| Saloninus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Roman Emperor | |
| In Power | 260 |
| Born | c. 242 |
| Died | 260 (aged 18) Colonia Agrippina |
| Father | Gallienus |
| Mother | Cornelia Salonina |
Publius Licinius Cornelius Saloninus Valerianus was born around 242. He was the grandson of Valerian and the son of Gallienus. In 258, when his father was in the fifth year of his reign, Saloninus was granted the title of Caesar and sent to Cologne under the protection of the praetorian prefect, Silvanus.
Power Struggle
In 260, a general named Postumus rebelled and took over the regions of Germania, Britannia, Gaul, and Hispania. He subsequently destroyed a group of invaders that had plundered Gaul and had taken over the invaders’ huge booty. Being the custodian of Saloninus, Silvanus felt that he had administrative power in the area and so ordered Postumus to hand over the booty. Postumus’ troops took this as an offense and soon came marching towards Cologne to slay both Silvanus and Saloninus. Gallienus could not help the situation as he was on military business somewhere on the Danube. For his part, Postumus did not exert much effort in restraining his troops. In a desperate attempt to stop what was about to happen, Saloninus’ men declared him emperor. This did absolutely nothing to stop Postumus’ troops, and soon they had Saloninus’ and his protector’s headquarters surrounded.
Death
Postumus only made weak objections against his men’s actions, and in less than a month, Silvanus and Saloninus were dead. Saloninus reigned for only a few weeks.