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Calocaerus (Greek: Καλόκαιρος; –334 AD) was a Roman usurper against Emperor Constantine I, who, in 334 AD, staged a short lived revolt in Cyprus. His revolt was quickly put down, and he was executed along with his commanders, by being burned alive.
| Calocaerus | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usurper of the Roman Empire | |||||||||
| Reign | 334 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Constantine I | ||||||||
| Successor | Constantine I | ||||||||
| Born | ? | ||||||||
| Died | 334 Tarsus, Cilicia | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Dynasty | None | ||||||||
Before the revolt, Calocaerus had served in the role of Magister pecoris camelorum ("Master of the Flock and Camels") in Cyprus according to the historian Aurelius Victor.[1][2][3] Whether his unusual title implies some military command ("captain of the camel corps")[4] or merely a servile position ("leading shepherd slave")[5] is uncertain, though in any event there were no camels in Cyprus in that era.[6] He had been assigned to this position by Emperor Constantine I in 330 AD.[7] During the time period of the revolt, imperial power and legitimacy was based almost entirely upon military power. In order to become and remain emperor, a usurper needed a large and loyal army. Due to this, there were a large number of ephemeral revolts, which were either rapidly put down by the incumbent emperor, or else had their usurper killed by his own troops.[2]
Calocaerus revolted in Cyprus in 334 AD, proclaiming himself emperor. He was swiftly defeated by Flavius Dalmatius, the half-brother of Emperor Constantine I. After being defeated, he was taken to Tarsus in Cilicia, and burned alive, along with his commanders.[8][2][9] It is likely that Calocaerus' low status (that of a Magister pecoris camelorum), had an influence in the low amount of support he received, leading to his quick demise.[3] Dalmatius gathered evidence that a bastard son of Licinius, who had been emperor before Constantine I, was involved. This son had been legitimized by edict, and survived the downfall of his father, and still held a high, although unrecorded, rank in the Roman Empire. Dalmatius used this evidence to either execute or enslave the bastard son.[10][11]
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