Julius Macellus
Emperor and Autocrat of the Rasenna Julius Ignatius Macellus
Conspirator in the usurpation of Emperor Sidorius, Julius Macellus would reign for a chaotic decade and upon his own assassination, would usher in the tumultuous period known as the 40-year anarchy which only concluded with the ascension of Emperor Roman I to the imperial throne.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
A lowly provincial soldier through and through, Macellus was quite short by imperial standards and possessed little physical characteristics of royal heritage. His large and dull eyes made him the subject of decreet mockery as well as his patchy facial hair and balding.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The exact date of Julius Macellus' birth is unknown as records and chronicles made during the 40-year anarchy were often burned and lost. It can be inferred that Macellus was born in 624 B.E during the reign of Macerian, who gave a Lakic version of his name to Macellus' father who was a freed slave. Despite his supposed lowly birth, Macellus made connections of his family to other proud Curial families like the Falerian and Ignati families with Macellus taking the Ignatius name for himself as he gained prominence.
This prominence came when Macellus distinguished himself fighting in the chaotic years of the reigning Emperor Grata as he was at this time a Sekani Primus in service of the theme troops of the Rhor. Macellus saw intense fighting with the numerous Herodi tribes that flooded the border during these times and was promoted to Camp Prefect at the onset of the reign of Sidorius. It is noted that Macellus was among the disgruntled military officers in Areul when Sidorius began negotiations with Brieudos of the Sichastres tribe, a tribe the Rasenna had been at war with for nearly a decade at this point. Macellus, along with other officers of the Rhor theme troops began their attempted usurpation of the hated emperor in 583 B.E and would succeed the next year with Macellus surprisingly being acclaimed emperor and lifted atop a shield.
Macellus had immediately become embroiled with the family of the deposed emperor and fought against his son Macerius who had been sent to live among the Sichastres and was being aided by Brieudos. The war with the Sichastres would be a destructive yet quick affair as the two sides fought a bloody battle at Minalium where Macerius was killed and the Sichastres obliterated as a tribe. Macellus had little time to settle into his imperial office as numerous revolts and uprisings to his rule sprung up as rival domestics declared themselves emperor.
In nearly a decade on the throne, Macellus would deal with six revolts from would-be emperors and contend with two major invasions, one from the Rasanids in the east and another on the Rhor from the Ferthungi tribe, a more militant and collected tribe that replaced the destroyed Sichastres. While the usurpers would be easier to contend with and popped up sporadically, the invasions of the west and east simultaneously would seriously challenge the emperor and cause massive damage to both regions.
As the emperor was closer to the Ferthungi, they were the first he contended with and despite this imperial attention, the rabid Ferthungi managed to make their way to the important provincial city of Trevia before they were dealt with. The Ferthungi were nominally defeated in battle and those that did not fall were either deported back across the Rhor or conscripted as federate troops and joined the force heading east to fight the Rasanids.
The Rasanid invasion of the east in 575 was among the most serious threats to the eastern frontier in the empire's history. Led by the capable Rasanid Shahanshah Narseh, the Rasanids managed to besiege Durris and take the fortress city in a grueling siege. By the time the imperial forces arrived on the scene, the Rasanids had taken much of the eastern frontier and only the coastal cities held out. Narseh was a skilled logistician and strategist who kept the pressure of the Rasanid raid alive and active in the east as the Rasennans advanced slowly into their own territory as it was garrisoned by Rasanid forces. By the time Macellus and his army arrived, they were exhausted by battles and sieges and were defeated at the Battle of Amida which sent the emperor into a panic as he risked losing the entire east with another defeat of such magnitude. After Amida, Macellus was cautious and diligent, he needed to take back every garrisoned fort and besiege every city without being defeated or ambushed by the prowling Rasanids in order to maintain imperial ownership of the east. Coins made during this time reflect the dire attitude of the empire, famously it would be the first time that the words "God Save the Rasenna" would be made.
