Casperius Aelianus

Casperius Aelianus was an ancient Roman official who served as praetorian prefect under the emperors Domitian and Nerva, and briefly under Nerva's successor Trajan. He is believed to have served as a tribune (a junior military officer) under the general Vespasian, and to have fought on Vespasian's side during the civil war of AD 69, later known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Vespasian's victory in that war led to his elevation as emperor, and his younger son, Domitian, appointed Casperius as praetorian prefect in the later part of his own reign (AD 8196). Following Domitian's assassination in September of AD 96, Casperius – whom Domitian had removed from his post at some point earlier – was reappointed by the new emperor, Nerva.

In the autumn of AD 97, Casperius led a revolt of the Praetorian Guard, with the aim of forcing Nerva to hand over for punishment those responsible for Domitian's assassination. Historians suggest that he may have been acting on his own initiative, or on the inducement of another, perhaps the governor Cornelius Nigerinus or Trajan, then a prominent general. Shortly after the revolt, Nerva appointed Trajan, who was popular with the soldiers, as his successor. After Nerva's death early in AD 98, Trajan summoned Casperius to his camp: the Roman historian Cassius Dio states that he "put [Casperius] out of the way", along with others who had been involved in the revolt of 97, though the precise meaning of this statement is unclear.

Biography

Nothing is known for sure of Casperius's origin or family. Parts of his career are attested in two ancient sources: the Life of Apollonius, written by Philostratus in the third century AD, and Cassius Dio's history of Rome, written in the early part of that century. The historian Ronald Syme conjectures, on the basis of inscriptional evidence, that he may have originated at Amisus in the Roman province of Pontus in Asia Minor. According to the Life of Apollonius, he served as a tribune (a junior military officer) under the general Vespasian in Judaea, and served with Vespasian during the civil war of AD 69, later known as the Year of the Four Emperors, which ended with Vespasian's elevation as emperor. The Roman historian Tacitus prominently mentions a centurion (a senior soldier, below officer rank) by the name of Casperius, who served in the eastern provinces with Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo during the Roman–Parthian War of 58–63: the modern historian Jonathan Eaton suggests that this might have been Casperius Aelianus.

Casperius was appointed as praetorian prefect in the later part of the reign of Vespasian's younger son, Domitian , as the colleague of Lucius Laberius Maximus. Under earlier emperors of the Flavian dynasty, praetorian prefects had generally come from the imperial family itself; Casperius, along with the other prefects appointed by Domitian, did not. The historian Brian Jones suggests that the loyalty he demonstrated to Vespasian in AD 69 was the reason for his promotion under Domitian. According to the Life of Apollonius, he was a friend of Apollonius of Tyana and other philosophers, and tasked with presiding over a special court convened to try the former early in AD 93.

Domitian was assassinated by a conspiracy of palace officials on 18 September, AD 96. By this point, Casperius was no longer in post as praetorian prefect: the two positions were held by Norbanus and Titus Petronius Secundus. These may have been involved in the plot to assassinate Domitian, and indeed modern historians often assume that their support would have contributed significantly to its success. Domitian was succeeded by Nerva, who was declared emperor by the Senate on the day of the assassination. In the months that followed, Nerva re-appointed Casperius as praetorian prefect, replacing Norbanus. He may have intended this gesture to placate the Praetorian Guard, the imperial bodyguard corps who were powerful in Roman politics and often involved in deposing and appointing emperors. By early 97, Casperius was the only praetorian prefect in service.

In the autumn of AD 97, the Praetorian Guard rebelled, insisting that Nerva hand over those responsible for Domitian's assassination. The relevant passage of the , a fifth-century summary of a longer work by the fourth-century historian Aurelius Victor, is uncertain: it may have stated that Casperius was bribed to carry out the insurrection, or alternatively that he had himself bribed the praetorians. Nerva initially refused to hand them over; on Casperius's orders, the praetorians killed Petronius Secundus and Parthenius, who had been Domitian's chamberlain. Casperius subsequently forced Nerva to retroactively declare that the insurrection had been legal; within two or three months, Nerva adopted Trajan, a general popular with the soldiers, as his successor. This is interpreted as a gesture intended to reinforce Nerva's popularity with the soldiers and to give his rule legitimacy with them; it may also have been explicitly demanded by the revolters. The historians Andrew Berriman and Malcolm Todd suggest that Casperius may have acted at the instigation of Trajan himself.

Shortly thereafter, in January AD 98, Nerva died of natural causes. Trajan accepted the empire, and stayed north of the Alps for several months. The new emperor's accession made Casperius the first praetorian prefect to hold the office under three emperors. Trajan summoned Casperius to his camp, on the river Rhine in Germania. Cassius Dio writes that Trajan "sent for Aelianus and the praetorians who had mutinied against Nerva, pretending that he was going to employ them for some purpose, and then put them out of the way ". It is not known what "put them out of the way" means. Though Dio does not explicitly mention execution, Trajan's guards would have been involved if this were the case. Garzetti assumes that Casperius was indeed executed, as does Syme. The historian Sandra Bingham speculates that Casperius may have been dismissed and sent away from Rome, but allowed to retire, in order to remove an unwanted reminder of the means by which Trajan was made heir.

Footnotes

Explanatory notes