Firmus (d. 375) was a Roman usurper under Valentinian I. Events The Huns invade Europe. ... Usurpers were a common feature of the late Roman Empire, especially from the so-called crisis of the third century onwards, when political instability became the rule. ... Medallion of Valentinian I. Solidus minted by Valens in ca. ...

Firmus was the son of the Moorish (Berber) prince Nubel, a powerful Roman military officer, as well as a wealthy Christian. When Nubel died, Firmus killed his half-brother Zammac, who illegitimally had appropriated of Nubel's wealth, and become successor to his father. Mauretania was a Berber kingdom on the Mediterranean coast of north Africa (named after the Mauri tribe, after whom the Moors were named), corresponding to western Algeria and northern Morocco. ... The Berbers (also called Amazigh people or Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ...

Between 372 and 375, Firmus revolted against the comes Africae Romanus, who was a supporter of Zammac. The misbehaviour of Romanus, who had neglected protection from African tribes to Roman cities that had refused the payment of bribes, had worsened the situation in Africa Province in 360s. The revolt of Firmus against Romanus forced Valentinian to take action against both his officer and the African rebel. Events Emperor Fei is dethroned as emperor of China. ... Events The Huns invade Europe. ... Comes (genitive: comitis) is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus (compare comitatenses), especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. ... Roman North Africa The Roman Empire ca. ... Centuries: 3rd century - 4th century - 5th century Decades: 310s - 320s - 330s - 340s - 350s- 360s - 370s -380s - 390s - 400s - 410s 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 Events: Category: ...

When Valentinian sent his magister militum Theodosius (father of Theodosius I) to depose Romanus, Firmus tried to find a compromise with him, but Theodosius refused peace to Firmus, who had proclaimed himself emperor. Magister militum (Latin for Master of the Soldiers) was a top-level command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. ... Count Theodosius, also known as Flavius Theodosius, a senior military officer serving in the western part of the Roman Empire. ... An engraving depicting what Theodosius may have looked like, ca. ...

With the support of the indigenous African tribes, Firmus obliged Theodosius to a bloody and hopeless campaign. In the end, however, Firmus was betrayed by one of his supporters, and chose suicide over capture.

It is important to record Firmus' support for Donatists against the Nicene faith. Firmus ordered to kill the Nicene inhabitants of Rusuccuru, and after his death, Valentinian issued laws against the Donatists. The Donatists (founded by the Berber Christian Donatus Magnus) were followers of a belief considered a heresy by the broader Catholic community. ... Icon depicting the Holy Fathers of the First Council of Nicaea holding the Nicene Creed. ...

It is also possible that this Firmus was the basis on which the author of Historia Augusta modeled the unprobable Firmus, usurper against Aurelian. The Augustan History (Lat. ... Firmus (d. ... Lucius Domitius Aurelianus (September 9, 214–275), known in English as Aurelian, Roman Emperor (270–275), was the second of several highly successful soldier-emperors who helped the Roman Empire regain its power during the latter part of the third century and the beginning of the fourth. ...

References

• Roberts, Walter, "Firmus (ca.372-ca.375 A.D.)", De Imperatoribus Romanis site