Despite all seemingly being lost, Macellus finally made a gamble, he mustered his forces and marched east, toward the Rasanid border and he went on the offensive there. Macellus' plan was to put pressure on the Rasanids to return to their territory and attempt to expel him. What exactly occurred next is unclear but Macellus assuredly won a crushing victory against a component of the Rasanid army near Tzvin. Macellus' offensive was only possible due to his rabid advancement, he secured neither his communication nor supply lines and was entirely living off the land of the Ivanshar and with information gathered from the area itself. Macellus' gambit worked as Narseh abandoned his western advance and made his way back east to combat the imperial army. At the Battle of Abasiz, Macellus used a ploy as he sent two supposed deserters with a message to Narseh saying that the Rasenna were retreating from Ivanshar in a panic. According to sources, the Rasanid commander Tigranis aggressively called for the army to pursue the Rasennans to which Narseh was forced to agree. Caught in the trap, the large Rasanid army commanded by Tigranis was ambushed and destroyed by Macellus, with the remainder of the Rasanids calling for an end to the war. The victory at Abasiz was apparently such a sorely needed victory and of such renown that according to Melius Tourkos, author of the Twelve Kings who wrote of the battle saying,
This prominence came when Macellus distinguished himself fighting in the chaotic years of the reigning Emperor Grata as he was at this time a Sekani Primus in service of the theme troops of the Rhor. Macellus saw intense fighting with the numerous Herodi tribes that flooded the border during these times and was promoted to Camp Prefect at the onset of the reign of Sidorius. It is noted that Macellus was among the disgruntled military officers in Areul when Sidorius began negotiations with Brieudos of the Sichastres tribe, a tribe the Rasenna had been at war with for nearly a decade at this point. Macellus, along with other officers of the Rhor theme troops began their attempted usurpation of the hated emperor in 583 B.E and would succeed the next year with Macellus surprisingly being acclaimed emperor and lifted atop a shield.
Macellus had immediately become embroiled with the family of the deposed emperor and fought against his son Macerius who had been sent to live among the Sichastres and was being aided by Brieudos. The war with the Sichastres would be a destructive yet quick affair as the two sides fought a bloody battle at Minalium where Macerius was killed and the Sichastres obliterated as a tribe. Macellus had little time to settle into his imperial office as numerous revolts and uprisings to his rule sprung up as rival domestics declared themselves emperor.
In nearly a decade on the throne, Macellus would deal with six revolts from would-be emperors and contend with two major invasions, one from the Rasanids in the east and another on the Rhor from the Ferthungi tribe, a more militant and collected tribe that replaced the destroyed Sichastres. While the usurpers would be easier to contend with and popped up sporadically, the invasions of the west and east simultaneously would seriously challenge the emperor and cause massive damage to both regions.
As the emperor was closer to the Ferthungi, they were the first he contended with and despite this imperial attention, the rabid Ferthungi managed to make their way to the important provincial city of Trevia before they were dealt with. The Ferthungi were nominally defeated in battle and those that did not fall were either deported back across the Rhor or conscripted as federate troops and joined the force heading east to fight the Rasanids.
The Rasanid invasion of the east in 575 was among the most serious threats to the eastern frontier in the empire's history. Led by the capable Rasanid Shahanshah Narseh, the Rasanids managed to besiege Durris and take the fortress city in a grueling siege. By the time the imperial forces arrived on the scene, the Rasanids had taken much of the eastern frontier and only the coastal cities held out. Narseh was a skilled logistician and strategist who kept the pressure of the Rasanid raid alive and active in the east as the Rasennans advanced slowly into their own territory as it was garrisoned by Rasanid forces. By the time Macellus and his army arrived, they were exhausted by battles and sieges and were defeated at the Battle of Amida which sent the emperor into a panic as he risked losing the entire east with another defeat of such magnitude. After Amida, Macellus was cautious and diligent, he needed to take back every garrisoned fort and besiege every city without being defeated or ambushed by the prowling Rasanids in order to maintain imperial ownership of the east. Coins made during this time reflect the dire attitude of the empire, famously it would be the first time that the words "God Save the Rasenna" would be made.
Despite all seemingly being lost, Macellus finally made a gamble, he mustered his forces and marched east, toward the Rasanid border and he went on the offensive there. Macellus' plan was to put pressure on the Rasanids to return to their territory and attempt to expel him. What exactly occurred next is unclear but Macellus assuredly won a crushing victory against a component of the Rasanid army near Tzvin. Macellus' offensive was only possible due to his rabid advancement, he secured neither his communication nor supply lines and was entirely living off the land of the Ivanshar and with information gathered from the area itself. Macellus' gambit worked as Narseh abandoned his western advance and made his way back east to combat the imperial army. At the Battle of Abasiz, Macellus used a ploy as he sent two supposed deserters with a message to Narseh saying that the Rasenna were retreating from Ivanshar in a panic. According to sources, the Rasanid commander Tigranis aggressively called for the army to pursue the Rasennans to which Narseh was forced to agree. Caught in the trap, the large Rasanid army commanded by Tigranis was ambushed and destroyed by Macellus, with the remainder of the Rasanids calling for an end to the war. The victory at Abasiz was apparently such a sorely needed victory and of such renown that according to Melius Tourkos, author of the Twelve Kings who wrote of the battle saying,
"Of the thousands who accompanied Imperator Macellus into the dreaded deserts of the easterners, the beleaguered thousands returned triumphant and all-conquering as after having saved the east, they were the highest honored and most revered of men in the empire. For decades after, the men at Abasiz carried the badge of their victory on all occasions."
