Gaius Cassius Regallianus

Who is Gaius Cassius Regallianus?

Gaius Cassius Regallianus was Consul suffectus with Titus Murenius Severus.

The consul Regallianus and his colleague Severus were unknown to historians until the publication in 2001 of a military diploma. This discovery, and especially Regallianus' existence, attracted the attention of scientists, as in the prosopography of the whole Roman Empire, the only occurrence of the cognomen "Regalianus" is that of a usurper who revolted against the emperor Gallienus, Regalianus. This usurper rebelled against Gallienus in 260, the area of the Danube: the coins minted from the usurper bear his name as P C REGALIANVS, whose nomen is usually expanded as Cornelius, although other possibilities are not excluded.

The importance of this discovery is that the usurper Regalianus is attested only by his coins and a small piece the unreliable Historia Augusta: the presence, in the early 3rd century, of a consul with the rare cognomen Regalianus and belonging to a family whose name begins with 'C' opens the way to some interesting possibilities. A Regalianus descending by this consul might have been appointed governor of Moesia or Pannonia, and have rebelled against Gallienus. This would also solve a problem related to a statement of the Historia, according to which Regalianus was of equestrian rank, while his governorship required the senatorial rank, as the consulate did.