The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · Character
Tetricus
Also known as Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus, Emperor Tetricus
- Minor
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 39
There's something incongruous about his appearance—the senatorial dignity wrapped in the practical garments of Gaul, suggesting a man whose ambitions have pulled him far from Rome's marble corridors into the wilder territories of the empire.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- Adult during events
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 39
- Books
- 1
Tetricus began as the sole senator among the nineteen tyrants who challenged Roman authority, establishing himself as usurper in Gaul while maintaining the facade of Roman legitimacy. As governor of Aquitaine, he found himself caught between his senatorial heritage and the demands of a licentious army that had grown accustomed to independence. His eventual surrender to Aurelian marked the end of his brief imperial pretensions, though he would later find himself paraded in triumph before being granted governance of Lucania.
Description
A Roman of middle years with fair skin and dark hair, his appearance marked by the unusual combination of senatorial bearing and Gallic practicality. He wears distinctive Gallic trousers beneath a saffron-colored tunic, the clothing of someone who has adapted to the realities of power in Roman Gaul. His features carry the weight of a man who has held both slave and sovereign authority over a licentious army, with the dignified posture of his senatorial origins still evident beneath the trappings of usurpation.
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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