Abasiz would be the high mark of Macellus' reign and after it, revolts and pretenders stifled any advancements the emperor could have made. The eastern fighting also devastated the empire's treasury and the empire plunged into economic chaos caused by the wars. To combat this, Macellus drastically reduced both the number of enlisted men in the Tagma and theme troops as well as cut their pay in half. This led to riots in major cities and the final round of imperial pretenders springing up. During one such rebellion, Macellus would be encamped and receive word of the supposed surrender of the pretender Cerosious. Leaving his tent without donning his armor, Macellus was soon betrayed by his guardsmen who captured him alive. In the aftermath of his betrayal, Macellus and his brother were tortured with their arms being pulled off by horses, disemboweled, and beheaded with the heads being paraded back to Rasca on pikes. His death would begin a period known as the 40-year anarchy which saw a large amount of claimants battle for the throne and many defeats in the field as well as the destruction of the Rasennan economy. The period would end with the ascension of Emperor Roman I who would still need to fight would be usurpers throughout his bloody reign.
Education
Given no formal education due to his low-class upbringing. By the time of his ascension, he would read and speak only Lakic
Employment
Rasennan Sekani Primus
Emperor of the Rasenna
Emperor of the Rasenna
Accomplishments & Achievements
Badly needed victories at Tzvin and Abasiz
Successfully combated the Herodi Ferthungi tribe, deporting and federating them
Successfully combated the Herodi Ferthungi tribe, deporting and federating them
Failures & Embarrassments
Disasterous defeats in the Siege of Durris and at the Battle of Amida
Drastically reduced the economic viability of the east via his war with the Rasanids
Oversaw the massive economic plunge following the end of the Rasanid War
Assassinated by his guardsmen
Drastically reduced the economic viability of the east via his war with the Rasanids
Oversaw the massive economic plunge following the end of the Rasanid War
Assassinated by his guardsmen
Intellectual Characteristics
Cunning and Shrewd
Morality & Philosophy
Betterment is only for those with the aptitude to seize the moment
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Protect the Empire and advance himself and his family
Virtues & Personality perks
Capable
Realistic
Determined
Brave
Dutiful
Realistic
Determined
Brave
Dutiful
Vices & Personality flaws
Aggressive
Trusting
Narrow minded
Overbearing
Trusting
Narrow minded
Overbearing
Social
Family Ties
Married to Minea Florvina, daughter of the former Emperor Florvius
Father of Julia Macellia
Grandfather of Emperor Valen
Father of Julia Macellia
Grandfather of Emperor Valen
Social Aptitude
Whether depicted as a crude and crass lowly emperor born from a slave, or as a decorative lover of extravagance and elegance, many depictions of Macellus' social graces cast a negative light on the emperor unfairly seen as kicking off the 40-year anarchy. The only positive depictions of Macellus are when he is on the battlefield and mostly come from the influential 12 Kings accounts of him by Melius Tourkos.
Mannerisms
Despite his successive war with the Rasanids, Macellus would not entirely be looked at favorably by later historians who describe him as a lover of luxury, who dressed in purple, sprinkled gold dust in his hair, and built castles of apples. This luxurious taste was contrasted with his lowly origin and with the failing economy of the empire during the later stage of his reign.
Relationships
(Early Kataphraktoi of the Rasennan Tagma, this style of cavalry was a favorite of Macellus)
Date of Death
28th of Modia
Life
624 B.E
572 B.E
52 years old
Circumstances of Birth
Son of a lowly freed slave in Lakia
Circumstances of Death
Captured and tortured by his own guardsmen
Birthplace
Unknown, Somewhere in Lakia
Place of Death
Tziralla, Mykra
Spouses
Minea Florvina
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Dark Blue
Hair
Short, Brown, Thinning
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tan
Height
5'6
Weight
180 lbs
Quotes & Catchphrases
"Do not let the number of our enemies disturb us. For, by the Radiant, our one will pursue their ten thousand." -Said before the Battle of Abasiz
Belief/Deity
Cult of Victus Ouea
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Character Prototype
Gallienus
Comments