Greetings all,
On this Day - June 3rd in 350 AD, in one of the most bizarre
episodes of Roman history, the Usurper Nepotianus took over the city of Rome...
He did it with a troop of gladiators, no
less! At this time Rome was still the capital of the Western Empire -
and still a major world city. This was a bit like taking over the modern
city of Paris with the equivalent of a couple of Rugby teams...
Nepotanius was the son of Constantine's half-sister, Eutropia. As a minor member of the Constantinian Dynasty had at least as much right to the throne as Magentius, the usurper who held Rome at the time. He even managed to hold the city for nearly a month before troops loyal to Magentius returned to the city to deal with him.
Nepotianus may not have been the smartest would-be Emperor in the pool, but he was nothing if not brave. He even stayed to fight it out at the end.
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
