Galerius was a prominent military and political figure from the time of Emperor Diocletian (r. 284–305). During that Roman ruler’s reign, the governance of Rome’s empire was eventually divided between two emperors (with the titles of Augustus), and each Augustus had a subservient Caesar to help manage and defend the realm. Diocletian appointed Maximian as his co-emperor in 286 and the positions of the caesars were staffed in 293, formally beginning the tetrarchy period of Roman government. Constantius Chlorus (father of Constantine) became the caesar of Augustus Maximian (286-305), and the aforementioned Galerius became the caesar of Diocletian.
Galerius was an able general and a skilled warrior whose talents were used to the fullest by Diocletian. Galerius was kept busy on the frontiers of the Eastern Roman Empire, as threats were present on every flank. Early in their partnership, Diocletian tasked Galerius with suppressing unrest in Egypt from 293-295. Unrest, however, was not quelled, and a usurper named Achilleus launched a revolt around 296. At that point, Diocletian personally took control of the situation and reconquered the rebel regions of Egypt that same year. Diocletian was not yet done with his campaign when concerning news arrived that the Sāsānian Persians had invaded Roman territory in the Mesopotamian vicinity of Syria. Digesting this information, the emperor decided to remain in Egypt to finish his campaign, but dispatched Galerius to the Syrian front to repel the Persians.
Galerius began his response to the Persian invasion in 296 or 297, and marched his forces toward the positions of the hostile invaders. Unfortunately for the caesar, he lost track of his foes, or was simply outmaneuvered, resulting in his forces being caught in a disadvantageous position somewhere between the ancient Mesopotamian cities of Harran and Callinicum. In the ensuing battle, the Roman forces were delt a significant defeat by the Persians. Galerius managed to escape after the disaster, but he had to temporarily retreat from the frontlines and was forced to embarrassingly return to Diocletian while fresh troops were mustered for battle.
Diocletian, understandably, was not pleased with what had occurred, and he decided to publicly humiliate and shame his caesar as punishment for the disastrous battle. It was a simple, yet effective, punishment—Diocletian refused to allow Galerius to ride in the imperial chariots or carriages. Instead, the caesar (wearing his full regalia) was forced to awkwardly walk on foot in front of the royal vehicle for about the distance of a mile. This curious detail was recorded by the historian, Ammianus Marcellinus (c. 4th century), who wrote: “Diocletian and his colleague had employed the Caesars as adjutants who were dispatched hither and thither about the empire and had no fixed place of residence, and that on one occasion in Syria, when the Augustus was angry, Galerius in his purple had marched on foot in front of his carriage for nearly a mile” (Ammianus Marcellinus, History, 14.11.10). Galerius apparently took the punishment well and did not make a scene of it. Instead, he focused on clawing back his prestige from the jaws of defeat—he may have lost the battle, but he was determined to win the war.
Chastised, given command of fresh troops, and invigorated by a determination to restore his honor, Galerius was back on the warpath against the Persians by 298. That year, he and his Roman forces inflicted an overwhelming defeat on the Persian King, Narseh (or Narses, r. 293–302). Narseh survived and escaped the battle, but it was such a cataclysmic defeat for the Persians that Narseh’s military funds, and even his harem, fell into the hands of the Romans during the course of the battle. King Narseh subsequently made peace with the Romans. This campaign by Galerius, followed by successful operations he led against the Marcomanni, the Carpi, and the Sarmatians, cemented his reputation as a talented general. Galerius remained in Diocletian’s favor and succeeded him as Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire in 305, ruling until his death in 311.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (The Triumph of Aemilius Paulus, Painted by Carle (Antoine Charles Horace) Vernet c. 1758–1836, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the MET).
Sources:
- Ammianus Marcellinus’ History, translated by Walter Hamilton as The Later Roman Empire. London: Penguin Classics, 1986, 2004.
- Eusebius, The Church History: A New Translation with Commentary, translated by Paul L. Maier. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1999.
- The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity, edited by Oliver Nicholson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
- Lactantius’ Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died, translated by William Fletcher. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. [https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0705.htm]
- https://topostext.org/work/493
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Galerius
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Diocletian/Reorganization-of-the-empire
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Narses-king-of-Sasanian-empire
