain L. Domitius Alexander", ''Proceedings of the International Numismatic Congress'', 1973, p. 365, note 2. Maxentius sent his

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...

Rufius Volusianus The gens Rufia, occasionally spelled Ruffia, was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are not mentioned in history until imperial times, and they achieved little prominence until the late third century, from which time ...

and a certain Zenas to quell the rebellion, and Alexander was taken prisoner and then executed by strangulation. Apparently, his troops did not offer much resistance. Maxentius retaliated with confiscations of the property of alleged supporters of Alexander. The year of the end of Alexander's reign is subject to debate; dates ranging from 309 to 311 have been proposed.

Notes

References

Barnes, Timothy D. Timothy David Barnes, (born 13 March 1942) is a British classicist. Biography Barnes was born in Yorkshire on 13 March 1942. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield, until 1960, going up to Balliol College, Oxford, where ...

, ''The New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine'', Cambridge (Mass.) 1981, p. 14f. * Chastagnol, André, ''Les Fastes de la Préfecture de Rome au Bas-Empire'', Paris 1962, p. 54ff. *Paschoud, Francois (ed.), ''Zosime: Histoire Nouvelle'', Paris 2000, p. 213ff. * Ferdinando Angeletti, ''L’insurrezione di Lucio Domizio Alessandro (308 – 310 d.C.). – Storia della prima insurrezione d’Africa'' in ''Storiadelmondo N. 75'' – Roma 2014

External links

De imperatoribus Romanis
on Alexander, including bibliography. {{DEFAULTSORT:Domitius Alexander 3rd-century births 311 deaths 4th-century Roman usurpers 4th-century murdered monarchs Executed Roman emperors People executed by strangulation 4th-century executions People executed by the Roman Empire

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Tetrarchy