The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · Character
Maximian Herculius
Also known as Herculius, successor of Nestorius, Maximian
- Major
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 46
The earth still clings to him somehow, even beneath the imperial purple—a man whose hands remember the weight of tools rather than scepters. There's something raw and unpolished about his bearing that no amount of ceremony can quite conceal.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- Middle-aged
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 46
- Books
- 1
Maximian Herculius rose from peasant origins in the territory of Sirmium, a man ignorant of letters and careless of laws whose rusticity betrayed his humble extraction. He assumed the title Herculius and ruled as co-emperor with Diocletian, wearing the imperial purple during triumphs before abdicating at Milan. Later attempts to reclaim power ended in forced retirement to a villa in Lucania, where he lived out his days as the father of Maxentius and Fausta.
Description
A man of middle age with weathered skin and the sturdy build of one accustomed to physical labor, his features marked by the rusticity of peasant origins. Short-cropped hair shows the gray of advancing years, and his hands bear the roughness of someone more familiar with tools than scrolls. He wears the imperial purple robe with the awkward dignity of one newly elevated from simpler circumstances.
Story so far
BOOK 1The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire / Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes)
Appearances
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