Macrian or Makrian ( la, Macrianus) was the king of the

Bucinobantes The Bucinobantes (German: ''Bucinobanten'') were an Alemannic tribe in the region of the modern city of Mainz on the river Main. The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus wrote that Caesar Julian crossed the river Rhine near Mainz in 359 for nego ...

, an Alemannic tribe, in the late fourth century and the brother of

Hariobaudes Hariobaudes (german: Hariobaud) was an Alemannic petty king in the 4th century. The Roman writer Ammianus Marcellinus reports that Julian crossed the Rhine at Mainz in 359 and concluded a peace treaty with the Alemannic kings Hariobaud, Macrian ...

. Macrian tried to confederate all the north Germanic and Alemannic tribes together against Rome. According to

Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus (occasionally anglicised as Ammian) (born , died 400) was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius). His work, known as the ''Res Gestae ...

, In 359 Julian the Apostate took

Mogontiacum Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Main ...

(Mainz on the Rhine) and, after the exchange of prisoners, made treaties of peace with the various Alemanni kings, Macrian, Hariobaudes,

Urius Urius (german: Ur) was an Alemannic petty king in the 4th century. The Roman writer Ammianus Marcellinus reports that Julian crossed the Rhine at Mainz in 359 and concluded a peace treaty with the Alemannic kings Urius, Hariobaudes, Macrian, V ...

, Ursicinus,

Vadomarius Vadomarius (german: Vadomar) was an Alemannic king and Roman general, who shared power with his brother Gundomadus. After instigating an indecisive campaign in Gaul against the Romans, Vadomarius and his brother signed a treaty with the Roman empe ...

, and Vestralpus. Due to continuing unrest, however, the emperor

Valentinian I Valentinian I ( la, Valentinianus; 32117 November 375), sometimes called Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. Upon becoming emperor, he made his brother Valens his co-emperor, giving him rule of the eastern provinces. Val ...

, in the year 370, invaded Alemannia and deposed Macrian, whom he labelled ''turbarum rex artifex'' ("king and crafter of unrest"). With the help of deserters, Macrian was captured and imprisoned. In his place was set up

Fraomar Fraomar ( la, Fraomarius) was briefly the king of the Bucinobantes, an Alamannic tribe, from c.372 to 373. In 372/3, the Roman emperor Valentinian I attacked the Alamanni and attempted to take their 'king', Macrian Macrian or Makrian ( la, Macri ...

, but the Bucinobantes would not accept him and he was expelled and Macrian restored. In 371 Valentinian was forced to grant Macrian an alliance; the Bucinobantes became '' foederati'' of Rome and loyal allies in the war with the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

. Macrian was killed on campaign against the Franks, in an ambush laid by their king Mallobaudes.

Sources

*Thompson, E. A. ''Romans and Barbarians: The Decline of the Western Empire''. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1982. . *Geuenich, Dieter. ''Geschichte der Alemannen''.

Kohlhammer Verlag W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, or Kohlhammer Verlag, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart. History Kohlhammer Verlag was founded in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by . Kohlhammer had taken over the businesses of his late father-in-l ...

: Stuttgart, 2004. . *Castritius, H
"Macrianus."
in ''

Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde ''Germanische Altertumskunde Online'', formerly called ''Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde'', is a German encyclopedia of the study of Germanic history and cultures, as well as the cultures that were in close contact with them. The first ...

''. Vol. 19, pp. 90–92. Alemannic rulers Alemannic warriors 4th-century deaths Year of birth unknown {{AncientRome-bio-stub