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In an Empire lacking clearly defined succession rules, each imperial transition provided for chaos as well as opportunities. One such transition occurred on March 28, 193 AD, when disaffected praetorian guards murdered Roman Emperor Pertinax, who subsequently established an inglorious record for the shortest reign ever – a mere 86 days. That wasn’t even enough time for selecting a Caesar, and the ensuing chaos presented the praetorians with a golden opportunity. They took command of the Eternal City, at least temporarily until the selection of the next Augustus. Fed up with the prior regime’s reforms and budget cuts, the guards were looking to monetize the situation for their own advantage. To this end, they strongly endorsed the extremely wealthy senator Marcus Didius Severus Julianus (133? – 193 AD), who pledged to pay them 25,000 sestertii each. The terrified senators had no choice but to go along; after all, there wasn’t any rule saying it was prohibited to bribe your way to Rome’s throne.
The news spread out from Rome and made it all the way to the Empire’s border lands. At those fringes were many legions whose commanders were previously comrades-in-arms with Pertinax. And for those generals, it was a golden opportunity to march on Rome to avenge Pertinax and grab the throne for themselves. Among those answering the call, the best positioned was Septimus Severus, who rapidly descended upon the Eternal City backed by an impressive military entourage and the promise of yet another bonus to the greedy troops. Realizing his peril, Julianus desperately tried to strengthen his own position. He tried to have Severus assassinated, and, when the attempt failed, he then proposed to share power, but the offered was rejected.
Julianus wasted no time striking coins to legitimize his position, including this denarius produced in Rome. The obverse features his laureate bust with the epithet IMP CAES M DID IVLIAN AVG, denoting Imperator Caesar Marcus Didius Julianus Augustus. The first title in this sequence touts Julianus’ previous command of the troops at Mogontiacum three decades earlier, and his suppression of several Germanic tribes including the Chauci and the Chatti. Even though Julianus bribed the praetorians to gain the way to throne, he was not lacking prior military accomplishments. He was, however, lacking prior imperial confirmation, so it is curious that the obverse inscription includes both CAES and AVG. Apparently, along with Augustus, the praetorians threw in the title of Caesar for no extra charge. To give Julianus some credit, he previously served as consul alongside Pertinax who, according to at least one ancient reference (albeit the notoriously unreliable
Historia Augusta), may have considered him as a worthy successor.
In any case, the theme is continued on this coin’s reverse, which features the Roman goddess Concordia standing left, holding an aquila and signum, along with the straightforward inscription CONCORDIA. To the ancient Romans, the deity Concordia was the embodiment of agreement. In this case, given the inclusion of the military symbols of the aquila and signum, the intent was to promote agreement between Julianus and the military.
Like many other ancient Roman coins in this collection, the design here was originally propagandistic, but turned out ironic. When Severus arrived on the scene, he not only promised a bonus, but also immunity to the praetorians, provided that they turn over the few individuals responsible for Pertinax’s murder. To accept the offer was a no-brainer, considering that the guards still had not received their payment from Julianus, not to mention they were fearful of Severus’ battle-hardened frontier legions. The Senate was informed of the change in plan, and they promptly deified Pertinax and confirmed Severus as the new Emperor. Julianus was captured, and slain.
At least in one respect, Julianus eclipsed his predecessor. He set a new inglorious record for the shortest reign ever – a mere
66 days.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Didius Julianus, AD 193, AR Denarius (18mm, 3.15 g, 6h), Rome mint, NGC Grade:VF, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, Obverse: Laureate head right, IMP CAES M DID IVLIAN AVG, Reverse: Concordia standing left, holding aquila and signum, CONCORDIA, References: RIC IV 1; RSC 2.