Eugenius
Imperator Caesar Flavius Eugenius Augustus
Flavius Eugenius was a rhetorician and Christian who was nonetheless elevated by the powerful Frankish general Arbogast after Valentinian II's death in 392. Arbogast, who could not claim the throne himself as a barbarian, used Eugenius as a front. Eugenius revived pagan worship and restored the Altar of Victory to appease the senatorial aristocracy. Theodosius defeated them at the Battle of the Frigidus in 394, a battle famous for the miraculous Bora wind that aided the Christian forces. Eugenius was captured and executed.
The Battle of the Frigidus was interpreted by Christian writers as a divine judgement; the miraculous wind as God's intervention for Theodosius. It effectively ended the last organised pagan resistance within the Roman imperial system. Coins of Eugenius are scarce but not impossibly rare for the solidus and siliqua denominations.
Key Events
Coinage
The coinage of Eugenius is rare. Struck at Trier, Arles, Milan, and Aquileia over two years, his types follow the standard late Roman formula: VICTORIA AVGG, SPES REIPVBLICAE, and VOT V MVLT X. His portrait shows a clean-shaven civilian face, quite different from the military emperors who preceded him, a visual echo of his civil background.
Denominations
Notable Types
- VICTORIA AVGG types
- SPES REIPVBLICAE types
- VOT V MVLT X siliqua types
Common Reverses
Active Mints
Related Resources
Further Reading
- Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IX,
- Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume V,