Could Clodius Albinus Restore the Roman Republic?

[asnys]

I don't know much about Roman history (yet - I'm learning!), but I've been listening to Mike Duncan's History of Rome podcast. I've just gotten to the Severan dynasty, and he mentioned what sounded like an interesting PoD. Clodius Albinus, commander of the Legions in Britain during Commodus's reign, made a speech calling for the restoration of the Republic after receiving a false rumor that Commodus had died. Fortunately for him, Commodus did die a few months later, before he had time to arrest Albinus and try him for treason. Then, after Commodus's successor Pertinax was murdered by the Praetorian Guard, Albinus became one of the four pretenders to the throne, only to be tricked by Severus into an alliance while he dealt with the other contenders, and then defeated and destroyed.

If Albinus had managed to win the succession struggle, is there any chance he could have restored the Republic, or at least a "Principate Light"?

 

[SlyDessertFox]

The most you could hope for is him being more accomadating to the Senate than Commodus or successive emperors were. You also have to read between the lines of Clodius' statement here too. AFAIK, the Romans still referred to the Roman Empire as the Res Publica (the principate in theory maintaining the fiction that Rome was still a republic). What Albinus might have been doing is trying to paint Commodus as someone who was destroying the state and so it required a "restoration" of the old order of things that existed under Aurelius. It might also have been a way for him to try to win support with the senators, who were opposed to Commodus.

Back to the question...the most he could do is what I said at the top, be more willing to work with the Senate and keep up the fiction of the senate holding any power, something Commodus was not clearly not willing to do.

Also, The History of Rome podcast is absolutely fantastic.

 

[asnys]

The most you could hope for is him being more accomadating to the Senate than Commodus or successive emperors were. You also have to read between the lines of Clodius' statement here too. AFAIK, the Romans still referred to the Roman Empire as the Res Publica (the principate in theory maintaining the fiction that Rome was still a republic). What Albinus might have been doing is trying to paint Commodus as someone who was destroying the state and so it required a "restoration" of the old order of things that existed under Aurelius. It might also have been a way for him to try to win support with the senators, who were opposed to Commodus.

Back to the question...the most he could do is what I said at the top, be more willing to work with the Senate and keep up the fiction of the senate holding any power, something Commodus was not clearly not willing to do.

Fair enough.

Also, The History of Rome podcast is absolutely fantastic.

It is!

 

[Imperator Maximilianius]

Fair enough.



It is!

Maybe I should check it out then.

 

[DominusNovus]

Given how martial the Severan government was, pretty much anyone else is likely to be more respectful to the Senate.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Given how martial the Severan government was, pretty much anyone else is likely to be more respectful to the Senate.

Indeed, it would be hard to top them.

 

[Stolengood]

I wonder if Pertinax could've adopted Clodius Albinus as his heir to secure his place a bit better? Probably wouldn't have done any good with the Praetorians, though, would it have?

 

[SlyDessertFox]

I wonder if Pertinax could've adopted Clodius Albinus as his heir to secure his place a bit better? Probably wouldn't have done any good with the Praetorians, though, would it have?

Pertinax's only problem was the praetorians. He had connections among the Roman commanders across the empire-Septimius Severus being one of them. Where he failed though was to pre-empt the inevitable coup attempt by the praetorians. I believe there was a timeline on here that was even rebooted once, where he did exactly this, using the other guard forces in Rome to decimate and then disband the praetorians. If he can do that his position is pretty secure.

 

[Stolengood]

Pertinax's only problem was the praetorians. He had connections among the Roman commanders across the empire-Septimius Severus being one of them. Where he failed though was to pre-empt the inevitable coup attempt by the praetorians. I believe there was a timeline on here that was even rebooted once, where he did exactly this, using the other guard forces in Rome to decimate and then disband the praetorians. If he can do that his position is pretty secure.

But do you think he would've gone back to the "adoptive succession" route, with Albinus being the most plausible candidate to succeed?

 

[SlyDessertFox]

But do you think he would've gone back to the "adoptive succession" route, with Albinus being the most plausible candidate to succeed?

According to wikipedia, he had a son named Publius Helvius Pertinax though it doesn't say how old the son would be. Unless he faces extreme pressure from the military to name one of their own his successor (a la Nerva) I don't see how he's going to not name his son his eventual successor if he lives long enough for him to come of age. Unless his son dies early on, then he wouldn't have a choice.

That said, Albinus is not the best choice. Septimius Severus had control of the Pannonian legions, which were the closest legions to Italy. The most likely candidate though strikes me as Pescennius Niger, legate in Syria. If Wikipedia is to be believed (it does give a source), then after Pertinax was assassinated and Didius Julianus bought the throne, there were demonstrations by the people calling for Niger to become emperor. Julianus apparently sent an assassin east to try and murder him.

While that antecdote itself might not be true, the fact that it made its way into the historical record might suggest Niger was a popular and prominent figure. Which isn't surprising given the immense importance and prestige that comes with the province of Syria-not just anyone is going to be given that province.

That's not to say I would be surprised if Albinus was chosen. He seemed to have a lot of support in the senate and so probably with Pertinax as well, and of course was also a career military man. I just don't find him the most likely.